Spotlight On... Multicultural Fairy Tales

--by Hanje Richards

The Hunterman and the Crocodile: A West African Tale (Baba Wagué Diakité) - Primitivist paintings make a graceful transition from the ceramic tiles on which they originally appeared to this memorable book. Featuring bold, black-and-white animal characters set against earth-toned backgrounds, the paintings give a distinctive spin to this folktale about a contest of wits between a hunter and a crocodile. Donso agrees to return Bamba and family to their river home if the crocodile clan promises not to bite him. Yet once there, the crafty creatures decide they're too hungry to let the hunter go. One by one, animal passers-by refuse to rescue Donso, explaining how Man has exploited their species, taking much from them and giving back nothing. A clever compromise brings the narrative to a satisfying close. With its many animal voices, occasional onomatopoeia, this is a clever and clearly delivered message about the importance of respecting nature.

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Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato (Tomie dePaola) - Amusing illustrations enhance an Irish folktale about Jamie O'Rourke who, after meeting a leprechaun and being granted a wish, asks for all the potatoes he can eat and finds himself having asked for more than he can actually handle.

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La Llorona / The Weeping Woman (Joe Hayes) - The ghost story to end all ghost stories and truly the most popular cuento of Hispanic America. This story of the weeping woman appears at first to be only a frightening tale filled with mysterious events which cause children to sit wide-eyed. Yet it’s the simple, universal wisdom at the core of the story that finally works its magic into their hearts.

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Martina The Beautiful Cockroach (Carmen Agra Deedy) - Martina the beautiful cockroach doesn’t know coffee beans about love and marriage. That’s where her Cuban family comes in. While some of the Cucarachas offer her gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her something really useful: some shocking advice. At first, Martina is skeptical of her Abuela’s unorthodox suggestion, but when suitor after suitor fails the Coffee Test, she wonders if a little green cockroach can ever find true love. After reading this sweet and witty retelling of the Cuban folktale, you'll never look at a cockroach the same way again.

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Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale (John Steptoe) - Mufaro has two beautiful daughters. Nyasha is kind and considerate, but Manyara is selfish and spoiled. When the king decides to choose a bride from among "The Most Worthy and Beautiful Daughters in the Land," both of Mufaro's girls travel to the capital city. But only one can be chosen to marry the king. This tale is perfect for introducing variants to the Cinderella story as well as the history, culture, and geography of the African nation of Zimbabwe.

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Older Brother, Younger Brother: A Korean Folktale (Nina Jaffe) - A retelling of a classic Korean folktale finds two brothers who are as different as night and day, and the selfish aggression of the elder and the gentle mindfulness of the younger are carried on to their adult lives and directly affect their fortunes.

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The Tree That Rains: The Flood Myth of the Huichol Indians of Mexico (Emery Bernhard) - With the help of Great-Grandmother Earth, Watakame, a hard-working Indian, survives a great flood and begins a new life.

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The Turtle and the Island: A Folktale from Papua New Guinea (Barbara Ker Wilson) - Retells the legend of how New Guinea was made by the Great Sea Turtle, the mother of all sea turtles.

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.World Tales: The Extraordinary Coincidence Of Stories Told In All Times, In All Places (collected by Idries Shah) - This anthology was the result of extensive research that led Shah to conclude that there is a certain basic fund of human fictions which recur again and again throughout the world and never seem to lose their compelling attraction. In this fascinating collection, he shares this insight with us as we read the astonishingly similar versions of tales as they developed throughout the world.

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Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale From West Africa (Gerald McDermott) - When Zomo ("He is not big. He is not strong. But he is very clever.") beseeches the Sky God for wisdom, he is set three impossible tasks: he must bring back "the scales of Big Fish in the sea... the milk of Wild Cow, and the tooth of Leopard." The cunning rabbit dupes the three creatures into giving up these prizes, but returns to discover that the joke's on him. His newfound wisdom? To run like mad from the three very angry animals.