Discusses the value of tall tales for children and focuses on tall tale heroines that have become more prevalent and offer models of strong, resourceful, undaunted women. Includes examples of popular tall tale heroines and offers suggestions for class activities. (LRW)

In this book, the author reveals the creative force of children's narrative imagination and shows how this develops through childhood. He provides a new and powerful understanding of the significance of narrative for children's intellectual growth and for learning and teaching. The book explores a series of real stories written by children between…

A discussion of how the fairy tale influences the development of the child's speech, fantasy, intellectual abilities, emotions, and personality as a whole. (Author/HB)

This paper, the sixth of seven, part of an interdisciplinary project on the context of reading and reading research that explores similarities and dissimilarities in the response to literature in readers from different cultures, presents the complete texts of the three stories used in the project. The stories are the Danish "Per Smed's…

A study of folklore may be a way of introducing children to traditional stories which tell of a culture's superstitions, beliefs and customs. (JH)

Discusses the lack of consistent accuracy about historical figures in Chaucer's "Monk's Tale." The story of Nero fishing in the Tiber with golden nets is corroborated by many other ancient and medieval authors; however, the reference to Julius Caesar as being of lowly birth is peculiar only to Chaucer and a few medieval English authors.…

Analyzes an illustration for an old Chinese riddle tale drawn by Peter Sis for "Stories to Solve: Folktales around the World." (NKA)

Orthography presented here based on research supported by the Phillips Fund of the American Philosophical Society; work on phonology supported by the Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. (RS)

A comparison between Maniafuoco and Buttafuoco, characters from the "Decameron and Pinocchio and Andreuccio of Collodi's "Pinocchio . (DS)

Selects more than 45 titles from a field of approximately 300 small press books from around the nation for notable merit. Providing brief descriptive annotations, the reviews are arranged on a regional basis and full publication data are included. (RAA)

Discusses the quality of the heroines' beauty in several folktales from various cultures. Notes that, unlike Western cultures that equate physical beauty with virtue, in many cultures, beauty is viewed as spiritual and emotional as well as physical. (MM)

A short story compares an old man's tale of why the woodland animals prepare for winter and the leaves change colors with a teacher's science-based explanations. Commentary distinguishes inquiry of wonder (why) and inquiry of power (how), and suggests ways to record the story for oral retelling and adapt it for use with young, older, and…

Describes 21 activities for a unit on tall tales intended for use with young children in seven content areas: language arts, social studies, science, math, block activities, creative movement/dramatics, and art. (SR)

Describes a conference at the University of Colorado, in which scholars and traditional tribal people met to discuss indigenous star knowledge, including creation stories, the connection of stars and planets to ceremonies, and sophisticated star-based metaphysics. Includes four resources and quotes from participants. (SV)