This book tells three different tales of folklore. They are each from different cultures. Each story is accompanied by collage-like illustrations that fit them perfectly. These are good stories for children to read and help them see different cultures through stories ( )

"Listen to the Storyteller" takes us through 3 musical tales from around the world. "The Fiddler and the Dancin' Witch" brings us trough a fun tale that shows the consequences of what happens when you don't listen to your elders. "The Lesson of the Land" takes us through the journey of three friends that learn their true colors. "The Face in the Lake" tells us about the music of the season. This is a great book to have in the classroom to teach students about tales of different cultures. I like that there are three tales in one book. I really liked this book and it was entertaining to read. ( )

Inspired by the folklore of Native-Americans, Celtic highlanders, and Caribbean islanders, these three original stories have all the wonder of ancient tales. This book would best be used as a read aloud to give the stories the life needed by a storyteller. ( )

Genre: Folktale
Appropriate Age: Primary
Media: Cut-and-Piece Collage
Review:
This is a great example of folktale because it has three stories told within the book each coming from a different culture: Native American, Celtic, and Afro-Caribbean. Each tale has a unique style corresponding to the particular culture, and the main characters experience and overcome trials. The Celtic tale described how the seasons came about referring to Winter as the brother of his three sisters Olwen, Summer, and Autumn who was rebellious and eventually was punished for his ill actions. Also, in the Native American story one of the boys, Running Wolf, suffers the consequences of his disrespect for nature and becomes a snake.

Plot Analysis: The Afro-Caribbean tale has a steady flow of plot, and includes all aspects of the magic of folklore. The young boy hears his father playing the fiddle, and wants to learn to play. His father warns him of the danger of playing the fiddle and forbids his son from playing it for fear of "trouble, trouble, and more trouble". The son disregards his father's warnings, and plays the fiddle only to cause a witch to appear who threatens to take back the fiddle, but the boy challenges her. The witch threatened to take the fiddle and the boy's ears if he did not succeed in the challenge, but he succeeded, and promised his father he would never play the fiddle again. A lesson was learned.

This is a good example of a myth/legend, because these are musical tales that have been passed down orally for years.. The book includes traditional literature, and Balouch has illustrated the three stories using a fascinating collage-like technique. ( )