Jan Thornhill, illustrated by the author,
Folktails: Animal Legends from Around the World
Maple Tree Press, 2006

Rating: E

The author of The Wildlife 1-2-3 and The Wildlife A-B-C presents nine animal tales from around the world (originally published in 1993 as Crow and Fox and other animal legends).

In an Indian tale, Hare tricks Elephant with his own reflection. A West African tale narrates how Hare escapes capture by Tortoise. A story from China explains Tortoise’s shell. A story from Australia tells why Crow is black and Crane croaks. In a Middle Eastern tale, Crow teaches Fox manners. Fox and Bear, from Northern Europe, explains Bear’s short, stubby tail. A Western Canadian story about Bear and Coyote offers a version of how night and day came to be. An American Southwest story explains why Coyote’s tail is between his legs. A South American tale offers an explanation for the origin of fruit trees and vegetables.

Each tale is 1-2 pages in length, and, in typical fable style, has a page of text with an accompanying full-page illustration. Thornhill eloquently mixes description and narration to craft excellent storytelling pieces that work with or without the appealingly detailed artwork. She also gives readers starting points for further research: an informative introduction discusses the universality of these types of stories, and the map at the end locates each tale and explains the significance of decorative borders which frame the illustrations.

Read these aloud, memorise them, or use individual stories for units on fables, lore, animals, storytelling, or to enhance study of a region.

Thematic Links: Fables; Folklore; Storytelling

Denise Parrott
Vol. 12, number 2
December 2006

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.