Folklore

 This week are some folktales.One is the origin of many well known tales, such as hansel and Gretel, but are the true versions, which tend toward much darker content. The other is rich in hisotry and inspiration of people working to survive in a harsh reality.

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm

The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm are a collection of 27 of some of the classic Grimm fairytales, ranging from very well known to rarely heard. Segal stays true to the original German text for the translation, without interpretations or additional reworking. There is no commentary on how the stories relate, so the reader is left to see the through lines of these stories. In a translator’s note, Segal reports translating primarily from later texts that had been reworked by the original Brothers Grimm and attempted to stay as true to the German as possible. The Grimm stories are mean tot be read aloud and retold and the language works for that in this edition. The simplistic language creates imagery and moves each narrative plot along.

While Grimm tales have often been adapted and told for children, the dark and disturbing nature of some should be approached with caution, depending on the child and the tolerances of that child. The Grimms’ tales have lasted because of their ability to be told aloud and remembered and this true translation reflects their narrative power. The stories may be read separately or together. While the 27 are carefully selected from the original 210 Grimm tales, there is no stated throughline or explanation and thus, the stories may be read in any order.

Sendak’s full page illustrations sprinkled throughout the works serve to bring to life some aspects of the stories. True to culture and highly expressive, the illustrations help to enrich the telling of the stories and the imagination behind them.

Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm K. Grimm. 2003. The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm. Translated by Lore Segal and Randall Jarrell. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 978-0-374-33971-5

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales

The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, winner of the 1986 Coretta Scott King award, is a collection of African-American/Black folktales, most of which originated during the American slave era. Hamilton collected the stories to ensure tha the tales and what they represented were not lost. For Hamilton, not only are th stories part of American history, they are also part of her personal ancestry. It is important to her to share that while the stories came from suffering and hardship, they are full of creativity, imagination, and hope. Hamilton helpfully provides an introduction, and each story has a short piece afterwards adding some interpretation. She has gathered the stories into four themes and provides 5-6 stories each.

Some of the stories Hamilton heard and others she found recorded. Interestingly, she notes that she is telling the stories in her own voice and how she, as a black storyteller, would tell them. While this may be slightly different from the “original” story she heard, Hamilton highlights that the stories also change over time and that they are supposed to, giving them a life of their own. This is especially true of the African-American/black slave stories, as slaves were often forbidden to learn to read or write and depended on an oral tradition. Hamilton utilizes a colloquial dialect that is easy to read and understand but adds texture to the stories told, as if aloud.

Recommended for junior high and high school ages, the stories could easily be read alone or aloud in a group. The book lends itself to a lesson plan with each of the four sections developing a theme, such as animal tales or tales of the supernatural. The background and the interpretations Hamilton provides is helpful to understand the highly metaphoric language and intent behind the stories.

The book has illustrations that are evocative and rich, providing their own details and interpretations to the stories. While not critical to the telling, they strongly enhance the text and imagination of the reader.

Hamilton, Virginia. 1985. The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. First Edition. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-394-86925-4