Tales from Cultures Far and Near

Jim Weiss has a relaxed yet formal narrative style, well suited to interpreting long or sophisticated folktales. The offerings on this tape are worldwide: Asian war and religious stories, an African myth about the wind, Arabian trickster tales, and humorous stories from Spanish and Native American cultures. Clever twists and inherent morals unify these tales in a way that will please older children and adults. Tape quality is good; there are no musical or sound effects, but one doesn't miss them as Weiss' excellent pacing draws and hold the listener. Recommended for all libraries with active folktale media collections. (Ages 7- adult)""

-Booklist (1991)


""Here Weiss brings us stories from Arabia, Africa, Spain, Japan, China and the Native American Tradition. The tales range from poor but clever characters duping their rich neighbours, in A Guest Who Ran from the Lakota Indian tradition, to stories that impart a message. In Two Monks, a short story from Japan, One monk chastises another for helping a girl across a muddy river. ""We are Monks. We have sworn a sacred oath to have nothing to do with women."", the first complains. He goes on at length about the inappropriateness of the gesture until the second monk finally replies, ""My brother, I set the young lady down back in the village. It is you who are still carrying her.""

-Grand Rapids Press (1998)