''Tortoise Tales'' is a 1974 anthology of 13 animal-centered
fairy tales
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...
from around the world that have been collected and retold by
Ruth Manning-Sanders
Ruth Manning-Sanders (21 August 1886 – 12 October 1988) was an English poet and author born in Wales, known for a series of children's books for which she collected and related fairy tales worldwide. She published over 90 books in her lifetime ...
. These tales are written for a younger level of a reader unlike Manning-Sanders' more familiar "A Book of..." series.
According to the dust jacket: "Animals are a basic part of the traditional stories of most countries. ... The author has selected short, simple stories, each so lively that it makes an immediate impact on the listener or reader. This collection has the right combination of
humor,
pathos
Pathos (, ; plural: ''pathea'' or ''pathê''; , for " suffering" or "experience") appeals to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is a term used most often in rhetoric (in which it is ...
, and
suspense
Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it ...
to captivate preschoolers as well as older children."
The tale "Gar-room!" features the
trickster
In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise ...
spider
Anansi
Anansi ( ; literally translates to ''spider'') is an Akan folktale character and the Akan God of Stories, Wisdom, Knowledge, and possibly creation. The form of a spider is the most common depiction of Anansi. He is also, sometimes considered t ...
.
Contents
*1. Tortoise and the Children (
South American Indian
The Indigenous peoples, Indigenous peoples of South America or South American Indigenous peoples, are the Pre-Colombian era, pre-Colombian peoples of South America and their descendants. These peoples contrast with South Americans of European ...
)
*2. Tortoise and Elephant (East African)
*3. Tortoise and Ogre (
South American Indian
The Indigenous peoples, Indigenous peoples of South America or South American Indigenous peoples, are the Pre-Colombian era, pre-Colombian peoples of South America and their descendants. These peoples contrast with South Americans of European ...
)
*4. Rabbit and Our Old Woman (
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
)
*5. Rabbit and the Wolves (
North American Indian
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
)
*6. Gar-room! (
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
n)
*7. Little Sister Fox (Russian)
*8. Hare Running (
West Canadian Indian)
*9. Hyena and Hare (
Creole
Creole may refer to:
Anthropology
* Creole peoples, ethnic groups which originated from linguistic, cultural, and often racial mixing of colonial-era emigrants from Europe with non-European peoples
* Criollo people, the historic name of people ...
)
*10. Little Cat and Little Hen (Russian)
*11. Hare's Ears (
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
n)
*12. Grasshopper and Fox (
North American Indian
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
)
*13. Nanny Goat with Nuts (Russian)
Reception
Kirkus Reviews wrote "Disappointingly only the first three tales are about Tortoise" and "You'll recognize most of the ploys but these are for slightly younger readers than are most of Manning-Sanders' collections and they are appropriately snappy and short."
It also appeared in library programs and school reading lists.
References
{{Portal , Children's literature
1974 anthologies
1974 children's books
1974 short story collections
British children's books
Children's short story collections
Collections of fairy tales
Books about cats
Books about elephants
Books about foxes
Fiction about goats
Books about rabbits and hares
Books about turtles
Books about wolves