A World of Folk Tales

by James Riordan

Enchanting collection of folk tales from all over the world.Many beautiful and fascinating illustrations by an assortment of illustrators.

223 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1981

About the author

Riōdan, Jeimuzu 1936-2012
Riordan, Dž.
Riordan, Džejms.
Riordan, James
Riordan, James William 1936-2012
Riordan, Jim, 1936-2012

James Riordan (10 October 1936 – 10 February 2012) was an English novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, association football player and Russian scholar.

Well known for his work Sport in Soviet Society, the first academic look at sport in the Soviet Union, and for his children's novels.

Reviews

[Idea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book in 1989 when I was a child and I savoured it, page by page. I even read the afterword & pronunciation keys at the back of the book. I'd forgotten about this book till I discovered at the back of my bookshelf very recently. I took it up again, wondering whether the writing would stand the test of time. It did.

As an adult in 2021, I still find these stories absorbing and wonderfully written. It's fun to see the origins of some of the plotlines & characters I've encountered in more recent film & book lore. And it's great to see the tropes across narratives (wise tricksters like Kwaku Ananse & Jack O'Lantern), the story moods reflective of their cultures & times. There's a whole anthropological dive into the kind of heroism or story-worthiness that each culture values. Most of the stories have an underlying moral but unlike the typical children's story, the point isn't belaboured in any of them.

Every story is also beautifully illustrated with really stunning visuals that have stood the test of time, the pages just as glossy, the paintings as vivid as I remembered them. I'm really glad I rediscovered this book.

[Gregory Johnson]

This book really truly changed my life as a child. Thank you Mr. Riordan and thank you Jeanette and Calvin for the gift. (Madrid 1982 / 83?) From Kwaku Ananse to La Madrina Muerte, very sweet childhood memories of reading these tales and wanting to be a storyteller / artist one day myself, and most importantly, seeing myself in these stories--even the ones from far-flung Armenia or Vietnam or Eurasian Georgia, not to mention the West African / Caribbean / Spanish tales. LOVE this book. <3

[Kaori Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro del conocido autor de novelas para jóvenes compila encantadoras narraciones populares de diversos países acompañadas por bellas ilustraciones.
Cuentos como "El Cocodrilo de la voz dulce", "El vendedor de palabras","Dafydd la Dama del Lago", te introducen a un mundo mágico de imaginación...

[Majid · Rating 5 out of 5]

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD