My daughters and I took a trip around the world together
|
|
This collection of fairy tales is great--it's not dominated by stories from Europe as is every other collection of "Fairy Tales from Around the World". It truly is a worldwide collection. Her heroines do all kinds of things in all kinds of ways. Ragan hasn't toed the line of political correctness--she lets the world's cultures and their women speak for themselves. The heroines in this wonderful collection aren't anemic passive beauties --they have character and blood. Ragan has enriched the word "heroine" and has given my daughters hopes in all kinds of new directions. As we read these stories together it was like taking a trip around the world and in each new country we were invited to sit down by the fire and listen to what makes the local hearts beat and to feel the resonance of our common humanity. I like Ragan's short commentaries at the end of each story because they gave me background information that helped me tell my daughters a little about the cultures from which the stories came. They also clearly revealed an emotional center of each story. I can't wait for Ragan's next book.
|
|
The stories were better off without Ragan.
|
|
The collection is nice. It introduced me to folktales I've never read anywhere else. The "precious" little commentaries made by the author after each piece are irritating and pc-preachy. I can come up with my own interpretation of a tale without her telling me what to think, thank you very much.
|
|
The tales are magical, but...
|
|
The tales are magical, but Ragan's dry and insipid commentary at the end of each story are a definite anti-climax. The best way to read it is to completely ignore the final paragraph in italics and just enjoy the feeling the story leaves you with.
|
|
An great concept but often inappropriate for the very young
|
|
Positive, strong female role models are of course extremely important for girls, more so than for boys, who can find them everywhere. So I had high hopes for this book when I bought it for my 4 1/2-year-old daughter, who devours books. But I found that for each story that shows a strong and capable girl thinking for herself and achieving for herself, there are 2 or 3 more stories that are about death, killing, kidnapping, treachery, deceit, physical danger, slavery, and that sort of thing. There's just too much of it in too many of the stories. Each time we sat down to read from the book, I had to look and look, previewing each story to find one that wouldn't be too scary for my daughter. The ones we found without all the scary stuff were captivating, though, and she wants me to read them again and again, so....it's six of one, a half dozen of the other.
|
|
|
highly useful and thoughtful collection
|
|
This book is a much needed addition to the world of multicultural and feminist stories. Because the author has broadened her definition of heroine to include qualities traditionally attributed to women and subsequently denigrated by the society, the book succeeds in bringing us new definitions of what it means to be a successful human being. Honoring qualities like creating a "hearth" for a family, kindness, perseverance and cleverness rather than physical strength (though delightful tales featuring female strength are included too!),Ragan brings to our attention stories that celebrate feminine qualities. As a storyteller, I have found stories that I can use immediately to build my repertoire of performance pieces. The care with which Ragan has sought out those sources closest to the oral tradition makes the storyteller's job of "translating" written text to oral performance much easier. I highly recommend this book to educators, librarians and storytellers. It also makes a great resource collection for parents who want to expand the kinds of stories they offer to their children, both male and female!
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada