Sweet Land of Story: Thirty-Six American Tales to Tell

by Pleasant DeSpain

NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies This unique collection of American stories from the frozen tundra of Alaska to the lush green hills of Virginia; from the sweltering bayous of Louisiana to the windswept prairies of South Dakota is told in DeSpain's signature gentle style. Every reader will find something of interest - the stories range from practical tales of wisdom such as “Pulling the Rope” to silly and scary ones such as “The Haint that Roared” and “The Big, Smelly, Hairy Toe.” The stories' represent not only the geographic diversity of the United States but also offer a portrait of our nation's character, values, beliefs, and customs that differ from region to region yet retain a fundamental sense of shared community. These American folktales will teach readers the importance of fairness, responsibility and trustworthiness.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 2000

About the author

Pleasant DeSpain is a world traveler, storyteller and author of 18 published books,and more than 350 stories. He's currently living in Northern Thailand as well as the USA, while working on a collection of stories from his 70 plus years of life and adventures. The goal of the new work is to share his practical as well as spiritual journey. Pleasant does not have answers or truths for others, but he has many good stories to tell!

His many collections of folk and fairy tales, legends and original tales, most of which are published by August House Publishers, Atlanta, Georgia, continue to be in circulation and used in schools throughout the United States and other countries. These stories endure and will always be relevant in our various cultures and societies.

Reviews

[Uri Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, who's now 80, is a veteran storyteller. And yes, Pleasant DeSpain is his real name. (He mentions in the introduction that his great-great-grandfather and namesake, Pleasant DeSpain Sr., has a school and park named for him in the Denver suburb of Westminster.) In the 1970s, he had a storytelling TV show in Seattle called Pleasant Journeys. And he's written a couple of dozen story collections, including Sweet Land of Story.

In this book, he divides the stories into six regions of the United States, introducing each region with a page about what he loves about it. Each story is only a few pages long and is associated with a state, either where it happened or where the tale is told. The 36 stories include folk tales, tall tales, scary stories, legends, and even some history. (The more famous characters include Pecos Bill, Buffalo Bill, Johnny Appleseed, Calamity Jane, Jesse James, and Paul Bunyan.) In the endnotes, DeSpain turns scholar, meticulously listing each tale's folklore motif (from The Storyteller's Sourcebook) and where variants of the story can be found.

To be honest, I didn't fall in love with the stories, but I enjoyed DeSpain's clear and simple style. I'd be happy to read or hear more stories from him.

[Christine Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories used:
Salting the Pudding (Alabama)
Eagle Island (Tlingit/Alaska)
The Big, Smelly, Hairy Toe (North Carolina)
Pu-nia and the Shark King (Hawaii)

Loved 'Salting the Pudding'
Crazy way to write Hawaiian words... hyphenated!? Will say it makes it easy to read and pronounce the words if you're unfamiliar

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid folklore collection with several tales that lend themselves well to the oral tradition. A few tales are too specific to certain regions to be able to be told effectively by a variety of people, but overall this is a good choice for someone looking for a new folktale to tell - or just a good collection of Americana to read.