Tales Told in Tents: Stories from Central Asia

by Sally Pomme Clayton

Book Overview

Why are some carpets magic? What is a wish-tree? And where can the fountain of eternal life be found? The answers to these and many other intriguing questions can be found in Sally Pomme Clayton's enchanted storytelling journey through Central Asia. On her travels in the region, Sally has accumulated a wealth of folklore and knowledge of nomadic cultures. These 12 exotic retellings of stories related to the author in storytelling tents, combined with...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845070666
• ISBN13: 9781845070663
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Ltd
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.8" x 11.0"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

Wonderful collection of stories!

I didn't have much to go on when I bought this book, but I'm certainly glad I made this choice. The stories are delightful and the illustrations are lovely.

Tales Told in Tents is Magical

I purchased this book for my twin 6 year old girls. We all love it! The stories are all magical and the illustrations beautiful. It is a wonderful compilation that always makes for a fun read before bed.

Stories from another tradition

These stories from Central Asia have a strong appeal to a six-year old I know. Because of the story of how the first felt was made, she is eager to try to make felt herself. The pictures are well-integrated with the text and add to its appeal.

A dozen tales from the nomadic cultures of Central Asia for young readers

"Tales Told in Tents: Stories from Central Asia" serves as a nice little reminder that there were storytellers who lived in the region between the Middle East and the Far East. Sally Pomme Clayton takes her dozen stories from the steppes, mountains, deserts and cities of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tadijkistan and Afghanistan. These are lands that have been in the news in recent years more than before, but we hardly hear about stories from their culture. That these twelve tales were told in tents signifies that they represent nomadic cultures, who endures sorching summer suns and driving winter snows by living in tents that could keep them cool in one season and snug in another. However, like all other cultures, the storyteller was an important figure and the stories that were told were treasured. "A Whole Brain" (Kazakhstan) tells what happened on the seventh day when God finished making the world and realized he had forgotten to give human beings brains. "The Secret of Flet" (Turkmenistan) is what two brothers discover when one stubs his toe on a sharp rock. "Blue Sky, White Wing" (Central Asia) is is a poem reflecting the old saying, "The sky is your father, the earth is your mother." "The Girl Who Cried a Lake" (Kyrgyzstan) is what happens when the Khan's daughter falls in love with the young hunter who catches her when the girls play kiss-chase on horseback (think Romeo & Juliet). "The Carpet of Dreams" (Afghanistan) is the story of Arif, who dreams of traveling the silk road and explains the tradition of always weaving a mistake into a carpet on purpose, to show that only God can make something that is truly perfect. "Riddle Bazaar" (Uzbekistan) are eight riddles, such as "One eye and a sharp tooth") (yes, the answers are provided in the back). "The Bag of Trickness" (Kazakhstan) tells how the trickster Aldar-Kose with his coat of seventy holes and ninety patches, tricks a rich man. "Zarina's Orchard" (Tadjikistan) is about Zarina and her thirty-nine sisters, and how she wishesd they could bring the river to them, instead of them all going to the river. This story involves a Dev, which is not a good thing. "The Heart of Your Friend" (Kazahkstan) is a poem based on a Kazakh folksong. "Father of Stories, Horse of Songs" (Central Asia) tells of Korkut, a young man who wanted his horse to carry him away from Death. Korkut would live a long time and become known as Dede Korkut, father or all the stories being sung by storytellers today. "The Fountain of Life" (Central Asia) is the story of Al Khadir (the Green One), whom we met earlier in this book, and shows that eternal life does indeed exist. Clayton learned these stories by traveling through Central Asia, talking and sharing stories with storytellers in different lands. Following their tradition, she has made these stories her own. Clayton provides notes About the Stories in the back of the book, to explain where they came from and other interesting