The Cow of No Color: Riddle Stories and Justice Tales from Around the World - Hardcover

Jaffe, Nina; Zeitlin, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805037365 ISBN 13: 9780805037364

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 1998

Synopsis

In this outstanding multicultural collection from the authors of the prizewinning While Standing on One Foot, readers must try to outsmart evil kings, answer questions from Death, even puzzle with angels over the justice of God. Every tale returns to the most basic question: What is fair?

With tales from Africa, Asia, and Europe, from Irish, Jews, and Muslims, from American schools and courtrooms, The Cow of No Color is truly an international gathering. Ranging from tricks to watch for in playground games to big issues to ponder for a lifetime, here is a book with insights and challenges for every member of every family.

About this title

About the Author

Nina Jaffe is on the graduate faculty of the Bank Street College of Education. She is the author of many outstanding books for young readers, including The Way Meat Loves Salt.

Steve Zeitlin has a Ph.D. in urban folklore and is the director of City Lore in New York City. He is the editor of Because God Loves Stories, a collection of Jewish folktales.

Whitney Sherman is on the faculty at the Maryland Institute, College of Art, in Baltimore.

Reviews

Grade 4 Up-If a chief asks a woman for a cow of no color, how should she respond? A lawyer is sure he's gotten his client off but the jury convicts him. Why? A wise judge knows a man is a thief, but how can he prove it? Jaffe and Zeitlin offer a collection of 23 brief stories intended to make readers ask themselves: What would I do or say? What is fair or just? When should mercy temper justice? After a brief note that sets the story in its cultural context, each tale is told up to the point where a character makes a decision or takes action. Then the editors step in (in italics) and ask readers to reflect. This intrusion might be distracting to some, but it clarifies the dilemma and provides a break to initiate discussion. The stories are grouped into categories such as "Poetic Justice" and "Forgiveness and Mercy." Most of the selections are folktales but there are also true stories and one taken off the Internet. Source notes and a bibliography provide more information. Sherman's slightly surreal pen-and-ink illustrations appear every few pages. This collection might appeal to teachers and counselors, religious educators, storytellers, and youngsters fond of George Shannon's less weighty but still thought-provoking collections. Teens who are not put off by the introduction and comments clearly directed toward children might also enjoy it.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

As the subtitle implies, these are more than simple folktales. All have been chosen with an eye toward the book's theme--justice--and cover a wide territory in both place and time. In one story from Vietnam, a young boy relies on the testimony of a fly and is able to trick the truth out of a liar. Another is the story of Susannah and the Elders from the Bible, in which a young woman is unjustly accused of adultery by two men who want her for themselves. And then there is the anecdotal tale from Judge Eugene Pinchem, whose story concerns the astuteness of a jury. The Pinchem story, along with a number of others in the book, is framed as a riddle--the audience is asked to figure out the end of the story. This excellent method of getting children to think for themselves will lead to discussion and debate. The introductions to each story, informative and respectable in length, add depth to the tales. From the striking dust jacket, featuring the woman from Ghana and her cows, to the inside line drawings, the pictures are eye-catching. Inventive teachers will find myriad uses for this volume, including having children act out the stories and letting the rest of the class guess the endings. Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805037365
• ISBN 13: 9780805037364
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Sherman Whitney
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128