A Treasury of North American Folktales Book

When one thinks of American folk tales, certain images spring to mind: Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Brer Rabbit. But beyond these stock characters lie countless other stories and legends that have subtly shaped America's collective identity. In A Treasury of North American Folk Tales, editor Catherine Peck has assembled a remarkable collection of stories ranging from the Canadian north to the Mexican desert, and all points in between, and are as colorful as the regions that spawned them. Some are also vivid snapshots of a forgotten time. "The Dog-Rib Legend of Ithenhiela," for example, is a fantastic Native American tale of how the Canadian Rockies were formed, recorded by a folklorist in 1903. Others are remarkable for their dry, Mark Twain-like wit, as in "Remarks Made at the Hatchet Club." This turn-of-the-century tale is actually a transcription of a bragging match in which each storyteller tried to spin the biggest yarn. Here the reader gets a glimpse of how many folk tales are actually born, passed by word of mouth, each teller exaggerating or embellishing the story along the way. A section of the book is devoted to these stories and provides some laugh-out-loud moments. But A Treasury of North American Folk Tales is broad enough in scope to include more contemporary tales, too, such as "La Llorona Teaches a Hippie a Lesson." In this Southwestern yarn, a morally upright ghost takes a freeloader to task for his shiftless ways. Overall, the book is a pleasure to read, every bit as amusing as it is educational. --Demian McLeanRead More