The Singing Top: Tales from Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei

by Margaret Read MacDonald

Until now, few tales from Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore have made their way into print in English. Renowned folklorist Margaret Read MacDonald has worked with archival material as well as with local storytellers to collect traditional tales from these people, including 15 tales from the ethnic peoples of Borneo. Organized broadly by region, and then by specific groups and themes, this book offers more than 50 tales, including animal tales, stories of magic, trickster tales, humorous stories, place legends, and more. Like other titles in the World Folklore series, it also includes general information about the geography, peoples, and history of the Malay Peninsula and surrounding areas; as well as proverbs, songs and games, color photos, and notes on the stories. All levels.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2008

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

[Aerin O'Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up looking to do some research, and it didn't disappoint. On the scholarly end, the tales are thoroughly cited, there are notes providing context and history, the original storytellers are credited--all elements of a strong and reliable resource. The tales themselves are mostly fairly short, and generally delightful (I laughed aloud at a few of them). I could see this being great for parents to read the stories to their kids, and use the supplemental material to answer any questions they might have.

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret Read MacDonald is the patron saint of storytelling resources. The book contains everything one could wish for: A large number of stories (around 50), a detailed introduction about the countries and cultures of origin, a bibliography, extensive notes on sources for each story (she's a librarian after all), credit to the original storytellers, a glossary of foreign words, and even maps. It is a comprehensive introduction to the stories and traditions of a fascinating area of the world, one that is little known to Western readers and storytellers. A must-read, for many reasons.

[Barbara McEwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of stories. Nicely varied so they don't seem repetitive either. I wish the book had a nice color map of the countries and regions and it would be a perfect book for illustrations I am guessing these things were just out of the budget. Definitely worth reading.