Arthur C. ParkerCritiques
Auteur de The Indian How Book
Critiques
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To the reader who appreciates a fine animal fable, some of the qualities elaborated upon will come as no surprise: Fox is wily, and Turtle keeps to himself. Other characterizations might be less expected, as when Toad is revealed as a brave and loyal friend (Toad Brother's Warts and the Peeper's Peep). The mix of familiar and unfamiliar makes for an entertaining and lively read.
I have long been a fan of folk and fairy tales of all kinds, and this was no exception. Animal tales have an appeal that is universal, I believe, but they also reflect the belief systems of the specific cultures from which they spring. I was particularly struck by the vision of Creation as expressed in some of these tales. In The Owl's Big Eyes, we are told that Ra-wen-io, the Masterful One (the Creator) was "making the animals and birds as they wanted to be." I found the idea that the Creator would share the act of creation with the created to be very moving - not that everything always turned out quite as the animals expected (does anything?).
The only discordant note in the collection, for me, was the negative portrayal of the wolves. I was surprised at this, as I had always thought that distrust of this species was something more common in European beliefs. It makes me a little sad to see this beautiful and very social animal stigmatized... But other than this, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, and recommend it to all folktale enthusiasts.