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Table of Contents Part 1—Earth Part 2—Sky Part 3—Fire Part 4—Water Part 5—Seasons & Weather Part 6—Plants Part 7—Animals Part 8—Circle of Life Part 9—Stewardship Part 10—Wisdom Part 11—First Tail, Last Tale back to Earth Tales from Around the World Excerpt Hare Rescues the Sun Ages ago, the Tungaks, the "Evil Ones," stole the sun from the sky. With no light to guide them, the animals were left to survive on the cold, dark tundra. As they wandered about in lonely blackness, the animals tripped over rocks, bumped into trees and knocked into one another. "Watch where you're going!" someone would exclaim. "But I can’t see a thing," would come the reply. It was hard for the animals to hunt by feeling their way around. Many animals were going hungry. Finally, the animals held a council meeting. All the animals and birds attended so they could have a say in what was to be done to bring back the sun. Raven spoke first. "Once, the world was lit by the bright warmth of the sun," said Raven as he addressed the animals, "but now we have been left in darkness. The Tungaks took the sun to their hall beneath the Earth, where they keep it in a vessel of crystal white. Someone will have to sneak into their abode and bring back the sun that is rightfully to be shared with all living things. Is there, among you, a being who does not fear the Tungaks, who would venture forth on this great journey?" "Let us ask Polar Bear," they shouted. "He is the most powerful of us all. The Tungaks could not hurt him." When Snow Bunting told ancient Owl who was to go, Owl argued against it. "Polar Bear may indeed be powerful," said Owl. "But as soon as he sees something to eat, he will forget that the point of his journey is to bring back the sun." All the animals nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is Polar Bear," they said. "Perhaps Wolf should be the one to go," suggested Raven. "He is as strong and swift as the wind." Owl leaned toward Raven, but her hearing was not very good." "Huh?" she asked Snow Bunting. "What did Raven say?" "He said that we should send Wolf to bring back the sun." "That, too, would be foolish," said old Owl. "At the first sight of a rabbit, squirrel, or some other food, Wolf would dash off along another trail and be lost to the cause." "Of course, why could we not see that?" agreed the other animals. "Wolf also follows his stomach wherever it leads him." "But whom shall we send?" Raven asked the animals. Off at the edge of the crowd, a small, meek voice could barely he heard. "Why do we not send Hare," said little Mouse. "Could anyone cover the ground faster than Hare once he grabs the sun and escapes from the hall of the Tungaks?" "Let us send Hare!" cried the animals. Snow Bunting leaned over and whispered into Owl's ear. "Mouse says that hare is fast and will be able to escape from the Tungaks once he grabs the sun." "Hare is very fast and could outrun any of the Tungaks," said Owl. "And he knows how to focus on getting away better than any other animal. Whhoooo would argue when I say that Hare will bring the sun back safely?" "Not I," replied each of the animals. "Then let us listen to Mouse and send Hare to bring back the sun," said Owl. Raven pointed Hare in the direction of the land of the Tungaks. Hare made the long journey through the endless night before he finally saw a ray of light reaching up into the sky. Carefully, Hare sneaked up to the wall of the great cave of the Tungaks. When he looked inside, he could see that the sun was being held in a magnificent crystal white vessel. "I must make a plan," thought Hare as he looked around the hall. Sharp, black crystals hung from the ceiling and seemed to grow from the very floor. It appeared that Tungaks were everywhere, reflected in every crystal lit by the sun. When he looked carefully around the hall, however, Hare saw that there was just one small group of Tungaks who were sleeping comfortably on a bed of reindeer skins on the side farthest from where Hare peered through the crack in the rock. In one motion that was as quick and fluid as a stream over a waterfall, Hare hopped down through the hole, grabbed the fiery ball of sun from the crystal vessel, thumped the floor of the cave, and leapt up through the crack by which he had entered. "Stop," cried the Tungaks as they fumbled in the darkness. "That fire belongs to us!" But they could not squeeze through the small hole by which Hare had escaped. By the time the Tungaks found the main door to their hall, Hare was well out ahead of them. But the fiery ball of the sun was heavy. Soon, the Tungaks were close behind and gaining on Hare. With one great kick, Hare split the ball of the sun's fire in half. Hare kicked again and sent the smaller of the two pieces high up in the sky. This piece became the moon. back to Earth Tales from Around the World Curriculum Based Activity Activities About Stories and Cultures
