Filipino Children's Favorite Stories
Gr 3-6-A compilation of 13 short folktales, many of them classics of the Filipino culture. Many of the themes are universal in nature. Tales of greed and laziness and their consequences, nature's ways, family love and loyalty, and humorous trickster tales are all included. Many of the selections have counterparts from other cultures. "The Deer and the Snail" is a "Tortoise and the Hare" variant, and children will recognize "The Prince's Bride" as "Beauty and the Beast" with a twist. Others are quite different, such as "Why Mosquitoes Buzz Around Our Ears," which is surprisingly unlike the well-known African tale. "The Battle of the Sea and Sky" is a particularly nice telling of the creation of the Philippine Islands. Each story is accompanied by de Leon's ink-and-watercolor illustrations. The artist has subtly paid tribute to the diversity of the islands by using a variety of styles in the costume, suggestive of the different regions. A lovely addition to folklore collections.Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.