Tale of Tales

March 22, 2004
With bold black-and-white silhouettes and sprightly verse settings of old tales, Mitton and Bailey (previously paired for Pip
) produce a book that looks and reads much like a treasure from grandmother's attic. When Monkey overhears that the Tale of Tales is to be told in Volcano Valley, he sets off, and convinces the jungle animals he encounters to attend the momentous event with him. He doesn't know much about the Tale of Tales (and neither do readers; the story ends abruptly, the moment before it's told) but that doesn't dampen his excitement. "Are you coming?" he says to his first recruit, Elephant. "Go on. Think of it. The Tale of Tales." Traveling along the Story Road, each animal who joins the procession contributes a yarn. Many, like "Rip Van Winkle," "Five Men and the Elephant" (here titled "The Obstacle") and "Anansi Meets Big Snake," are old favorites. Mitton's rhythmic lines give them extra kick: "And Ali looked on in amazement/ as the bag seemed to billow and swell./ It gobbled the men and their weapons, and then/ it golloped the horses as well." For the animals' tales-within-tales, Bailey switches from silhouettes to engaging ink drawings with etching-style shading. While mysterious mention of a Tale of Tales which never materializes may frustrate younger readers especially, Bailey's striking illustrations will invite repeated viewings, and older readers will enjoy working through the whole narrative frame. Ages 5-12.

April 1, 2004
PreS-Gr 4-Upon overhearing from the parrots that the "Tale of Tales" would be told in Volcano Valley that very afternoon, a monkey sets off on Story Road to hear it. Along the way, he meets up with an elephant and the two share stories to pass the time. As they proceed, a total of eight animals join them, each telling a story. Readers will recognize some of the rhymed tales, such as "The Elephant and the Blind Men" told by Elephant, an Anansi trickster tale related by Spider, "Rip Van Winkle" told by Bear, a Pookah story from Owl, and a Jack story narrated by Cat. The selections have differing rhyme schemes, but in all cases, the word choices are unforced and natural. The colloquial narrative between the stories reads well and young listeners will enjoy the variety. Unfortunately, it builds to a bit of an anticlimax; as the animals gather, the ancient baboon begins, "Once Upon a Time-" and listeners are left to imagine what happens next. Bailey's excellent pen-and-ink illustrations, silhouettes, and motifs decorate each page of this elegantly designed collection of tales within a tale.-Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2004
PreS-Gr. 2. A group of animals living in a jungle far away travel to Volcano Valley to hear the greatest story ever, the Tale of Tales. On the way, the travelers tell their own favorite stories about Anansi and Rip van Winkle, about a boy and a djinni, a clever servant, and more. Forget sources. These narrators, whose tales are told in simple rhyme, do what they like with the traditional lore. One of the best stories even has fun with all the conventions: poor Worm becomes confused and can't remember whether "they trapped the witch / (or was it a troll?) / up in a tower / or down in a hole." The spacious book design is beautiful. Black silhouette illustrations decorate the crisp white pages; the main narrative is in roman type, while the animals' tales are set down in italics and accompanied by energetic line drawings. This will be great for reading alone or reading aloud at home or at school, sharing one tale at a time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)