Traditional Literature
Traditional Literature
Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection
Dembicki, Matt. Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection. 232p. 2010. Tr. $17.99. ISBN 9781555917241.
Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection edited by Matt Demicki continues the long kept tradition of sharing Native American stories. Specifically, Demicki's goal is to expose a new generation of readers to Trickster Tales. As explained in the opening remarks, Trickster Tales have been told in one form or another across Native American tribes for centuries. These tales teach listeners, or this case readers, important life lessons and morals at the expense of the misguided and/or bold trickster creature. As stated in the introduction, "Quite simply, it's because we needed them in the past, and, in a world filled with new lessons to learn, we need them even more today" (Bruchac, pg.5).
When introducing each tale, Demicki makes sure to give credit the author and illustrator of each unique story. While each story utilizes panels, each artist illustrates the trickster tale in their own way. This allows for variety as the reader can expect each tale to differ from the last. For these Trickster Tales, the illustrations are an integral part of their retelling. Unlike in the past, these tales use images to get the messages and morals across, and rely less heavily on the text itself.
In a similar sense, since each story is an independent telling of a Trickster Tale, the reader goes not read to consume in the stories in a continuous fashion. The reader has the freedom to jump from one tale to next without fear of missing important information or causing confusion.
Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection edited by Matt Demicki continues the long kept tradition of sharing Native American stories. Specifically, Demicki's goal is to expose a new generation of readers to Trickster Tales. As explained in the opening remarks, Trickster Tales have been told in one form or another across Native American tribes for centuries. These tales teach listeners, or this case readers, important life lessons and morals at the expense of the misguided and/or bold trickster creature. As stated in the introduction, "Quite simply, it's because we needed them in the past, and, in a world filled with new lessons to learn, we need them even more today" (Bruchac, pg.5).
When introducing each tale, Demicki makes sure to give credit the author and illustrator of each unique story. While each story utilizes panels, each artist illustrates the trickster tale in their own way. This allows for variety as the reader can expect each tale to differ from the last. For these Trickster Tales, the illustrations are an integral part of their retelling. Unlike in the past, these tales use images to get the messages and morals across, and rely less heavily on the text itself.
Tales Our Abuelitas Told
This collection of folktales sets out to teach young readers important life lessons and morals through language, characters, and settings based in Hispanic cultures. This is stated in the title page of the book, giving the reader a clear idea of what they can expect as they turn to the first page. The stories selected for this collection were undoubtedly done so with a child audience in mind. The folktales use characters and language that would appeal to children, and make the lessons and morals accessible to them.
While the folktales are arranged in a sequential fashion, they do not build on or connect to one another. In this sense, the reader is free to read each tale in an independent manner. Illustrations are scattered throughout the collection, but are not guaranteed to accompany each folktale. When included, these illustrations are not intended to further the story, but merely depict a scene that has already been described in the text. That being said, when illustrations are included, the artwork is reflective of the culture it is representing.
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