Best-Loved Folktales of the World

I had a hard cover copy of this book years ago that I lent to a family member and it was never returned to me. I am happy to get a new copy of this old classic which contains mostly short stories. Despite the length of most of the folk-tales it is still a joy to read, it covers a wide range of cultures and countries so there is something for everyone. What I find most interesting regarding the book is the different views that each folk-tale/ country holds in regards to daily struggles, happiness, dreams, and life in general. The different perspective are both appreciated and represented well in this book.

Cool book. Lots of folktales. I skimmed through it to see what the book was about. I didn't read it, but I can imagine some of the stories are probably bangers. I bought it for a sibling in college. 10/10 would buy again and still not read it.

This book is full of fairytales/folktales all catagorized by where they originated. The index in the back seperates the stories under different topics, to make it easy to find what you want to read about. It is true, that not all these stories are for young ones, but one of the topics in the index is for young children, which allows you to pinpoint just which stories are appropriate to read at bedtime! Now when it comes to yourself...you will have a great time reading through all of these fun tales before your nod off to sleep! I love this book, I seem to be reading a new story every time I open it up...

This is one of my favorite folk tale books out there. It's a HUGE collection of stories from all over the world, all sorts of different cultures represented here (I will say, though, that a large number of the stories are from Europe, so the different regions/cultures aren't exactly equally represented). But still, I quite often find myself picking this up and reading a story or two.

Just what it says it is, and a ton of different folk tales from nearly any country you can think of.

This book surprised me. Didn't know what to expect but I love it. We're using it for my sons curriculum this year. its been very interesting to read folk tales from around the world. Some are difficult to read... and understand. But most have been really easy to read and very enjoyable.

I purchased this book for a college class. This anthology has all of the western classics (whose versions I recall from Disney movies) and so many more that I have never read before. Some tales are suitable for children and I have ready several to mine. The tales are organized geographically; for example, Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Western Europe, etc. In the back of the book there is a list of themes like journeys and quests, ogres and trolls, and so on.

There are a few well known stories in here which encompass the first few chapters of the book, then the stories are listed geographically. I've noticed that Norway has some grizzly story tales and the Russian Fables are all about Czars and poor stupid pessants. There are a few gems here and there but most of these stories are not ones I would tell to my children because they do not enshrine values I would wish to instil. For the price you are getting an excellent compendium of fables and tales from across the globe, and from that viewpoint you are seeing what is important to teach the young in different parts of the planet. For that gathering of knowledge I am very appreciative, but the tales selected do not come across to me as altogether interesting or enjoyable.

I never, never get tired of fairy-tales - especially fairy-tales I already know. I love to read the stories from the book every night. My favorite stories are: · Drakestail (France), · The Talking Cat (French Canadian), · The Three Hares (Turkey), · Beauty and the Beast (France), · Cinderella (France), · Snow White (Germany), · The White Cat (France), · Puss in Boots (France), and a couple of others. I really love this book! it's excellent reading

This is very wonderful book. I think as an Indian I have purchased this book for the very first time. This rich, nearly 850-page long volume contains two hundred carefully selected folk and fairy tales from all over the world that include adventure, mystery, romance, humor, drama, fantasy and horror. You will find this book difficult to put down whether you decide to enjoy it on your own, or read from it to your children in family gatherings or at bedtime. Organized by geographic region, from Europe to the Middle East to Asia, Africa and America, this wide-ranging collection includes some well-known stories like "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Beauty and the Beast," and not so known, but equally charming ones like ""The Forest Bride" and "The Fire on the Mountain," all of which will evoke feelings of awe and wonder at the vast wealth of traditions and mythologies of our world's cultures. Moreover, the wonderful introduction to this volume explains the considerations that went into selecting the tales, commenting on the origins, evolution, lore, compilation and study of the world's folktales, analyzing their motifs, and even presenting interesting comparisons between them. As a bonus, this book includes a category index to help you choose the tales according to their topic, including tales of Wise Men and Judges, tales of Giants, Ogres and Male Monsters, and tales of Ghosts and the Supernatural, among others. A thorough index by title is also available. Overall, this is the best collection of fairy tales and folktales available in a single volume. Get it today, and enjoy it for years to come.

Whyever you need a story, you'll find one here. As a practising storyteller, I've often recommended this book to teachers and other storytellers – it contains a fair chunk of classics, such as the best of the Grimms and Asbjørnsen & Moe, alongside many other delightful tales that Joanna Cole has clearly researched painstakingly (some footnotes suggest such collected a few from other storytellers directly). But up until recently, I'd only've given it 4 stars, since the stories are grouped by country of origin – useful for sure, but sometimes you want to find stories with a common theme... Then, last week, I was thumbing through the index when I discovered a section helping you find the stories by category! The usefulness of this already-hugely-useful book just shot through the roof. Whether you're a teacher, storyteller, priest, therapist, or writer looking for inspiration, this collection will get you on your way.