Grandmothers' Stories

Rating:
Summary: beautiful short stories
Review: Everyone in my family enjoys the stories in this book. Two of the stories (Mother Holle and The Old Woman who was not afraid) we had heard from other story collections. This collection is interesting because it combines stories from east and west while most collections are from a specific region.

I especially like the first story about a midwife, because it portrays the gift patience and understanding of the profession. There is also a story about a lady on the moon, since reading this story we no longer just look for the 'man on the moon' in our moon gazing, my daughters and I look for the 'lady on the moon' as well.

All in all this is an expensive book for only 8 stories. However we've gotten a lot of use out of it and I'll keep it to read to my grandchildren as well.

Rating:
Summary: Well-told stories from various traditions
Review: I am curious to know whether the author of the previous review was reading the same book as me! My impression is totally different. The stories in this lovely collection ALL feature a wise old woman who overcomes various circumstances, or who possess wisdom that is shared with others in her midst (usually children). The stories come from Spain, Germany, Japan, and Senegal to name a few, and the illustrations give a lovely sense of place. My family has many favorites including the final story "The Old Woman Who Was Right," a Swedish story about a woman whose husband has complained for years about her housekeeping. She is finally fed up and offers to switch places for the day and work in the fields while he keeps house. The result has us laughing every time and has even been reenacted by my five year-old at the breakfast table. A terrific gift, and a pleasure to read again and again.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre tales...
Review: I love stories about wise old women--the kind who are brave and as clever as they are caring. I was hoping this would be a book full of stories of such women, but I was disappointed. Only half of the tales featured a wise old woman as a main character, and although they were well-told, none of the stories were very compelling. As a collection, this book seemed to lack focus due to poorly chosen tales.

However, one element in this book is outstanding. A mural-of-sorts runs along the bottom of each page--a different mural for each tale. These murals tell the tale in minature and are a joy to explore. I found myself skipping ahead just to see what each new mural would be. This unique feature makes this book worth a look.