Spirit of the Forest: Tree Tales from Around the World

by Helen East, Eric Maddern, Alan Marks (Illustrator)

Trees are symbols of life itself. We cut them down at our peril. Here is a leafy anthology of 12 traditional tales from all over the Earth's surface, from Native North America to New Guinea and from Wales to Nepal. They include tales of high magic, bravery and guile, death and rebirth, each woven around a tree. Eric Maddern's and Helen East's spirited storytelling combines with Alan Marks' romantic artwork to create a lively and thought-provoking collection.

1. How Trees Came To Be (New Zealand) Helen East
2. The Stolen Spoons (Greece) Helen East
3. The Knot Hole (Sweden) Helen East
4. The Yellow-Cedar Sisters (Native North America) Eric Maddern
5. The Flame Tree (Uganda) Helen East
6. The Green Ladies of One Tree Hill (England) Eric Maddern
7. Rhododendron and Little Adler (Nepal) Helen East
8. The Tree with Three Fruits (Wales) Eric Maddern
9. The Coconut Fisherman (New Guinea) Helen East
10. The Willow Tree (Japan) Helen East
11. Kooboo and the Gum Tree (Native Australia) Eric Maddern
12. The Silver Birch (Germany) Helen East.

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Alette J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good international collection of tree stories of a suitable length for telling. Would be suitable for older children or adults.

[Haze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good folklore about trees, not all usable for my purposes