Outfoxing Fear: Folktales from Around the World

by Kathleen Ragan

Book Overview

From the old Japanese woman who tricks the tengu monster to the bluebird that uses the Chinook wind to teach her mother compassion, this is a collection of positive, even Utopian, folktales for various ages, arranged thematically around topics such as the nature of fear and courage, the importance of laughter, and the need for hope.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393060365
• ISBN13: 9780393060362
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 259 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Talking Back to Chicken Little

I'm as tired as anyone of the endless drumbeat of pessimistic opinions. This is a book that talks back to the endless squawking of today's Chicken Littles. First, it shows that we've always shared our world with danger and fear. The folktales Ragan quotes come from all times, all places. Second, it tells many stories of personal ingenuity and hope outfoxing fear. Here's a voice worth listening to!

A unique response to 9/11

Kathleen Ragan's earlier collection, "Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters," is probably the finest anthology of folktales featuring women. In this new, unique, wide-ranging collection inspired by 9/11, Ragan explores how folktales can help us develop creative responses to the terrifying events of today's world. Like the sunrise that never fails, Ragan brings hope.