The first collection of its kind, this collection contains 30 world folktales of justice about wise judges, clever lawyers, and deceitful tricksters, from places as diverse as ancient Greece, Morocco, Germany, China, and Ireland. Some date back to pre-biblical days while others come from the American colonies.
A Malaysian tale in which each animal blames another for Crocodile’s broken eggs prompts a discussion of proximate cause and liability law; a Japanese tale about how Ooka the judge identifies ....
the real mother of a baby is complemented by an overview of the 1985 "Baby M" child custody dispute; and an Italian tale about a mistreated horse gives rise to a discussion of the contemporary animal rights debate.
Each of these folktales sheds light on how our predecessors from various cultures dealt with criminal behavior, and Sharon Creeden follows most of them with commentary on how the same legal issues are handled by contemporary American law. Juxtaposing the wisdom of ancient cultures with the dilemmas of our modern legal system, this fascinating collection makes legal issues accessible and folktales relevant to our modern lives.
AWARDS American Folklore Society AESOP Prize
Reading Group Choices
Storytelling World Awards
