Product Description

A collection of twenty-five African-American folktales focuses on strong female characters and includes ""Little Girl and Bruh Rabby,"" ""Catskinella,"" and ""Annie Christmas."" By the author of The People Could Fly.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #567376 in Books
• Published on: 1995-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780590473705
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Virginia Hamilton, who previously won a Newbery Medal and a MacArthur Foundation grant, gives us 17 pugnacious and heroic female characters in a collection of tales that demonstrates the breadth of African-American cultural tradition. The characters in Her Stories, which won the 1996 Coretta Scott King Award, are strong, competent, and sometimes bigger than life, like the "coal black and tree tall" Annie Christmas. Drawn from a variety of sources, the tales in Her Stories have been crafted to blend together smoothly while remaining true to their original tone. Text and art are laid against a buff background in a stylish, oversize format, with a heavy binding built to stand up to the repeated use that's sure to come.

From Publishers Weekly
The distinguished creators of The People Could Fly and Many Thousand Gone return for this striking collection of 17 tales, each featuring an African American woman or girl as the main character. True stories, ghost stories, folk legends, classic fairy tales, tall tales and more indicate the breadth of African American cultural traditions. Retold from a variety of sources, the stories flow smoothly in Hamilton's expertly measured prose. The full-color illustrations, one per story, are lush and detailed, like the Dillons' work in Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch. In a handsome oversize format, the book itself reflects unusually high production values. Text and art are laid against a buff background in a sophisticated but uncrowded page design, and the volume is bound with an unusually heavy casing. It will need that sturdiness, for these are tales to be read over and over again. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up?Outstanding interpreters of, and contributors to, black culture for children, Virginia Hamilton and the Dillons have produced yet another superb offering, of value to all ages and segments of our society. Her Stories contains 20 brief pieces, equally (if sometimes rather abitrarily) distributed in 5 sections: animal tales, fairy tales, supernatural stories, "folkways and legends," and true tales (including Hamilton's own account of this book's genesis). Vernacular rather than dialectal, the fluid writing recalls the oral sources of these tales (there is a source bibliography, and comments on provenance follow each tale). As the title implies, the stories all feature females, but there is nothing predictable about the roles they play. Funny, touching, scary, magical, and inspiring by turns, the characters are as varied as the narratives?and as the tastes of readers. The Dillons' electric-hued acrylic paintings (16 full-page, several vignettes, and an enticing jacket) catch the tales' multiple moods. The book is a gallery of beautiful women of color. Entrancing and important, this notable collaboration deserves a wide success.?Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Meet Virginia Hamilton
The first time I met Virginia Hamiliton was when I read "Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush." I thought, this author rivals Toni Morrison with her vivid language, but she writes for children. How wonderful! "Her Stories : African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales" is a illustrated collection of folk stories that any child would enjoy. Parents could read the tales to a young child to introduce Hamilton's work. Then later the child could begin to read some of the easier Virginia Hamilton stories such as "Cousins." Virginia Hamilton has written books that appeal to elementary, middle, and high school students. A student who finds her early will have a fine author to befriend him/her from kindergarten to high school.

A wonderful collection for any girl OR boy
Here is another fantastic anthology from Virginia Hamilton, the award-winning author of "House of Dies Drear" and "The People Could Fly". This volume, also featuring the wonderful illustrations of Leo & Diane Dillon, is an eye-opener for those only familiar with European folktales.

Hamilton's book is divided into five sections: (1) Her Animal Tales, (2) Her Fairy Tales, (3) Her Supernatural, (4) Her Folkways and Legends, and (5) Her True Tales. Each section contains an average of four stories, accompanied by informative and entertaining background historical data.

Young readers will love the author's prose and the illustrators' beautiful paintings. Older readers and parents will gain a greater appreciation for a culture that has been too long ignored.

These stories are as valid and fanciful as any of their more familiar European counterparts.

The book ends with a list of valuable resources where one can find other examples of African-American folklore.

A beautiful compilation of African American folklore!
Note: This review refers to the book "Her Stories" and NOT "Second Cousins," though for some reason reviews of both books appear on both product pages.

"Her Stories" is a delightful collection of nineteen stories from African American culture, retold by award-winning author Virginia Hamilton. The stories are divided into five categories: Her Animal Tales, Her Fairy Tales, Her Supernatural, Her Folkways and Legends, and Her True Tales. Each story focuses on a female, African American protagonist, and is about 3-4 pages in length. Hamilton's writing is vivid and colorful, yet remains simple enough that younger readers should have no trouble. The stories would also be great to read aloud. While Hamilton has translated the tales into contemporary language for easier understanding, she leaves a few conventions from Creole, Gullah, and other forms of speech that are best read aloud for full effect.

The book is also a great study in African American literary and oral tradition, and is suitable for adults as well as children. Each story is followed by commentary from the author, providing the history of the tale, how it reflects African American heritage, explanation of any unusual aspects of the story, and any additional points of interest. Some of the stories are based in history, and others are entirely ficitonal. Some bear likenesses to more familiar tales as well - "Catskinella" is an alternative form of the popular Cinderella story, and "Little Girl and Buh Rabby," comes from the tradition of Brer Rabbit stories.

"Her Stories" is also beautifully illustrated, bringing out the best in each tale. At the end of the book Hamilton has included some reflections on her own childhood, and how her mother influenced her decision to compile stories about strong African American women. This book is perfect for anyone, young or old and of any culture, interested in reading traditional folklore.