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Imagine That!: Fifteen Fantastic Tales
Fascinating, funny and fantastic tales from all over the world!
Tales of enchantment, tales with a twist, heroic, touching and surprising tales, tales full of tricks, riddles and magic - all can be found in this captivating collection.
There's Princess Belinda, doomed to be beautiful only on Sundays; Onsongo, the African boy who cunningly outwits the Masai; and the ingenious Rhubarba, who turns herself into a bird to save her husband from the forest demon.
These entertaining and thought-provoking tales, drawn from the traditional folklore of Africa, Asia and Europe, will delight readers, listeners and storytellers everywhere!
"A most excellent selection of stories" - British Book News
Tales of enchantment, tales with a twist, heroic, touching and surprising tales, tales full of tricks, riddles and magic - all can be found in this captivating collection.
There's Princess Belinda, doomed to be beautiful only on Sundays; Onsongo, the African boy who cunningly outwits the Masai; and the ingenious Rhubarba, who turns herself into a bird to save her husband from the forest demon.
These entertaining and thought-provoking tales, drawn from the traditional folklore of Africa, Asia and Europe, will delight readers, listeners and storytellers everywhere!
"A most excellent selection of stories" - British Book News
175 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1986
9 people want to read
About the author
Sara Corrin
26 books2 followersSara Corrin is a published author, editor, and a translator of children's books. Some of the published credits of Sara Corrin include Tales from Hans Andersen: Fourteen Classic Tales, Shocking Accident, A Shocking Accident, and Faber Book of Golden Fairytales.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 22, 2014
2.5 stars
"We once knew a lady whose eyebrows were perpetually raised. We used to refer to her as P.B. (Perpetual Bewilderment). We certainly expect this collection to raise your eyebrows an inch or two higher than usual, but perhaps P.W. (Perpetual Wonderment) would be a more appropriate description for you as you read or listen to these fabulous tales. All but one of the stories - Belinda and Bellamant - are probably immensely ancient and you could well be one among the thousandth generation now enjoying them. Such magical tales rise from somewhere deep, quite unfathomably deep, in man's imagination and they seem to spring from every country, every people, the world over. In the words of the famous scholar Paul Hazard, 'children's stories keep alive a sense of nationality, but they also keep alive a sense of humanity; they convey with deep love their feelings for their native land but they also describe faraway lands where unknown brothers live... Every country gives and every country receives... the Universal Republic of childhood is born.'" - Foreword
Rather inspiring words these, aren't they? They certainly inspire one to dive into the so-called "fabulous tales" in this "captivating collection". Unfortunately, this description is a little overblown. Imagine That! is a mildly interesting collection of fables that is worth a read, but only if you already have it sitting on your shelf. I rescued my somewhat battered circa 1986 copy from where books go to die (aka the rag man) but I would not have otherwise sought it out. Like any anthology, some stories will be hits and others will be misses so, just in case anyone is interested in the individual stories, I shall briefly detail them below.
Wise Sorfarina, an Italian tale retold by Jan Vladislav: 11 pages
A tale about the triumph of wit over power/prestige, although why an intelligent woman would want to stay with a man who locked her in a dungeon before going off and marrying four other women is beyond me.
Two Greedy Bears by James Reeves: 23 pages
A really long-winded way of getting your money back off a thieving friend. The moral? Umm... don't steal from people with imagination?
Arap Sang and the Cranes, an African tale retold by Humphrey Harman: 6 pages
"A gift is a great responsibility to the giver." The moral here is that any gift must be properly considered, lest it do more harm than good. Unlike many of the other stories which are rather dry, this one is actually rather funny, which is down to the telling rather than the story itself. "Vultures usually have indigestion, it's the things they eat." "Oh go home, Baldy, and stop bothering people, it's hot." "He was very angry now. It was that remark about his lack of hair." And so on.
Bellinda and Bellamant by E. Nesbit: 15 pages
This is the only modern (well, ish!) tale in this collection but it well merits its inclusion simply by being so good! This is undoubtedly my favourite story and is definitely worth 4 stars. It's a tale of christening curses, true love, riddles, bells that sing and godfathers that just so happen to be Enchanter of the Ringing Well ("...where's the Enchanter of the Ringing Well?" "Oh, I've got his address in my pocket-book. He's my godfather. He was one of the references I gave your father.") Absolutely charming.
The Popplesnitch, a tale from Lithuania retold by Agnes Szudek: 9 pages
A deal with the devil, beaten by an enterprising but absolutely hideous wife. What on earth is a popplesnitch I hear you ask? Well might you wonder...
