Abstract
THE value of folk tales as illustrative material in education is now generally recognised. Miss Fleming has added to the indebtedness of teachers to her by the publication of this third collection of stories. It comprises sixteen stories drawn from widely scattered areas—Australia, Melanesia, Japan, China, America, Africa, Russia, and Brittany, to name some of the sources only. The bearing of the stories upon points of geography is perhaps more apparent than it was in the earlier volumes, and is further emphasised in an introductory note. For example, “The Legend of the Flowers” from Australia is made to illustrate the effect of climate on vegetation and animal life, and in the same way, one of the Russian stories, extremes in climatic variation. Again character and quantity of food supply is a not unimportant feature which receives frequent mention, while the stories from Ireland and Brittany show the effect of the introduction of Christianity. The Bushman boy's account of some of the things told him by his mother might very well be used as the basis of a contrast in educational methods among civilised and uncivilised peoples. The bibliographical references are a useful guide for further study and add to the value of a book which should be widely used. The illustrations are interesting and well chosen, but might with advantage have been reproduced on a larger scale.
Round the World in Folk Tales: a Regional Treatment.
Rachel M.
Fleming
Sixteen Stories from Various Lands, with a Chapter on their Meaning. Compiled and edited by. (Folk Stories for the Geography, History, and Reading Lesson.) Pp. xi + 49 + 8 plates. (London: B. T. Batsford, Ltd., 1924.) 2s. net.
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Round the World in Folk Tales: a Regional Treatment . Nature 116, 389 (1925). https://doi.org/10.1038/116389b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/116389b0