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Title: The Pond God and Other Stories by Samuel Jay Keyser, Robert Shetterly ISBN: 1-886910-96-0 Publisher: Front Street Press Pub. Date: October, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)
Rating: 5
Summary: Nature as Perceived by Often Silly Gods
Comment: As a young child, I loved to have my mother read the Greek myths to me. I was always fascinated by the exaggerated flaws of the Greek gods and their silly behavior. These stories helped me to understand the people around me. They were my first studies in psychology.
In writing these stories, Samuel Jay Keyser tells us that he was inspired by a Navajo shaman who once said that he had seen a god walking across the horizon. "The horizon is not a place but a perspective. What happens there depends on who you are."
As I read The Pond God and Other Stories, I was reminded of those Greek myths that I adored as a youngster. The book contains many lessons, especially about natural behavior, that will stimulate the minds of youngsters and those who read to them. My favorite stories were the ones with such lessons. These stories include The Pond God (about finding contentment), How a God Lost Himself and Found Beauty (how Nature's beauty can bring us peace), The Crooked God (about our need for others), How a Bird Went Free (the virtues of self-reliance), How a Thief Stole the Horizon (be careful who you trust), How the Sun Tricked a God (how some people always use and respond to deception), How a God Hid Behind the Wind (on the natural order of things), The God and the Spider (how what you don't know can hurt you), The Flailing God (of Pyrrhic victories), How a God Remained True to His Nature (trust yourself), The Old God and the Very Young God (how "weaknesses" become strengths when two complement one another), How the Gods Changed (how reality differs from our subjective perceptions), How a God Helped a Pigeon (ask for help when you need it and can get it), The God Who Walked in Straight Lines (on the need to take control of your own destiny), May Misfortune Smile on You (how bad news can be good news), The Hideous God (look past appearances to the inner reality), How a God Brought Water to Stones (how cooperation can create improvements), How the Moon Came to Be (how sharing the load makes less work for everyone), How Clouds Came to Be (how envy can destroy happiness) and Why a God Sat Motionless on the Horizon (how words can hurt, even when wise). In most cases the lessons are spelled out at the end of the fable.
The fables are quite brief and encompass one page. For nighttime reading, this book will require relating more than one story. Adults who are reading this book to children should explain that these "gods" are not real, but are imaginary learning companions who are there to help us understand how to live our lives better. You will probably want to be sure that your child understands your religious beliefs and how those differ from the stories here since many fables talk about how people make up the existence of "gods" from what they see around them. Many of the fables talk about how natural phenomena got started (like the locust cycle), and you don't want to confuse them about science. So you should also use the stories as an opportunity to explain about natural phenomena (such as the rising and setting of the sun and moon).
As much as I enjoyed the stories, I thought that the best part of this book was in the illustrations. Each fable faces a black-and-white line drawing. These illustrations are truly inspired and typically tell the key point of the fable without words. Children especially will enjoy the way these illustrations make imagining the stories easier. Even if you don't think you would like the fables, this book would be a good choice for an adult who enjoys fine drawings.
As I finished the book, I could not help thinking about how our minds seek to find meaning in the details around us. If someone thinks back to how we create myths and fables, that is a fine lesson for all.
If your child really enjoys myths and fables, be sure to introduce her or him to The Golden Bough when he or she is older.
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Title: The Tree of Life : Charles Darwin by Peter Sis ISBN: 0374456283 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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Title: The Wishing Bone and Other Poems by Stephen Mitchell, Tom Pohrt ISBN: 0763611182 Publisher: Candlewick Press Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
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Title: Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1) by Christopher Paolini ISBN: 0375826688 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread (NEWBERY MEDAL BOOK) by Kate Dicamillo, Timothy B. Ering ISBN: 0763617229 Publisher: Candlewick Press Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.99 |
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Title: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz ISBN: 0761104844 Publisher: Workman Publishing Company Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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