Onsongo and the Masai Cattle, an African tale retold by Humphrey Harman: 16 pages
Brains beat brawn any day, especially when said brawn is overconfident. Not nearly as funny as Arap Sang though. I feel sorry for the mother.
The Black Thief, an Irish tale retold by Eileen O'Faolain: 14 pages
A story of a wicked-ish stepmother who attempts to dispose of her three stepsons so that her own child will become king. But will the three sons beat her? Maybe, with the help of the Black Thief...
The Snow Maiden, A Russian folk-tale, retold by A.N. Afanasiev: 3 pages
A well known one, this one. A lonely couple are unable to have children so they make a daughter out of snow. Similar premise to the Gingerbread Man really. I wonder if they have the same roots.
The Clever Peasant Girl, a Czech tale retold by Marie Burg: 7 pages
The triumph of wisdom again, but in a much more genuinely wise sense than Wise Sorina IMHO. Little girl power kick at the end too. Although again, why these clever women stay with these idiotic men I shall never understand. Tradition I suppose.
Volkh's Journey to the East, a Russian tale retold by E.M. Almedingen: 11 pages
I always think these magic wish stories are stupid. I mean, hello, all Volkh had to do was wish the prince back home safe and well and he could've then used the rest of the wishes on something more interesting. Instead he was a fool and threw them away on food and crap. And won a knighthood for his efforts. Rewarding stupidity that is. Also, the emerald thing wasn't even vaguely explained. Shoddy.
The Living Kuan-Yin, a Chinese tale retold by C. Kendall: 5 pages
A rather lovely moral, this one: generosity, kindness and selflessness is well rewarded. Short but sweet.
Chura and Marwe, an African tale retold by Humphrey Harman: 8 pages
Yep, good old Humphrey again. A rather interesting tale about slavery, bravery and loving someone for who they are rather than what they look like. I wouldn't've ever included suicide in an anthology for young children though, but maybe as we see Marwe in the afterlife it doesn't count? Or maybe it was just
The Golden Candelabra, a Persian tale retold by Anne Sinclair Mehdevi: 9 pages
The moral of this story... don't lock your child in a room for the first sixteen years of their life and expect them to come out normal? Or maybe... don't try and set your love rivals on fire? Hmm...
Arion and the Dolphin, a legend from Ancient Greece retold by Norah Montgomerie: 3 pages
Crooks never come out on top and dolphins always save musicians from drowning. The end.
The Tale of Caliph Stork, an Arabian tale by Wilhelm Hauff: 12 pages
Magic is never as good an idea as it seems. Oh, and enchanted animals are always positively gorgeous princes and princesses, so feel free to go off and kiss a few frogs. It might be your lucky day.
And they all lived happily ever after. Or at least the good people did. These are fables after all.
"We once knew a lady whose eyebrows were perpetually raised. We used to refer to her as P.B. (Perpetual Bewilderment). We certainly expect this collection to raise your eyebrows an inch or two higher than usual, but perhaps P.W. (Perpetual Wonderment) would be a more appropriate description for you as you read or listen to these fabulous tales. All but one of the stories - Belinda and Bellamant - are probably immensely ancient and you could well be one among the thousandth generation now enjoying them. Such magical tales rise from somewhere deep, quite unfathomably deep, in man's imagination and they seem to spring from every country, every people, the world over. In the words of the famous scholar Paul Hazard, 'children's stories keep alive a sense of nationality, but they also keep alive a sense of humanity; they convey with deep love their feelings for their native land but they also describe faraway lands where unknown brothers live... Every country gives and every country receives... the Universal Republic of childhood is born.'" - Foreword
Rather inspiring words these, aren't they? They certainly inspire one to dive into the so-called "fabulous tales" in this "captivating collection". Unfortunately, this description is a little overblown. Imagine That! is a mildly interesting collection of fables that is worth a read, but only if you already have it sitting on your shelf. I rescued my somewhat battered circa 1986 copy from where books go to die (aka the rag man) but I would not have otherwise sought it out. Like any anthology, some stories will be hits and others will be misses so, just in case anyone is interested in the individual stories, I shall briefly detail them below.
Wise Sorfarina, an Italian tale retold by Jan Vladislav: 11 pages
A tale about the triumph of wit over power/prestige, although why an intelligent woman would want to stay with a man who locked her in a dungeon before going off and marrying four other women is beyond me.
Two Greedy Bears by James Reeves: 23 pages
A really long-winded way of getting your money back off a thieving friend. The moral? Umm... don't steal from people with imagination?
