Traditional Literature

The Importance of Tradition

Long before the popularity of books, series, and Harry Potter, stories were simply told and passed on verbally. Since the beginning of time humans have been curious about each other and the world around us. Thus, stories were first created in order to explain some of the world’s phenomena that we were experiencing. These stories came to be told and retold around the fire until they were perfected and ingrained in our memories. Most of these stories have since been recorded and some even accompanied by illustrations. While the truth of most of these tales is now common knowledge, we still enjoy reading them and appreciate the link they provide us to our past humanity. 

Traditional Literature

The People Could Fly as told by Virginia Hamilton
Interest Level: 3-6

Reading Level: 4.3

This book contains a collection of twenty-four American Black folktales ranging from the earliest days of slavery to more contemporary times. The collection is separated into four sections: “Animal Tales”, “Tales of the Real, Extravagant, and Fanciful”, “Tales of the Supernatural” and “Slave Tales of Freedom”. We’ve all heard of Tar Baby and Bruh Rabbit but now we can read the stories from which they authentically originated. Most importantly, we learn that The People Could Fly

Virginia Hamilton has created a wonderful and unique collection. The dialect and colloquial language changes throughout each section depending on the origin of the story being told. She also goes out of her way to make this book educational for students by including several glossaries as needed and an explanation at the end of each story. The explanations include information about the language being used, the place where the specific folktale is said to have originated, the hidden message it was to have, or why it was so meaningful to the people. These aspects are what make this collection one of a kind and well-worth sharing with our students.

Reviewed by: Tiffany L. Braunel 

 


 

 

The Great Smelly, Slobbery, Small-Tooth Dog retold by Margaret Read Macdonald
Interest Level:  K-3
Reading Level:  2.3

The Great Smelly, Slobbery, Small-Tooth Dog is a folktale from Great Britain.  The story starts out with rich man promising his daughter as a reward to the dog who rescued him from thieves.  Keeping the word of her father, the daughter goes to live with the great smelly, slobbery, small-tooth dog in his palace.  The castle was beautiful and had many luxuries.  The rich man’s daughter and the dog became good friends, but she still missed her father.  The great smelly, slobbery, small-tooth dog promises to take her back to her father for a visit, but the daughter forgets to be kind to the dog each time they attempt to go making the dog change his mind.  The story is a reminder that looks can be deceiving and it is important to treat everyone with kindness.

Reviewed by:  Julie Weideman


 

 

The Mud Pony book cover

The Mud Pony:  A traditional Skidi Pawnee tale retold by Caron Lee Cohen

Interest Level:  K-3

Reading Level:  3.3

 

Once there was a poor boy living in an Indian camp.  As he watched the other boys water their ponies, he desperately wanted one of his own.  He decided to make a own pony out of mud, and he took care of it as if it were real.  Then one day the scouts spotted buffalo, and the boy's people had to pack up camp quickly to hunt the buffalo.  Sadly, the boy’s family had to leave without him because they couldn’t find him.  During his first night alone, the boy dreamed that his mud pony was real, and when he awoke he discovered that Mother Earth had indeed turned his mud pony into a real pony.  The pony helped the boy find his people, and with the pony’s help, the boy became a powerful leader.

Reviewed by:  Polly J. LaMontagne