Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk about

by Margaret Read MacDonald

A collection of folktales from cultures around the world, reflecting different aspects of war and peace.

Genres: Fiction, Folk Tales, Childrens, Cultural

116 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

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Biography
Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald travels the world telling stories....always on the lookout for more great folktales to share. She shapes these found stories into tellable tales which anyone can share with ease. Filling her folktale collections with these delightful tales, she creates perfect read alouds for you and your family. MRM wants everyone to experience the joy of a beautifully told tale. She hopes you will read them a few times...then put down the book...put down the electronic device...and just TELL the story to your children!

Some of her favorite folktales she expands into picture books...hopefully with delightfully readable language while will roll right out of your mouth. Share them with your children and then....act the tales out! Revisit the tales by TELLING them! At bedtime. While on the road. Fill your pockets with great stories to share wherever you go.

Joining her Folklore Ph.D. with her 30 plus years as a children's librarian, Margaret brings folktales to life in playful, lilting language which should delight both reader and listener.

See her performance schedule at: www.margaretreadmaconald.com

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd actually give this one a 3 1/2 if there were half stars. It's a collection of tales about peace that are short enough or repetitious enough to be told aloud. I found the stories themselves to be uneven in quality, some being very good, and others being...blah. Interspersed with the stories were proverbs and sayings from different cultures, which were often quite good. My favorite stories were "Reaching for the Moon" from Tibet, "Not Our Problem" from Burma and Thailand, "The War Between the Sandpipers and the Whales" from the Marshall Islands, "The Lion's Whisker" from Ethiopia, "Slops" from Wales, "Heaven and Hell" from China, and "The Rose Prince" from Romania. Recommended for storytellers!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Read MacDonald knows very well how to compile the best stories into collections. She has gathered many from all over the world talking about war and peace. All of these stories, when told, will lead to much discussion within your class about right and wrong, kindness and cruelty, fairness and injustice. My favorites are:
1. "Strength" about animals who want to know who is the strongest and man who uses his gun to kill elephant as he doesn't understand the difference between strength and death.
2. "Two Goats Under a Bridge": There are two tales with this title and they are quick and simple and show how war and peace can happen. In one story, the goats refuse to move and blame each other for their stubbornness. In the other, they move for each other and each say how cooperative the other is.
3. "Old Joe and the Carpenter": A great story of peace. Two neighbors argue and one digs a river between their properties. The other hires a man to build a wall between them but instead he builds a bridge which unites the neighbors.
4. "Two Foxes": A fantastic tale for not arguing. Two foxes see all the other animals bickering and they aim to try to do the same but in the end realize they like their friendship as it had been, with no fighting at all.

Definitely a wonderful addition to any folktale collection, and a great resource for storytellers.

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an essential addition to any storyteller's shelf. It contains short and clever stories (we can never have enough of those) that all have important things to say about war, peace, conflict, and resolution. It is well selected, represents many different cultures, and comes with extensive notes, sources, a bibliography, and advice for educators. Each story is accompanied by a proverb in English and its original language. All in all, it was not only a thought-provoking read, but also a very important collection for anyone who works with stories, and hopes to make the world a better place.

[Majella Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book during escapades in the library. It is a refreshing collection of tales from around the world, retold, some which are familiar from the story telling sessions of the elders in my childhood days.
It is of medicinal value to every world leader, politician, captain and every being that populates this planet.

Loved the simple Steps to Peace
Step 1 : Choose peace
Step 2: Try to understand the needs of the other humans on this planet
Step 3: Learn to compromise with those others
Step 4: Work constantly to improve your understanding and your compromises

Peace is possible
But it must be chosen.

[Carol Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have used these stories -- or sometimes my versions of them, adapted from various sources -- to tell when I do oral storytelling in classrooms. They are written to be told aloud, as pretty well all of MacDonald's stories are. Some are better than others, but "Old Joe and the Carpenter" is a classic and should be told to everyone!

[Bryce Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of multicultural folktales with a good thesis - that the possibility of peace is universal. Definitely more chosen and edited to be great for verbal storytelling and sharing, but still delightful to read silently (if you can go without chuckling at some of them.)

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peace tales from around the world give teachers a chance to teach getting along with all people, sometimes using animals to teach these lessons.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has lots of great stories to tell children. My children love the stories from this book. I don't read the stories, I recite them with hand puppets or just with lots of gusto. They have no idea they come from this great book and they ask to hear them over and over. The best part is every story has a deeper meaning/moral to it. So after telling them the story we discuss the meaning/moral behind the story.

[Davidg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of stories and proverbs on the subject of war and peace. There are a number that I could see me telling in a variety of forums. A good, if short, anthology for storytellers, teachers and preachers.

[Zahreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are having conflict issues in your classroom, or just a great way to talk about conflict and preempt any, this book is chock full of stories that work really well for this purpose.

[missy jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a good proverb, especially if it's about peace.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief and pleasant read that enlivens the soul. Challenges perceptions and transforms the understanding of the essence of peace.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read and rereading with the boy. Lovely tool for teaching peace.