Arap Sang and the Cranes, an African tale retold by Humphrey Harman: 6 pages
"A gift is a great responsibility to the giver." The moral here is that any gift must be properly considered, lest it do more harm than good. Unlike many of the other stories which are rather dry, this one is actually rather funny, which is down to the telling rather than the story itself. "Vultures usually have indigestion, it's the things they eat." "Oh go home, Baldy, and stop bothering people, it's hot." "He was very angry now. It was that remark about his lack of hair." And so on.
Bellinda and Bellamant by E. Nesbit: 15 pages
This is the only modern (well, ish!) tale in this collection but it well merits its inclusion simply by being so good! This is undoubtedly my favourite story and is definitely worth 4 stars. It's a tale of christening curses, true love, riddles, bells that sing and godfathers that just so happen to be Enchanter of the Ringing Well ("...where's the Enchanter of the Ringing Well?" "Oh, I've got his address in my pocket-book. He's my godfather. He was one of the references I gave your father.") Absolutely charming.
The Popplesnitch, a tale from Lithuania retold by Agnes Szudek: 9 pages
A deal with the devil, beaten by an enterprising but absolutely hideous wife. What on earth is a popplesnitch I hear you ask? Well might you wonder...
Onsongo and the Masai Cattle, an African tale retold by Humphrey Harman: 16 pages
Brains beat brawn any day, especially when said brawn is overconfident. Not nearly as funny as Arap Sang though. I feel sorry for the mother.
The Black Thief, an Irish tale retold by Eileen O'Faolain: 14 pages
A story of a wicked-ish stepmother who attempts to dispose of her three stepsons so that her own child will become king. But will the three sons beat her? Maybe, with the help of the Black Thief...
The Snow Maiden, A Russian folk-tale, retold by A.N. Afanasiev: 3 pages
A well known one, this one. A lonely couple are unable to have children so they make a daughter out of snow. Similar premise to the Gingerbread Man really. I wonder if they have the same roots.
The Clever Peasant Girl, a Czech tale retold by Marie Burg: 7 pages
The triumph of wisdom again, but in a much more genuinely wise sense than Wise Sorina IMHO. Little girl power kick at the end too. Although again, why these clever women stay with these idiotic men I shall never understand. Tradition I suppose.
Volkh's Journey to the East, a Russian tale retold by E.M. Almedingen: 11 pages
I always think these magic wish stories are stupid. I mean, hello, all Volkh had to do was wish the prince back home safe and well and he could've then used the rest of the wishes on something more interesting. Instead he was a fool and threw them away on food and crap. And won a knighthood for his efforts. Rewarding stupidity that is. Also, the emerald thing wasn't even vaguely explained. Shoddy.
The Living Kuan-Yin, a Chinese tale retold by C. Kendall: 5 pages
A rather lovely moral, this one: generosity, kindness and selflessness is well rewarded. Short but sweet.
Chura and Marwe, an African tale retold by Humphrey Harman: 8 pages
Yep, good old Humphrey again. A rather interesting tale about slavery, bravery and loving someone for who they are rather than what they look like. I wouldn't've ever included suicide in an anthology for young children though, but maybe as we see Marwe in the afterlife it doesn't count? Or maybe it was just
The Golden Candelabra, a Persian tale retold by Anne Sinclair Mehdevi: 9 pages
The moral of this story... don't lock your child in a room for the first sixteen years of their life and expect them to come out normal? Or maybe... don't try and set your love rivals on fire? Hmm...
Arion and the Dolphin, a legend from Ancient Greece retold by Norah Montgomerie: 3 pages
Crooks never come out on top and dolphins always save musicians from drowning. The end.
The Tale of Caliph Stork, an Arabian tale by Wilhelm Hauff: 12 pages
Magic is never as good an idea as it seems. Oh, and enchanted animals are always positively gorgeous princes and princesses, so feel free to go off and kiss a few frogs. It might be your lucky day.
And they all lived happily ever after. Or at least the good people did. These are fables after all.
January 22, 2010
One Christmas I requested a children's book that had the same title, but received this one instead. The stories were a bit complex for a five year old, so I revisited the book later on and it quickly became a favorite. Unlike most of my early childhood reads, this sturdy hardback has remained on my shelf to this day. I'll never part with it.
August 27, 2015
I LOVE THIS BOOK. Sofarina is the best. Belinda and Bellamont are fabulous. Really, almost all of the stories are ones that I love. There were a few that I didn't care for as much (Onsongo, for one, and the Two Greedy Bears for another) but I read them all at least twice.
December 12, 2020
I loved the stories in this little book. It gave me a much wider perspective and enjoyment of the cultures represented in these stories. I plan on hopefully finding more cultural fairy tails to satisfy my appetite from this book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews