Folklore & Mythology Books - Page 5

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears (Pied Piper Book)

Verna Aardema

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This is an awesome tale! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I read this book as a small child when it originally received the Caldecott medal and I have loved it ever since. It has even become a favorite of my children who love the pictures and laugh everytime the mosquito gets WHACKED at the end. This is a also a great story to use to discuss cause and effect and I have had some wonderful discussions with my students utilizing this book. I would consider this a must read for any little person and adults alike!

Onomatopoeia 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I randomly selected this book at the library and was surprised to find that I could use it in my classroom! We just happened to be studying onomatopoeia at the time. Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitates the sound it is describing (buzz, bam, pow, hiss, etc.). I had my seventh graders listen to the story as I read it aloud. They had to write each example of onomatopoeia that they heard. They loved the story, and it was a great reinforcement for what we were studying.

Editorial Review:

In this Caldecott Medal winner, Mosquito tells a story that causes a jungle disaster. "Elegance has become the Dillons' hallmark. . . . Matching the art is Aardema's uniquely onomatopoeic text . . . An impressive showpiece."--Booklist, starred review. Full color.

Myths to Live By

Joseph Campbell, Johnson E. Fairchild

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Our own, and the world's, divine ground 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 29 people found this review helpful.

I am glad that I finally got around to reading this collection of Campbell's lectures delivered between 1958 and 1971. Since they deal with eternal subject matter there is little chance of them being "dated." The common theme running through them all is the deep power of myth on the inner, spiritual lives of human beings throughout the ages. This includes our own age, whether we personally want to admit or recognize it.

The Lectures include:
1) The Impact of Science on Myth (1961),
2) The Emergence of Mankind (1966),
3) The Importance of Rites (1964),
4) The Separation of East and West (1961),
5) The Confrontation of East and West in Religion (1970)
6) The Inspiration of Oriental Art (1958),
7) Zen (1969),
8) The Mythology of Love (1967),
9) Mythologies of War and Peace (1967),
10) Schizophrenia- the Inward Journey (1970),
11) The Moon Walk- The Outer Journey (1970),
12) Envoy: No More Horizons (1971),

The reader will recognize much of the subject matter from the later talks with Bill Moyers in the "Power of Myth" series. All in all there is enough material covered to make this an excellent introduction to myth, true spirituality, and depth psychology.

One of the topics that stuck with me was the fundamental difference in the nature of religion in the East, the Near East, and the West. Traditional Eastern societies were seen as governed by one great cosmic law through which all members were seen to draw their purpose, their worth, their meaning. God was in all things and the divine spark was in all individuals. Union with the divine was possible to those that transcended their ego. In the Near-East human beings (including the King) were seen as the groveling "tenant-farmers" of God. Men were the slaves of the Gods and could only beg and sacrifice to obtain boons. Man was in no way a part of God- matter and spirit were artificially split (mythic dissociation.) Finally, there was the Greek model- mankind as the rivals and competitors of the Gods. The Greek had turned ego into God, laying the foundation for the total denial of the very existence of spirit. That is, except for the initiates of the Mysteries....

There is a section of reference notes citing sources in the back of the book, as well as, a full index for quick reference.

Editorial Review:

The brilliant author of The Masks of God shares his ideas and speculations on our universal myths, in a fascinating, very personal work which explores the enduring power of the myths that influence our lives and examines the myth-making process from the primitive past to the immediate present.

The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm All-New Third Edition

Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Doesn't miss a thing... 4 out of 5 stars.
12 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I like this newer edition, which includes stories I've never read before. I read a much older edition every time I visited my grandparents and knew I must get this for my children. There's something less mystical about holding a softcover book, but the stories are still as amazing.

Disney and children publishers usually censor the tales so they have weak and happy endings. The real tales have Cinderella's step sister's eyes pecked out or the evil Queen from Snow White dance in red-hot shoes. The time when the Grimm Brothers wrote down these German tales, was a violent time and the stories properly reflect that.

The only downside, is I'm not fond of the overly religious tales. I know these stories also go with the times, but they're not my favorite. Also, there are a few tales that are a little odd and don't seem to make sense to our modern mindset, but are still interesting.

Editorial Review:

The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Perhaps no other stories possess as much power to enchant, delight, and surprise as those penned by the immortal Brothers Grimm. Now, in the new, expanded third edition, renowned scholar and folklorist Jack Zipes has translated all 250 tales collected and published by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, plus twenty-nine rare tales omitted from the original German edition, as well as narratives uncovered in the brothers’ letters and papers.

Truly the most comprehensive translation to date, this critically acclaimed edition recaptures the fairy tales as the Brothers Grimm intended them to be: rich, stark, spiced with humor and violence, resonant with folklore and song.

One of the world’s experts on children’s literature, Jack Zipes is a professor of German at the University of Minnesota and is the author of numerous books on folklore and fairy tales.

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic

Scott Cunningham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Review of Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very informative for beginers. The book gives lots of details on common crystals and gems and how they relate to magick; well written.

