North American Folklore: Folk Stories and Tall Tales: A Treasury of Traditional Stories From Across North America

by Claire Cock-Starkey

A collection of Folk Stories and Tall Tales from North America

Genres: Folklore

80 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2024

About the author

I started out in media, working at BBC Radio Four and Five Live before going on to work at LBC. From there I found my spiritual home working with Ben Schott, starting out as researcher on the Sporting, Gaming and Idling Miscellany. I went on to help develop the format for Schott’s Almanac, working as Assistant Editor on the first two books before rising to become UK & Series Editor on the four subsequent UK books, three German and three US editions.

Working with Ben I also had the opportunity to assist with various miscellaneous offerings for The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Conde Nast Traveller, New York Times, Vanity Fair and Smythson diaries.

After producing a small team of children I decided it was time to set up on my own, so since 2011 I have been busily working as a freelance writer and editor – juggling writing books and articles, project managing a vast array of Lego building operations and editing and indexing a number of non-fiction titles.

I am happiest perched in the British Library reading rooms surrounded by a pile of obscure and fascinating books researching my next offering.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology explores the folklore of North America. The thirty stories are divided into six sections, by story or character type, although there are clearly some stories that could be in multiple sections. A Brer Fox story found in the animal section could just as easily be placed in the Trickster stories, and Paul Bunyan’s story in the Folk Heroes section is also a fine example of a tall tale. Each story is two pages long, making it idea for a bedtime read aloud. Goldhawk’s folkart illustrations have an earthy flavor that nicely suits the tales. The sections all include a two-page introduction that introduces the story or character type and provides some examples, not all of which are found in the collection, which may prompt some readers to look for more such collections. No source material is identified for any stories, nor are there any recommendations for further exploration of the stories. Although the cover identifies the stories as coming from North America, but they seem to be primarily from the areas of the United States, with stories from a variety of Native American tribes, a few African American stories and some colonial and frontier characters like Davy Crockett and Johnny Appleseed, but much of the diversity of North America—there are no Mexican or French Canadian stories, for example—is left out. An attractive introduction to America’s folklore, but there are a number of stronger collections for readers interested in exploring the subject, including Reuben Martinez’s Once Upon a Time, or Amy Cohn’s excellent From Sea to Shining Sea.

[DENISA HOWE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection!!