Moon Tales

A luminous collection of stories from around the world that will charm and dazzle the reader like the moon itself.

Gr 3-6-The moon has always held a certain mystery and fascination. Inconstant and changing, appearing in different shapes at different times, disappearing altogether on some nights, seeming to wear a face-all of these elements induced people to create explanations. This collection of 10 stories ranges from the pourquoi tale ("The Rabbit and the Moon Man," from Canada) to the humorous ("The Thieves of Chelm," a Jewish tale) to the feminist ("Hina," from Polynesia). The selections cut across five continents, including stories from Japan and China, Australia, Africa, India, Siberia, and England. The tellings are sprightly and stylish and the tales enhanced by ample brilliantly colored primitive acrylic paintings. They tell aloud beautifully and could easily be adapted for readers' theater or used as pattern stories for writing exercises. The final two pages give the provenance of each of the stories, making this a useful tool for cultural explorations. Similar in scope and purpose to other cross-cultural story collections, such as Elizabeth Laird's When the World Began (Oxford, 2000), Singh's work has applicability beyond its power as story.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The moon assumes various roles and guises in this competent collection of 10 stories originating from various cultures. Given a personality and a voice in many of the narratives, this celestial body is consistently portrayed as a benevolent being. Some of the selections feature familiar themes or characters: in one of the most amusing entries, a sliver of Jewish folklore, the foolish people of Chelm try to capture the moon by trapping its reflection in a bucket of water; and in a West African story, "Anansi," the part-spider and part-man title character throws into the sky a ball that becomes the moon. Though the prose is sometimes uninspired (when a chief offers his daughter to Anansi's son in marriage, "Anansi was pleasantly surprised. The girl was pretty. So he agreed and the celebrations lasted many days"), those who enjoy pourquoi tales will appreciate several legends and myths that playfully explain such phenomena as the marks and shadings on the surface of the moon or its sequence of waxing and waning. Lush's vividly hued, fittingly luminous paintings assume a variety of shapes and sizes and incorporate elements from each culture, yet her artwork as a whole provides a consistent texture and perspective. The full-page scenes, narrow borders and spot art, rendered in an appealingly na?ve style, conveys the setting and tone of each tale. Ages 4-8. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.