Abrahams, Roger D.
Afro American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World
. New York: Pantheon Books, 1985. Divides tales into interesting categories such as “Minding Somebody Else’s Business and Sometimes Making It Your Own.”
Alegria, Ricardo E.
The Three Wishes: A Collection of Puerto Rican Folktales
. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1969. A wonderful collection of Puerto Rican tales. Illustrates the similarities of themes and characters among tales.
Arbuthnot, Mary Hill.
Time for Fairy Tales
. New Jersey: Scott Foresman, 1961. Large collection of traditional tales from all over the world. Also includes fables, myths, and more modern fanciful tales.
Bascom, William R.
African Dilemma Tales
. Paris: Moulton Publishers, 1975. Short tales which leave listener with alternative solutions or opinions. Provoke discussion. Solution is sometimes given by the narrator.
Burrison, John A. Storytellers—Folktales and Legends from the South. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1989. Many tales contain language inappropriate for fifth graders. Contains interesting chapter on Cherokee Indian myths.
Coffin, Tristran P. and Cohen, Hennig.
Folklore in America
. New York: Doubleday & Co. Inc., 1966. Variety of tales including African, Asian, Puerto Rican, and European stories.
Drucker, Malka.
Grandma’s Latkes
. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1992. Excellent illustration of how oral tradition exists in a modern setting. Grandma tells Molly the story of Hanukkah.
Edmonds, Margot and Clark, Ella.
Voices of the Wind—Native American Legends
. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1989. Divides tales into geographical sections of North America, primarily the U.S. Also includes tribe of origin.
Gross, Idrida and Barnes, Marian E.
Talk That Talk
—An Anthology of African-American Storytelling. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989. Contains a variety of pieces, from a variety of storytellers, from many different places. Contents range from the traditional tales of Anansi to “Spread the Word: A Storyteller’s Rap.” Brief biographical notes give us interesting and helpful information on the presenter, and sometimes author, of each piece. Many selections apply to this unit.
Hamilton, Virginia.
The People Could Fly—American Black Folktales
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. Fun, scary, thought provoking, and inspiring are words to describe this wonderful collection of African American tales.
Hatch, Karen C.
The Black Cloth
: A Collection of African American Folktales. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1987. An interesting selection of African tales.
Pejoan de Van Etten, Teresa.
Spanish American Folktales
. Little Rock: August House, 1990. Spanish American tales which also reflect Pueblo influence in the New Mexico area. Includes anecdotes on each tale.
Ringgold, Faith.
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
. New York: Crown, Inc., 1992. Follows eight-year-old Cassie’s fantasy journey along an Underground Railroad route. Contains a wealth of factual material which might be developed further. A short section on Harriet Tubman and the actual routes followed is included along with a list of possible additional readings.
Stoutenburg, Adrien.
American Tall Tales
. New York: Viking Press, 1966. Contains traditional tales of eight American folk heroes. Interesting, active illustrations.