Editorial Review:

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic

The Classic Guide to Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic

Practice an ancient magic that is both natural and powerful—the elemental Earth magic of rock, stone, and metal. This comprehensive and clear guidebook by Scott Cunningham has introduced over 200,000 readers to the secrets of over 100 gems and metals.
Learn how to find and cleanse stones and use them in divinations, spells, and tarot readings. Discover how to determine the energies and stories contained within each stone, and the symbolic meanings of a stone's color and shape. Also included in this classic guide are:  
• A 16-page full-color insert, new with this edition
• Birthstone and jewelry magic lore
• Tables listing both planetary and elementary rulers of stones, magical intentions, and magical substitutions

Stone Soup (Read Along with Me Book)

Kit Schorsch

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

EXCELLENT TELLING OF A VERY OLD TALE 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Stone Soup by Ann McGovern and illustrated by Winslow Pinney Pels is the retelling of an old Grimm Brother's tale whose origin has probably been long lost. It is also known as Nail Soup in Scandinavia, and Axe Soup in parts of Europe. Some traditions, which is somewhat supported, place the origin of the story in Portugal. Originally the story consisted of a group of hungry solders returning from the war, who talked an entire town into providing them with an entire meal using the "stone soup method." The version of the story told here has two characters; a young and poor wondering youth, and a somewhat poor old woman who actually has plenty that he tries to talk out of a meal.

When the old lady refuses our young wondering man a meal, he of course starts with a rock he picked up from the road. After he adds the rock to a pot of boiling water, to make "stone soup" he has the little old lady hooked. He points out that the stone soup would be much enhanced with the addition of some onions. The little old lady of course has onions, so she adds them. This goes on and on like this with one ingredient after another being added at the coaxing of the young man and the curiosity of the old lady increasing as the story progresses. In the end, the young man gets a fine pot of stew, a full belly, and I suspect, after the little old lady thinks about it, she becomes much wiser.

The author has done a fine job in this version of the tale and the illustrations are top notch. The artist has used detailed water colors and has captured the poverty of the youth perfectly. The depictions of the clothing alone are works of art.

This is a great read-along book or one that is good for the child to read to themselves. Both test and illustrations are well coordinated.

Since this version of this story was first published in 1968 it has come under some criticism as some feel it teaches children to lie and deceitful. It also shows a very uncaring and unsharing little old lady, both not good traits. While I agree that the axe version may show and teach the advantages of cooperation better; that working together, all benefit, I also feel there are lessons to be learned from this version. First, children need to learn the facts that people do lie and lie all the time. Secondly, that they should questions the overall big picture and not take everything at face value and thirdly, when you want something from someone, don't tell them how desperately they need it, but rather create the impression that you are giving them an opportunity to be part of your success. I firmly believe that we can be, and often are, too sheltering and protective of our children; to the point of hurting them later in life.

I enjoyed this book. I use it all the time with children I read to and in fact, used an oral version of this tale to teach my children and grandchildren, much as I was by my grandfather years and years ago.

Note that there are other and many versions of this book out. I will be the first to admit that I have read better, but still think that this one will do in a pinch.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Editorial Review:

Retells in rebus format the classic tale in which all the townspeople share a delicious soup which started out as stones and water.

The Lost Book of Enki: Memoirs and Prophecies of an Extraterrestrial god

Zecharia Sitchin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The companion volume to The Earth Chronicles series that reveals the identity of mankind’s ancient gods

•   Explains why these “gods” from Nibiru, the Anunnaki, genetically engineered Homo sapiens, gave Earthlings civilization, and promised to return

•   30,000 sold in hardcover

Zecharia Sitchin’s bestselling series The Earth Chronicles provided humanity’s side of the story concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, “those who from heaven to earth came.” In The Lost Book of Enki we now view this saga from the perspective of Lord Enki, an Anunnaki leader revered in antiquity as a god, who tells the story of these extraterrestrials’ arrival on Earth from the planet Nibiru.

In his previous works Sitchin compiled the complete story of the Anunnaki’s impact on human civilization from fragments scattered throughout Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew sources. Missing from these accounts, however, was the perspective of the Anunnaki themselves. What was life like on their own planet? What motives propelled them to settle on Earth--and what drove them from their new home? Convinced of the existence of a lost book that held the answers to these questions, the author began his search for evidence. Through exhaustive research of primary sources, he has here re-created tales as the memoirs of Enki, the leader of these first “astronauts.” What takes shape is the story of a world of mounting tensions, deep rivalries, and sophisticated scientific knowledge that is only today being confirmed. An epic tale of gods and men unfolds, challenging every assumption we hold about our past and our future.

The Little Red Hen

Paul Galdone

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Traditional telling of a classic tale with a more positive ending 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Her ability to cook empowers this little red hen to motivate her housemates. Help me with some of the housework if you want cake. A final illustration shows all the animals working, sweeping and dusting!

After reading the story as it is written, follow along with Heather Forest's Little Red Hen from the album, Sing me a Story. End on that final illustration with her words, "Sharing the work makes working fun."

Different versions may use different characters. This one uses the traditional Dog, Cat, Mouse.

Timeless Classic 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book for my children and did it bring back memories! I had it read to me when I was little. So the story line is cute and teaches a valuable lesson with the moral the lazy cat, dog, and mouse do not get the snack. All of my children from 2-6 love this story, it never grows old.

