Miriam's Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from Around the World (Oxford paperbacks)
Most of the themes in this collection are universalthey include wisdom, foolishness, resourcefulness, love, and courageand the magicians and princesses are familiar, even when a holy rabbi cuts an odd figure as a hero. What gives these tales a characteristically Jewish shape is the moral dimension of their informing faith. Not luck but divine guidance assures the success of the underdog: poverty and persecution are overcome by asserting the ultimate purpose of life. There are several strong female "saviors" but no Chelm-type fools, and conventional fairytales rub shoulders with didactic "midrash." Source notes and commentary help eludicate the sometimes abstruse references. Recommended. Patricia Dooley, formerly with English Dept., Drexel Univ., PhiladelphiaCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.