New folktale collections for children

by Gregory Hansen

African Legends, Myths, and Folktales for Readers Theatre. By Anthony D. Fredericks. 2008. Portsmouth, NH: Teacher Ideas Press. 192 pages. ISBN: 9781591586333 (soft cover).
Cajuns and Their Acadian Ancestors. By Shane K. Bernard. 2008. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN: 9781934110782 (hard cover).
The Origin of the Milky Way and Other Living Stories of the Cherokee. Edited by Barbara R. Duncan. 2008. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 144 pages. ISBN: 9780807832196 (hard cover), 9780807859308 (soft cover).
Legends of Paul Bunyan. Edited by Harold W. Felton. 2008. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 448 pages. ISBN: 9780816654604 (soft cover).
The Singing Top: Tales from Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. Edited by Margaret Read MacDonald. 2008. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. 216 pages. ISBN: 9781591585053 (hard cover).

Folklorists have ambivalent attitudes about publications of folklore developed as children's literature. Some affirm the value of publishing folklore as children's literature in popular presses, and they recognize the value of these publications in establishing a place for the study of folklore within elementary and secondary school curricula. Other folklorists are wary of the misconceptions about folklore that are too commonly evident within these types of publications. Rightfully, folklorists critique many of these publications for supporting the stereotype that the study of folklore is not a profession for the mature scholar. This tension represents the codification of the triviality barrier within the publishing world, as the idea that children's folklore is not a serious area of scholarship tends to be reinforced by a publishing industry with a long history of less than stellar representations of folklore for children. A number of recent publications in folklore provides an opportunity to reflect on the history of presenting folklore to young readers. From the republishing of Paul Bunyan tales by the University of Minnesota Press to the new adaptations of traditional African tales for Readers Theatre, it becomes clear that there has been a shift in ways that folkloric materials have been presented to young readers.

I missed out on one of the great moments in the history of folkloristics, namely Richard Dorson's reaction to seeing an image of Paul Bunyan adorning the cover of his book America in Legend. After reading the blurb on the book jacket of Legends of Paul Bunyan, edited by Harold W. Felton, I can sympathize with his antipathy, and I can envision the state of apoplexy that he is alleged to have experienced when looking at his new book. Few folklorists would react well to even the contemporary description of Paul Bunyan in the press's republication of these stories where he is represented as "a true American folk character: created in logging camp bunkhouses by men who spun exaggerated stories that combined hard work and fantasy." However, a reprinting of the stories is a welcome addition to folklore. James Steven's foreword to this volume is an engaging piece of writing, and he affirms that there is an actual basis for stories about Paul Bunyan in the folklore of lumberjacks. With proper historical perspective, the stories are interesting reading. There is a fine literary quality to many of the stories and poems about Bunyan, especially those written by Stevens, Carl Sandburg, and Robert Frost.

The stories also are interesting reworkings of motifs, tale types, and themes that are central to oral literature, and it's intriguing to read ways in which the lumberman is cast as an epic, even mythic, hero as well as a renowned figure within ballads and poetry. Many of the stories will continue to appeal to young readers, but this collection is more of a window into a past perspective on folklore as children's literature. Writers of these stories and poems were working under the assumption that children would simply be delighted and inspired by reading about a folk hero.

The assumption that the texts will naturally engage young readers also is evident in varying degrees within contemporary presentations of folklore for children. Margaret Read MacDonald's The Singing Top: Tales from Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei is a compilation of stories, folk games, proverbs, and folksongs that she collected while living in this fascinating region of the Pacific. The book doesn't necessarily fulfill all the scholarly requirements for academic fieldwork, but the tales are documented well and presented in a way that will engage young readers. MacDonald is a fine storyteller herself, and her voluminous publications on storytelling will provide teachers with a wealth of ideas for using this fine collection in the classroom. It's questionable, however, whether or not all of the written texts will appeal to children.

Shane K. Bernard's Cajuns and Their Acadian Ancestors is a well-written social history of Louisiana's Cajuns that includes vivid descriptions of contemporary Cajun folk culture. Bernard is a historian and curator for the McIlhenny Company, and he wrote this book to help young readers understand Cajun history with the goal of contributing to the conservation of Cajun culture. The book is clear, accurate, and engaging. Bernard's approach is an interesting contribution to the literature. He demonstrates that folklore can be presented to young adult readers through the approaches used by social historians and proponents of folklife studies. It's unlikely that the text will appeal to most readers, but the book will be a welcome contribution to school libraries and will serve as an excellent reference for reports and early research papers within secondary curricula.

Barbara R. Duncan's The Origin of the Milky Way and Other Living Stories of the Cherokee shares the implicit idea that reading folktales, myths, and legends has an intrinsic appeal to children and adolescents. Compared to the previous three volumes, this book could easily live up to that premise. The stories are well chosen, and they are beautifully presented. Duncan presents texts of stories told by contemporary tellers, and she provides relevant context and commentary to help readers gain a better understanding of the place of storytelling within Cherokee culture. She displays a fine understanding of folklore scholarship--the tales are transcribed in an ethnopoetic rendering that enhances the appreciation of the stories' form and content. The book shows that a folklorist's attention to texture and presentation are important elements of children's literature, and Duncan's volume of stories is a model for bringing high quality folklore research to young readers.

Anthony D. Fredericks' African Legends, Myths, and Folktales for Readers Theatre offers a different approach to publishing folklore as children's literature. Fredericks challenges the assumption that reading folktales will naturally appeal to children. With more than thirty-seven years of experience as a classroom teacher, administrator, professional storyteller, and college professor, Fredericks has a sophisticated understanding of ways to integrate folklore into classroom instruction. Rather than simply offering texts and suggesting that adults may try reading the stories to children to spark students' interest in reading, Fredericks employs ideas from young people's theater to use folklore to ignite an interest in verbal arts. The book is an adaptation of stories documented by folklorists, anthropologists, and other collectors.

Fredericks reworked them into short scripts that can be acted out in the classroom or library. The approach shifts the focus away from text into performance, and Fredericks' representation of the texts will make these stories come alive to children and adults. The book's bibliography and webography include fine resources for adding to the study of folklore and African culture. Some may quibble with the idea that this book is an adaptation of traditional folktales, but that's exactly the point. Fredericks regards folklore as a living and vibrant form of expression, and he and his collaborator--a Cameroon artist named Bongaman--share the idea that adapting the stories to American audiences enhances, rather than distorts, the verbal artistry that they are presenting.

It's a long way from Paul Bunyan's legendary northwoods to Malaysia and Africa. All of these compilations have strengths and weaknesses. The racist language in some of the Paul Bunyan stories will make reading some of this new volume a challenge. Some of the stories in The Singing Top are too culturally and regionally specific to hold the interest of the young reader. It's unlikely that reading about Cajun history will have a profound effect on attitudes about cultural conservation in Louisiana, and much of the nuanced content of the Cherokee stories will likely be lost to many readers. These difficulties, however, can also be seen as opportunities for teachable moments. A good teacher will work like a good folklorist. He or she will strive to use these books in ways that place the stories within relevant contexts and use the skills, resources, and creativity of our professions to foster a better understanding of history and culture through an understanding of folk expression. From the earliest approaches of simply writing down folktales for children to contemporary forms of representation that employ ethnopoetics, folklife studies, performance theory, and dramaturgy, writers and publishers will continue to affirm an important place for folklore within children's literature.

Hansen's review was originally published in the Journal of Folklore Research at www.indiana.edu/~jofr/review.php?id=693. Reposted with permission.