• Age: 8 to 16
• Grade: 4

For centuries, people around the world have been telling stories about tricksters—characters who solve problems by using their wits to fool others. Sometimes, these tricksters want to help people. Other times, they use their cleverness for selfish reasons. Occasionally, they aren’t as clever as they think and are themselves tricked. Although trickster tales from different countries are similar in many ways, story details, problems to be solved and the personalities of characters reflect the beliefs and values of the culture from which they come. Not only are trickster stories entertaining, they also teach readers things about themselves. And they show how, through wit and inventiveness, unlikely or underappreciated characters often can succeed.

 

In A Book of Tricksters, Jon C. Stott has collected traditional trickster tales from 14 different countries, including “How Anansi Brought Stories to the People” (Ghana), “How Zhao Paid His Taxes” (China), “How Kancil Built a Crocodile Bridge” (Indonesia) and “How Maui Discovered the Secret of Fire” (Hawaii).

Jon C. Stott is an English professor emeritus from the University of Alberta. His interests include writing about sports, children’s literature and beer. In 1973, he wrote the Western Hockey League’s official 25th-anniversary commemorative magazine, and he has since authored three books on minor-league sports, including Hockey Night in Dixie and Ice Warriors. He has four publications on the study of children’s literature, and in 2010, he retold stories from many lands in the children’s book A Book of Tricksters. Jon’s beer guidebook, Beer Quest West, profiles all the microbreweries in BC and Alberta. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

Please visit www.beerquestwest.com.

Jon C. Stott's profile page

p class=review_text>”The stories, themselves, are told with enthusiasm and include back story information where needed. There is plenty of dialogue and action in all of these tales, and the tricks and tricksters are not always obvious, making this a delightful voyage of discovery. —Gail de Vos, CM Magazine

A Book of Tricksters: Tales From Many Lands

In Stott’s original retelling of 14 tales of tricksters from around the world, the traditional plot of the wise preying upon the foolishness, arrogance and weaknesses of others, prevails. Brief introductions to the traditional tales sets the context for his retellings. Readers will be familiar with original tales such as “How Brer Rabbit Got Out of Big Trouble” and “How the Billy Goats Gruff Got Across the Bridge.” Includes a glossary of terms and a listing of various sources consulted in the creation of the author’s retelling of each tale.

Stott, a retired University of Alberta English professor, is the author of five children’s literature books. He co-authored The Harbrace Anthology of Short Fiction.

Caution: Some descriptions are quite violent but not graphic.