back to Earth Tales from Around the World Reviews Earth Tales from Around the World by Michael J. Caduto, illustrated by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol, organizes stories from more than 40 countries into 10 sections that explore the earth and our relation to it, such as Sky, Stewardship, Plants, and Wisdom. Each section is followed by an explanation of the lessons the stories teach. —Publishers Weekly
The theme of this impressive collection of 48 traditional tales from around the world is respect for the natural world. Logically arranged into 10 sections that explore the earth and humankind’s relationship to it, the stories within each section are also strongly connected. For instance, a Polynesian Maui yarn that explains the nature of the “sky” is followed by an Inuit story about the creation of the sun, a Navajo tale that introduces the origin of the Milky Way, and an Aboriginal story that looks at how the Pleiades were formed. This book is the first place that many of these eloquent tales have been adapted for children; two of them, the Australian legend “The Seven Sisters” and the French folk tale “Earth Words,” are gems. For both children and adults, the one-page discussion of lessons at the end of each section and the general activities in the back of the book are unobtrusive. There are also extensive scholarly notes, as well as title, culture, country, and geographical indexes. —Julie Corsaro
Traditional stories are, in all cultures, a way of learning. Similarly, all religions feature stories as a primary technique of teaching. Caduto, an internationally renowned storyteller and author, has assembled some 48 tales from 40 countries located in all regions of the globe. The stories have been selected and retold in English. Collectively, they pass along the wisdom that countless generations have harvested from their environment and heritage. These early tellers of tales worked with the soil, water, the plants, and the animals. Arranged under broad themes, such as the World, Sky, Fire, Water, Stewardship, and others, the tales share one common thread that runs through the stories: they illustrate pure ancestral ties to Native peoples who lived close to the Earth. The stories dramatize the truism that we are all part of nature and that the world community and the natural world depend upon a mutual, reverent relationship. It is an intriguing and entertaining basic collection that should prove popular with a wide audience of readers. —Come-All-Ye Journal
This collection of stories representing more than 40 countries and cultures offers tales on earth, sky, fire and water, seasons and weather, plants, animals, the circle of life, stewardship, and wisdom--pourquoi tales that explain fire, death, the oceans and stars, rainbows, and other forces and features of nature. Caduto’s wonderful introduction includes a discussion about the importance some countries place on the timing and location of telling tales. “In Iraq,” Caduto writes, “it is said, if stories are told during the days, horns will sprout from your head and your gold will turn into iron. The Bantu of southern Africa say that someone once grew long, black horns after telling stories during the daytime.” Unfortunately, the telling of these unfamiliar tales here often is dry, wordy, and choppy. Some are told neither simply nor directly but seem to go in several directions. Perhaps the stories would come to life if read aloud. Among the stories is “Seven Sisters,” the tale of seven girls who, tested by their elders in a challenging rite of passage, are rewarded by being made stars: the constellation of the seven sisters, or the Pleiades. In “Kospi and the First Flowers,” Tehuelche Indians explain how flowers came into the world. Each section concludes with summarized lessons, and Caduto also includes illustrations by Tyrol and activities, such as one that suggests designing a helpful community activity or service that is based on lessons from a story in the collection. This well-researched book will be useful for the storyteller who adapts the stories and plans activities to augment the lessons. ... —Candace Deisley
In this collection, drawn from more than 40 countries, tales are arranged by theme. “Origin of the Ocean” comes from Columbia and Venezuela, “The Seven Sisters” is a French folk tale, while “The Garden of Wisdom” is a story from Israel. The stories explore the natural world including the creation of the sky, sun, and starts, and constellations made up of the stars. Several of these tales were only recently adapted for children. For kids and adults there are sections that discuss the lessons that can be learned from the tales and plenty of activities. Black-and-white illustrations, notes, and indexes round out the text. —Marilyn Courtot back to Earth Tales from Around the World
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Share a story together and find
materials that explore the sensory experiences as everyone imagines them in the story. Re-create some of the sounds, smells, sights, tastes
and sense of touch that you can identify in the story. Incorporate these into the performance described in the previous activity.