00009091

This anthology of "folk tales" from around the world includes 6 original stories and 4 adaptations of traditional folk tales, all featuring girls as heroes.
"Jamila, an African girl, saves her village from a terrible lion. Adrianna, a Mexican girl, rescues her family's farm from ruin. Liza, an honest British girl, saves the crown princess from an embarrassing situation. Vassilisa, a Russian aristocrat, saves her brother from prison. Kim, a Vietnamese girl, finds a surprise witness to prevent an unscrupulous moneylender from repossessing her family's home."
Bruce Lansky wrote 3 of the stories, and edited the book, and the rest in this series. While the gender politics message seems heavy-handed to me, my 7 year old daughter likes the series and wants to read all 8 books of these stories from the library. At 104 pages and ten stories, this chapter book is suitable for readers in grades 2 to 4, or to read aloud to younger children. ( )