Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk About
Author Margaret Reed MacDonald
Meets anti-bias criteria yes.
This title fits these categories:
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Ethnic awareness and cultural variety: Introduces culturally different ways of thinking.
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Racial, ethnic, and gender pride: Provides strong, positive role model for diverse children
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Activist: Shows ways we can make a difference.
Acceptable grade levels: Preschool and up
Classification:Folktales
Concepts/ Topics covered in book:
This is a marvelous collection of short folktales, focusing on peace, collected from all over the world. The tales are organized under the following headings. War - Pathways to Fighting, Folly of Fighting, One War, the End of War and Peace -Pathways to Peace, Peacemaking Techniques, Peacemakers, The Never-Ending Work. There are tales that are appropriate for the youngest of children all the way through to adults. All of them will leave the reader something to ponder over and lead into discussions of point of view, cultural differences, and philosophical understandings. Each tale ends with a relevant proverb or quote in its original language with its English translation.
Questions
Select a tale and ask: How would this story be different if someone from my culture told it? What would change? Who would the characters be?
Activities
Act them out: Most of these tales lend themselves to role plays and dramatic adaptations. Trying using masks and puppets for the ones featuring animals.
Become Storytellers: Have students retell the stories using gestures and voice changes.
Rewrite them: Have students take a tale and retell it using a familiar setting, local animals, and personal customs.
Look for the Deeper Meaning: The short thoughtproking pieces in this book are ideal choices for Socratic Seminars.
Awards
- Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
- Best Books for Teen Readers
- Storytelling World Award