Tales from the Bamboo Grove - Hardcover

Grade 4-6-- One Ainu and five Japanese tales are presented after a disarming introduction that explains the childhood circumstances under which the author first heard them. With the exception of the Ainu story, all have appeared in English, either in collections such as Uchida's The Magic Listening Cap (1987) and The Dancing Kettle (1986, both Creative Arts), or individually, e.g., Horio's The Monkey and the Crab (Heian, 1985). Yet the retellings here are somewhat different, often simpler than other versions and diverging in detail, rather like Bechstein vis-a-vis Grimm. The storytelling is stylish and compelling and provides food for thought about moral and ethical issues, but is also good fun. The black-and-white illustrations are culturally accurate and less ornate than the Tsengs' usual style. An attractive and inviting collection, this will make for resonant read-alouds. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the foreword to this eclectic selection of Japanese folktales, the author of So Far from the Bamboo Grove reminisces about her childhood in North Korea and the importance of stories in her family--as a source of reassurance for her parents, living so far from home; and as a means of instruction, a way to pass along culture. Each of the six stories has a highly personal meaning for Watkins: when she had the measles, for example, and was feeling particularly ugly, her mother cheered her up with "Dragon Princess, Tatsuko," a tale of a vain girl whose wish to be eternally beautiful was granted in an unusual way. When Watkins complained to her father about the class bully, he rallied with "Monkey and Crab," a story in which a simian trickster gets his comeuppance. The stories are neatly and gracefully told, and elegantly accented with the Tseng's simple yet sophisticated black-and-white illustrations. Ages 9-16.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.