"Ten stories from Ancient Greece, Mexico, Peru, Israel, France, Persia, Poland, Mongolia, the United States, and Ireland. Folktales are among the most resilient types of lore one generation passes to another. Tales we tell today—whether they are cautionary, humorous, or embedded with moral instruction—date back to ancient civilizations. Storyteller, writer, and folktale enthusiast Pleasant DeSpain has an uncanny ear for those tales that transcend particular eras or cultures and have passed into ....
the universal frame of reference. A pioneer of the storytelling renaissance, DeSpain first published some of the tales in these in the two volume Pleasant Journeys, later repackaged as the two-volume Twenty-Two Splendid Tales to Tell from Around the World. Now DeSpain has thematically arranged selections from the original collection (nine stories are included in each of The Books of Nine Lives) and updated the source notes and bibliographies. Like any species with extraordinary survival skills, folktales thrive because they are adaptive. DeSpain's adaptations carry his trademark elegance and succinct style."
REVIEWS
Children's Services, Upper Perkiomen Valley Library— Kristin Pedemonti
"This collection of tales from around the world teaches us how to avoid being a fool...The tales are well written and introduce a sense of fairness to children of all ages."
Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children's Media— Teresa Bateman
"The "Books of Nine Lives" series is a collection of folktale books containing traditional stories from many countries, retold in a tellable style by master storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. The stories have appeared in previous collections by the author, and include a few black & white illustration. Notes at the end of the book give more information about the stories' sources and motifs (based on "The Storyteller's Sourcebook" by Margaret Read MacDonald), and sometimes include storytelling suggestions. The books have paper over board covers, but good binding. This collection contains ten stories showing wisdom and justice including "Pandor's Box," "Toads and Diamonds," and "The Astrologer and the Forty Thieves." All are suitable for telling, making this a good resource for storytellers."