The Little Red Hen 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This version is a classic one. The story and illustrations are very inviting for any child. I love the classic moral of the story too.

Editorial Review:

Galdone's dynamic, amusing pictures add much humor to the familiar tale of the industrious hen and lazy cat, dog, and mouse.

Rapunzel (Picture Puffin Books)

Brothers Grimm

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 52 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Rapunzel the Beautiful 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 12 people found this review helpful.

There are many illustrated versions of Rapunzel on the children's market, but surely none can compare with Paul O. Zelinsky's Caldecott version.

As he explains in "A Note about Rapunzel" in the back of the book, he traced the history of the story and discovered its roots in Italy, determining then to set his version within the artwork of Renaissance Italy. Rapunzel is the German word for a salad green and root with a flavor between argula and watercress. In some stories the green is parsley called rampion.

In this version a young pregnant wife begins craving rapunzel which she sees outside her window. I must have it, must have it, she tells her husband, knowing that the garden in the courtyard below belongs to a sorceress. She has her rapunzel, but the witch catches the husband stealing it and makes him promise the baby to her.

As the story goes, the sorceress locks the pre-adolescent child in a campanile with no doors and only Rapunzel's long red-gold tresses as a rope to the top. The prince finds her, learns the secret to the top, avows his love, and she gets pregnant.

The story ends happily, of course, following the traditional plot line. What sets this version so very far apart from its siblings is the glorious Renaissance-like artwork. Flowing clothing, long, wavy hair, dark and silvery plant life, blue and gray haze in the background, particular people groupings, perfectly balanced settings, Roman ruins--all traditional aspects of Renaissance art are depicted.

One little intrusion into this Renaissance setting is a kitten whose growth is also measured by Rapunzel's. This Siamese is in almost every frame with Rapunzel all the way to the end which is a cozy tableau of family bliss.

This Rapunzel belongs in every home with a child and adults who appreciate the joy of children's books.

Editorial Review:

Trapped in a tower with no door, Rapunzel is allowed to see no one but the sorceress who has imprisoned her-until the day a young prince hears her singing to the forest birds. . . . The timeless tale of Rapunzel is vividly and magnificently brought to life through Paul O. Zelinsky's powerful sense of narrative and his stunning oil paintings.

"Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision." (The Horn Book, starred review)

Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion

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Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

We are each living our hero's journey . . . 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We are each living our own Hero's Journey in life. This book is a guide on that journey. Wonderful quotes that inspire. For the price of movie ticket, you get a weekend workshop on how to live a life that you're destined to live.

Perfect intro to Campbell! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

"So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system." ~ Joseph Campbell from "A Joseph Campbell Companion"

This book is a must-have.

Packed with a wide range of Campbell's musings, it's the perfect introduction to the man who helped us understand the hero's journey and what it means to follow our bliss.

A quick read! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If one has read Campbell's other work, then this is like a great pick me up book. Readers who have not already experienced the scholar's work would be best served by reading those before they decide to tackle this one. It's not all too often that one comes across a book that you can't put down and I can say that this is one of the few times that I can say that. I read this in only a matter of days and would think about reading it when I didn't have time to. This collection has a very intimate feel and really gives the sense that you have almost comes across a secret journal that had been written long ago, but was written just for you. It's like having a private conversation with Campbell himself. The majority of this volume has been pulled from lectures and journals which perhaps have never been published and gives the sense that Campbell is letting you in on secrets that only few in the world have ever been gifted with, all from the comfort of your living room. As a scholarly work this doesn't hold up to "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" but as an entertaining read it is a wonderful book. Joseph Campbell the teacher gives way to Joseph Campbell, the friend. Biased as I am in that I admire him so much, I would recommend this book to any who love his ideas. It feels like a talk with an old friend, letting you in on all those little glimpses of his experiences.

Editorial Review:

Celebrated scholar Joseph Campbell shares his intimate and inspiring reflections on the art of living in this beautifully packaged book, part of a new series to be based on his unpublished writings.

Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents (The Little Light of Mine Series)

Sarah Conover

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Kindness goes a long way 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

First I used this book with my children as we learned about different religions and spiritual views. As they got older we visited it again because these Buddhist stories are applicable to so many situations in life regardless of your views on God, theist, or atheist.
Now as a religious education teacher of younger people at the Unitarian Universalist fellowship I use this book extensively when teaching about buddhism, kindness, compassion and many other concepts. Well written and engaging for all ages, but best for elementary school age children. My middle schoolers still love the stories.

Editorial Review:

Sarah Conover's collection of traditional Buddhist tales leads us to the kind of implicit understanding of ourselves and others that only stories can provide. Following the Buddha through his various transformations, these clarified and often humorous narrative journeys open the ancient master's profound and gentle teachings to persons of all ages, religions, races, and ideological persuasions. Over and over, this marvelous book tells us, "Let go of your anger, your fear, your greedy desire. Embrace gladness. Follow the path." The stories form a wondrous pageant: of elephants, monkeys, monks, and men working through foolishness toward wisdom and delight.