Joanne Compton

Husband-and-wife team Kenn and Joanne Compton, whose other picture-book collaborations include Ashpet and Jack the Giant Chaser, turn once again to the Appalachian storytelling of their childhood in this revisionist take on a traditional tale. When Jack goes to visit his mother and two brothers, he is immediately at home, and Ma sets out to make them all some biscuits. Unfortunately, she is all out of sody sallyratus (baking soda), and dispatches brother Tom to the store, to buy some more. When Tom never returns, brother Will is sent after him, and then Ma herself departs, until finally Jack is left by himself. Eventually deciding to investigate, he runs into a hungry bear as he is crossing Cold Water Creek, and, in the course of making good his escape, rescues his family.

Apparently, in the traditional version of this story, found in Richard Chase's 1948 collection, Grandfather Tales, the hero of the day is the family's pet squirrel. The Comptons note, in their foreword, that they have combined this version of the story, taken from Chase, with the Jack tradition, substituting that famous hero for the squirrel, in their telling. Not being familiar with the original story, I was particularly glad to see that a clear explanation of sources, and what changes had been made to the story, was offered in the foreword, as I might not otherwise have known the difference. I was, like the authors, reminded of stories such as the The Three Billy Goats Gruff, with the bear taking the place of the troll, and that increased my appreciation, as I'm always interested to see how the same motifs are used in different folk traditions. The artwork, as with the other two Compton titles I have read, was amusing, and added to the sense of fun.

All in all, an enjoyable foray into the world of Appalachian folklore! I think I may try to track down some other retellings of this tale - Terri Sloat's Sody Sallyratus, or Aubrey Davis' Sody Salleratus - to contrast and compare.… (altro)

Ashpet, an indentured servant in the home of the capricious and cruel Widow Hooper, and her two lazy daughters, Myrtle and Ethel, was made to work from morning till night, and hidden away - because of her superior beauty - whenever visitors came to call. When the annual Eagle's Nest Mountain church meeting, held every year after the harvest, comes around, Ashpet is left behind, and told to clean the house. Fortunately, her kindness to Granny, a local elder and witch-woman, results in some much-needed magic, and Ashpet attends the meeting after all, dressed in a beautiful red calico dress, with matching red shoes. There she attracts the attention of the local doctor's son, who, when Ashpet disappears, uses her shoe to trace her...

This Appalachian variant of the classic Cinderella story, which was recorded by Richard Chase in his 1948 collection, Grandfather Tales, is retold in picture-book form by Joanne and Kenn Compton, whose other folkloric picture-books include Sody Sallyratus and Jack the Giant Chaser. The language used is colloquial, and many of the details of the story have been adapted to the (past and present) realities of Appalachian life: Cinderella is a "hired-out" girl here, the prince is a doctor's son, and the ball a church meeting. The artwork is humorous, in a cartoon-like way that, although not really my "cup of tea," works well with the story. A brief foreword gives more information about the background of the story, which is something I always look for in folk and fairy-tale retellings. I was interested to see that the Chinese variant of this tale, Yeh-Shen, is credited as the first recorded version - this is a claim I have seen in a number of places - as the ancient Egyptian story of Rhodopis (see: The Egyptian Cinderella for a retelling) predates it by many centuries.

Leaving aside this (sadly) all-too common error in the foreword, Ashpet is an engaging picture-book, offering a different take on a familiar and much-loved story. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to readers looking for Cinderella variants.… (altro)

When Jack kills seven catfish with one stone, in this Appalachian folktale, the happy-go-lucky young man is soon sitting down to a hearty meal. But when he brags of his feat upon returning to his hometown, claiming he "killed seven with one blow," he soon finds himself appointed the town's defender, and dispatched to deal with the pesky giant living up on Balsam Mountain. Although no match for the giant's strength, Jack proves himself the cleverer of the two, tricking the giant, through a series of contests, into believing that he (Jack) is the stronger, and extracting a promise from him that he will leave the area...

Taken from Richard Chase's 1943 collection, The Jack Tales, where it was entitled Jack and the Giants' Newground, this story offers an Appalachian variant on the classic story of The Brave Little Tailor - tale type 1640 in the Aarne-Thompson folklore classification system - and is a humorous celebration of the triumph of quick thinking (and quite a bit of luck!) over brute strength. With plenty of regional flare, and amusing artwork that accentuates the fun of the story, Jack the Giant Chaser is a book I would recommend to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those with a taste for Jack tales, or an interest in the Appalachian tradition.… (altro)