Diane Goode's Book of American Folk Tales and Songs

by Ann Durell, Diane Goode (Illustrator)

Presents a collection of folk tales and songs from a variety of regions and ethnic groups in the United States

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Childrens, History

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1989

Reviews

[Heather Lei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folktales are a trip, man. Don't come here if you're looking for a lovely Disney story where everything makes sense. Do come here if you want a little bit of weird and a little bit of American culture. Yes, America has culture, it actually has many different ones that combine to make new ones. There is some creepiness present so be warned. (That is if you weren't already warned by the fact that it is a collection of folktales. That really should have clued you in. Folktales = Weird in every culture.)

I actually sought this book out because a FB friend mentioned how she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep it or not because it was creepy. Well, after being regaled with tales of Bendy and Freddy I thought turnabout is fair play. Enjoy, children. It wasn't easy to obtain because not only did my library not have it but the whole system didn't have it. I actually had to have the poor librarian request it through the super-inter-library loan. Which she didn't know how to do because she is only part time and I'm the only patron annoying enough to force her to do it.

My 12yo and 7yo loved it. I read it to them at bedtime over the course of a couple nights and they begged me to keep reading each night. Yes. some of that was postponing bedtime, but some of it was that my lovely little weirdos truly wanted more (For the curious, I obliged. Who needs sleep?)

There are folksongs interspersed throughout the book which was a nice touch. I sang some to the kids which I'm sure made for sweet dreams. Poor Clementine. I also tried picking some out on the piano the next day which was a tragedy of a different kind. Thanks for never getting me those piano lessons I begged for as a kid, mom.

[Kelly Wickham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recognized a few stories and many of the songs. Although, most of the stories were of the more obscure variety as I had never read them before. I enjoyed learning these stories from Appalachia, African American and Native American backgrounds. There are also a lot of great pictures and illustrations throughout this book along with musical chords with the songs.

[Arely Cortes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for younger kids. There are lots are good stories and songs that I think they would enjoy. Another thing is that they have small pictures on each page that are nice to look at. Some are the stories are funny but all in all it is a good book.

[Aurelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked it

[Jecel Cortes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the little story's. Some of the stories made no scene to me, never the less, they were still good. I loved the pictures and the little songs.

[Amanda Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

By combining rare and well-known folktales and songs with the timeless art of Diane Goode, Ann Durell creates a high-quality book for young readers with The Diane Goode Book of American Folk Tales and Songs.

Durell chose interesting works from many regions of the United States for inclusion in this text. The origin of the folktales in the book range from New England to Puerto Rico to New Mexico. Many are tales from Black American heritage, and ‘The Coyote and the Bear’ stems from Pueblo Indian tradition. The songs in the book are familiar works, such as ‘Yankee Doodle,’ ‘On top of Old Smokey,’ and ‘I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.’ Durell begins the book with an introduction that discusses American’s love of storytelling and the nature of the oral tradition. Adding information, such as the origin of every piece in the book and why it was included, would improve this text.

For the most part, the songs and stories in The Diane Goode Book of American Folk Tales and Songs are entertaining and selected with care. An exception is the short-story ‘Davy Crockett Meets his Match’. In this story Davy Crockett is hunting in the forest of Great Gap when he meets a magic raccoon who keeps himself from becoming a new coon-skin cap by talking himself to safety. This story is not entertaining, lacks depth and characterization, and has almost no plot. Plus, it is a fictional story using a historical character. Davy Crockett, the Tennessee volunteer known for his heroism at the Alamo, has enough lore surrounding his life story without an adventure with a talking raccoon added to list. Including this story in this folktale collection was a poor choice by Ann Durell.

Popular illustrator and Caldecott Honor medalist Diane Goode fills the pages of this text with charming artwork. Color sketches add to almost every page of the book. Every picture is related to the particular story or song it accompanies, with most of the illustrations being of caricature-like people. A unique matching, hand-drawn border surrounds each chapter of the text. Goode uses pastel shades of blue, green, brown, and red throughout the book, which adds unity to each story.

Elementary age children will enjoy this collection of folktales and songs relating to American history. The text is easily adaptable, it can be read in entirety, in segments, in read-aloud activities, and independently. Goode’s art enriches the book’s content and is the highlight of the text.

[Vickie]

I was in search of a folk tale to share at Toastmasters International. Worth reading, but didn't pick a story from this collection

[April Rudolph · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would rate it no stars if I could. It is awful. The stories represented are culturally rude and make Americans seem like hillbilly hicks. If it was presented as a parody, it might be passable but it isn't. No moral relevance whatsoever. Feel free to leave this one alone.