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pussinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This collection is a short introduction to lesser known folktales. Lurie's commentary is minimal--all she really does is tell you where the tale comes from. After reading this, I suggest you check out the source the tale comes from. The final tale is "Tomlin" based on the ballad "Tamlin," which is much different experience than the prose version. I'd check this out for the inclusion of Cap O'Rushes alone. Cap O'Rushes is a variant of Cinderella (and similar to King Lear) about a maiden cast out by her father when she says she loves him as fresh meat loves salt. The story does not rely on demonizing a stepmother, and the main character really shines as a clever, compassionate woman.
doriastories's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful book, a terrific collection of what some might call "feminist" folk tales. I.e., stories which feature smart women who solve problems and save princes. I particularly enjoyed the Scandinavian story of the husband and wife who switch their work for a day, and the chaos that ensues as the hapless husband attempts to perform the "simple" tasks which his wife accomplishes on a daily basis. Utterly charming and great fun to read!
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
5.0
This short and very nice little collection contains stories that have girls doing things. In other words, stories about heroines, not heroes. While the sub-title, forgetton folktales, doesn apply to every tale (I've always loved "Kate Crackernuts"), it does apply to a good portion of the stories.
Many of the stories are Scottish, Russian, or Scandivan in root. A few also sure siblings working together and in fact, feature the older child as heroine. If you have a young girl, I would say track this book done.
If you like Shakespeare, this collection also includes the tale that is a a source for one of the lines in [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419JKV14XEL._SL75_.jpg|1885548].
Many of the stories are Scottish, Russian, or Scandivan in root. A few also sure siblings working together and in fact, feature the older child as heroine. If you have a young girl, I would say track this book done.
If you like Shakespeare, this collection also includes the tale that is a a source for one of the lines in [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419JKV14XEL._SL75_.jpg|1885548].
jen1110's review
5.0
I need to buy about ten copies of this book and give one to every female friend I have and all young girls I interact with (cousins, sister, friends' kids).
The stories aren't very long. Some of them are abridged versions of long songs; others are distillations of several tales that have the same themes, motifs, or storylines. All of them feature female characters who are clever, strong, resourceful, and work to get themselves, their families, and helpless princes out of trouble.
These are the stories that the (male) Victorian compilers of fairy tales left out because they didn't follow the mindset that women should be weak, meek, and wait for a prince to rescue them. These are the stories that Tiffany Aching would approve of. These are the stories that we need to remember and tell both our daughters *and* our sons so that we teach that girls are not just what Disney says they should be.
Yes, I really liked this book. I checked it out from the library and will be buying my own copy in short order. This is a wonderful collection and I can't recommend it highly enough.
The stories aren't very long. Some of them are abridged versions of long songs; others are distillations of several tales that have the same themes, motifs, or storylines. All of them feature female characters who are clever, strong, resourceful, and work to get themselves, their families, and helpless princes out of trouble.
These are the stories that the (male) Victorian compilers of fairy tales left out because they didn't follow the mindset that women should be weak, meek, and wait for a prince to rescue them. These are the stories that Tiffany Aching would approve of. These are the stories that we need to remember and tell both our daughters *and* our sons so that we teach that girls are not just what Disney says they should be.
Yes, I really liked this book. I checked it out from the library and will be buying my own copy in short order. This is a wonderful collection and I can't recommend it highly enough.
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