Stories from the Amazon (Multicultural Stories) by Saviour Pirotta

by Saviour Pirotta

Introduce preteens to faraway lands through enchanting, tragic, scary, and hilarious folktales. As they finish each book, readers are invited to use their imaginations to extend the stories with continuations and what if possibilities. Maps and facts set the scene before each riveting tale.For hundreds of years, the people of the Amazon have heard stories of the King of the Pink Dolphins, who tries to trick young girls into marriage, and the battle between the King of the Vultures and the Sun God. Now your readers can experience these stories, too.

Genres: Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published February 9, 1999

About the author

Saviour Pirotta is the award-winning author of over one hundred fiction and nonfiction books for children. His works have been translated into 28 languages. Originally from Malta, he now lives in England.

Reviews

[Sylvie Gold · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found some of the stories in this book to be kind of creepy and disturbing, but I appreciate its multiculturalism and the quality of the colorful illustrations. I chose not to read any of the Brazilian folktales in it to the 3rd grade classes that are studying Brazil, but I did show the book to them and explained why I wasn't reading it. It was very interesting to see and hear the students' reactions. I told two separate 3rd grade groups the same thing about it -- that I found the stories too creepy for me to want to read because they included such events as vultures eating a corpse and a mother plucking out and burying her dead son's eyes. The reaction from the first group of students was -- "Eww! That's too creepy for us too!" but in the second group, the reaction from several students was, "Ooh, I want to read that!" and more than one student wanted to borrow it! Both boys and girls reacted both ways.

[529_Gary]

Traditional stories from the people of the Amazon.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to read this book again. I learned so much!

February 14, 2023: What a great book! All these stories were new to me.