A Telling of the Tales: Five Stories - Hardcover

Brooke, William J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060206888 ISBN 13: 9780060206888

Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books, 1990

Synopsis

A retelling of five classic folk and fairy tales, including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Jack and the Beanstalk, from a contemporary perspective

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-7-- Five favorite tales affectionately retold with fresh, new perspectives and irresistible flair. Unlike their models, Brooke's characters have real character. Take, for example, the newly awakened princess who, refusing to believe she's been under a spell, demands identification and proof of his claim from an understandably nonplused prince. Equally strong and independent, Cinderella resists trying on the glass slipper, preferring her prince to find the relationship fitting, not the foot. A telling encounter between a blissfully destructive Paul Bunyan and a wistful Johnny Appleseed, the exploits of a demystified but all the more ennobled John Henry, and a very personalized re-retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" round out the collection. Brooke has succeeded in making these old familiar tales his own, softening their make-believe, playing with their meanings, but leaving their magic utterly intact. This is a writer to watch, one with a masterful sense of story and a delightful way with words. In his final, reverberating "The Telling of a Tale," Brooke weaves his many threads so seamlessly that readers no longer know who the teller is until indeed, the promise is fulfilled: "if you listen closely you can hear the voice of everyone who ever told the tale." A perceptive and engaging collection that's ideal for reading aloud. --Marcia Hupp, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

These boisterous, down-to-earth "retellings" of familiar tales are carefully adjusted to 20th-century values and designed to capture and hold the attention of a more worldly reader. In "The Waking of the Prince," Sleeping Beauty calls her security guards to arrest the amorous nobleman; Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed duke it out over the fate of the forest; and the Prince marries Cinderella even though the slipper doesn't fit. The stories are fast-paced and funny, heart-felt without slipping into sentimentality. The twists on time-honored tales redefine the spheres of good and evil to not-so-good and not-so-bad, and emphasize the importance of creative storytelling to address the problems of the modern world. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0060206888
• ISBN 13: 9780060206888
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 132