The Woman in the Moon and Other Tales of Forgotten Heroines

by James Riordan, Angela Barrett (Illustrator)

A collection of traditional tales from around the world each of whose main character is female.
Contents:
The woman in the moon (Chippewa, North America)
A mother's yarn (Saami, Lappland)
The nagging husband (Tallinn, Estonia)
Gulnara the Tartar warrior (Tartar, border region of west Siberia and Mongolia)
Caterina the Wise (Sicily, Italy)
Oona and the giant Cuchulain (Ireland)
Aina-kizz and the black-bearded Bai (Soviet Central Asia)
A pottle o' brains (Lincolnshire, England)
The maid who chose a husband (Ghana)
Three strong women (Japan)
The wonderful pearl (Vietnam)
The squire's bride (Norway)
The Aztec sun goddess (Aztec)

Genres: Fairy Tales, Childrens, Anthologies, Feminism

86 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 1985

About the author

Riōdan, Jeimuzu 1936-2012
Riordan, Dž.
Riordan, Džejms.
Riordan, James
Riordan, James William 1936-2012
Riordan, Jim, 1936-2012

James Riordan (10 October 1936 – 10 February 2012) was an English novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, association football player and Russian scholar.

Well known for his work Sport in Soviet Society, the first academic look at sport in the Soviet Union, and for his children's novels.

Reviews

[christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ true rating: 2.5 stars ★

This book was ok, but a lot of the stories still had crappy, unsupportive or manipulative male characters.
Out of the 13 tales here are some of my favorites:

A Mother’s Yarn
Aina-Kizz and the Black-Bearded Bai
The Maid Who Chose a Husband
Three Strong Women
The Wonderful Pearl

-------------

Picture Books About Mythology with Strong Female Leads:
(these books feature myths from all over the world and include sources)

The Serpent Slayer: And Other Stories Of Strong Women
★★★☆☆

Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls
☆☆☆☆☆

The Woman In The Moon And Other Tales Of Forgotten Heroines
★★★☆☆

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So nice to read fairy tales in which the women saved the men!! :)

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve reread many of the stories in this beautifully illustrated compilation every handful of years since I was a teenager, and I love them so warmly. They’re moving and sweet and funny and clever and dear. Some I tend to skip more than others, and most veer towards fairly gender normative goals like marriage and caretaking, but the stories and characters are delights.

[Ines · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a promise of stories centred arround woman heroines, largely the themes are still marriage and man are strong characters. Overall though considering it was published 30 years ago and it was a good little charity shop find.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compilation of myths/fairytales from other cultures. It reflects women's struggle throughout history across the world and can't be judged as a modern fairytale romance. It's inspiring and reinforces that we are more than the traditional roles society imposes on us!

[Sapphire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super cool! I loved reading these stories of smart, strong and independent girls from around the world. Would totally recommend as a story book to have around the house.

[Anima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and gorgeous illustrations

[Marissa Elera · Rating 4 out of 5]

These thirteen unique tales from around the world question female roles in traditional fairy tales, and depict independent heroines making their own decisions. The tales originate from the Chippewa, Saami, Estonian, Tartan, Sicilian, Irish, Central Asian, English, West African, Japanese, Vietnamese, Norwegian, and Aztec people. Sophisticated and with a literary slant, these tales range from intense to amusing, always remarkable in their extraordinary heroines. Older elementary school students would be the very youngest audience that could handle their length and density. Tales that would perform well for oral storytelling are “A Woman’s Yarn,” “The Maid Who Chose A Husband,” “Three Strong Women,” and the title tale “Woman In The Moon.”

In his Preface, Riordan comments on the double standard given to women in much of traditional folklore, wondering why witches are evil but sorcerers good, why there are ugly stepsisters but not ugly stepbrothers, and why women are “either hatching evil, or acting as prizes for mens’ adventures.” Riordan’s only clues to the origins of the tales are a line beneath each title says what the cultural background of it is, i.e. “A Mother’s Yarn: A Saami Story from Lappland in the Arctic Circle.” There is a short list of Further Reading titles at the end of the book, of which it is not clear whether the books listed are sources. As far as source notes go, this seems to be the only weak point in this otherwise strong, unique collection.

[Terry Marzell]

Riordan, James. The Woman in the Moon and Other Tales of Forgotten Heroines. Illustrations by Angela Barrett. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. 1985. Target Audience: Ages 8-14. Reading Level: 5.5. Length: 88 pages. This volume contains thirteen folk tales from around the world, including such countries as Norway, Ireland, Mexico, Ghana, Japan, and Viet Nam. I especially liked the tale of “Caterina the Wise” from southern Italy. In this tale, a clever woman outwits her conniving and philandering husband so that he finally mends his ways. The stories are gratifying for readers who are seeking intelligent, strong, resourceful, independent female role models. The tales are illustrated by high quality, detailed, black-and-white engravings. Unfortunately, no sources for the stories are provided. CSULB Class 3 Traditional Literature—Folk Tales.

[Lizzie]

I had this as a child and it was good.

[Papillon]

7

[Doria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully diverse collection of folktales, legends and myths, most of which are not well known to American audiences. Although drawn from cultural traditions from around the world, each story features a heroine as the main character. They stories are well paced and interesting, covering a broad range of subject matter and plot points. Interestingly, they all have happy endings, though what constitutes a happy ending varies from story to story. There is a short introduction and bibliography, and some attractive black and white illustrations. A wonderful collection of tales, thoughtfully chosen.