Public Domain VI : Ballads, Folktales, Fairytales and Legends

The Golden Slipper
from
Serbian Fairy Tales

It has been awhile since I posted a collection of public domain books. Here is the sixth in the installment that will continue to for who knows how long! This one offers a collection of ballads, poetry, prose, folktales, legends and fairy tales. I hope you find something delicious to tell among these tasty offerings.

 

A Book of New England Legends and Lore in Prose and Poetry by Samuel Adams Drake 1901. Delve into both these imaginative tales from the New England region of the United States.

http://tinyurl.com/amjox2u

Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith, 1918. A collection of “historical legends and folktales from Japan. Themes include ghosts; unrequited love across social boundaries; Shinto landscape, tree and ocean spirits; and tales driven by Bushido and Buddhist ethics.”

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/atfj/index.htm

Czechoslovak Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1919. “The old king reached into his pocket, drew out a golden key, and handed it to the prince.” So begins the story of Longshanks, Girth and Keen, one of the many tales that await you within.

http://tinyurl.com/baw8ysh

Fairy Legends of the French Provinces, 1883 – Thirty-four lovely stories filled with charm and enchantment.

http://tinyurl.com/be5ly4j

Mighty Mikko: Finnish Folk and Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1922. Trolls, princesses, animals and a sixteen part nursery epic await you among the pages of this book.

http://tinyurl.com/acj7atk

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney, 1903. Myths, Wonder Stories, Historic Traditions and Legends will whisk you away.

http://tinyurl.com/awx8gmj

The Russian Story Book by Richard Wilson, 1916. Fifteen tales, several featuring the hero Ilya, others with Nikita the Footless, the Cake-Baker and more.

http://tinyurl.com/awqvoe2

Serbian Fairy Tales by Elodie L. Muatovich, 1918. Seeking some longer stories to share? This book offers a number of tales in three, four and six parts.

http://tinyurl.com/aqer7bc

Silesian Folk Tales (the Book of Rübezahl) by James Lee and James Thomas Carey, 1915.In legends Rübezahl is a giant, gnome or mountain spirit. He is friendly with good people but if you ridicule him he will take his revenge. Sometimes he is the trickster in folktales.http://archive.org/details/silesianfolktal01caregoog

  

Stories from the Ballads Told to the Children by Mary Macgregor, 1923. The stories of Young Tamlane, Thomas the Rhymer and others await you.

http://tinyurl.com/aguwxro

 

And if you missed the previous blog posts of public domain story collections here are the links for posts 1-5.

• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/public-domain-folktales-myths-legends.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/06/public-domain-ii-folktales-myths-and.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/public-domain-iii-folktales-fairy-tales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/10/public-domain-iv-folktales-fairytales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/07/public-domain-v-folktales-fairytales.html

If you found this post useful please take a moment to leave a comment* on the blog. It is always lovely to know that I am not “shouting down a hole.” :)

 

*Please note, if you do leave a comment it will not immediately appear until I have hit the publish button on my side of the Internet street to prevent any spam messages.

  

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

Mother's Day and Memories

"Yet here's a kiss for my mother dear."
From "The Golden Staircase"
illustrated by M. Dibden Spooner, 1906

“If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much.”
   ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

As a child, Mother’s Day sometimes meant a double celebration in my family because every seven years it would fall on my mother’s birthday, May 10. This made it  an extra special day! Patricia was a woman filled with contradictions, one day a bundle of insecurities, the next sharing her hard won wisdom. She carried with her the "lilt of Irish laughter" but also the fiery temper that went with her brilliant red hair.

Born during the Great Depression, raised in a family of twelve children, I never fully appreciated her journey of resilience and strength until I was grown with a family of my own. Whenever she came to visit, she would lightly tap on the door, fling it open and cheerfully shout, “Hello to the house!”  She has been gone for 16 years and I miss her every day, but her voice continues to echo through my life and heart.

Happy Mother’s Day to every woman who has opened their hearts to the children in their lives.

STORIES

The Aged Mother – Germany

http://tinyurl.com/c4facmk

The Bad Mother – Romania

http://tinyurl.com/chxwv8r

The Disobedient Frog – Korea

http://tinyurl.com/burfpvk

The Dragon Prince and the Step-Mother – Turkey

http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/ftft/ftft25.htm

How the Kangaroo Got Its Pouch - Australia

http://learningtogive.org/materials/folktales/HowTheKangaroo.asp

Native American Mother Stories

http://www.native-languages.org/legends-mother.htm

The Magic Brocade – China

http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/056.html

Mother Holle  - Germany

http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-21.html

Mother’s Darling Jack – Romania

http://tinyurl.com/bnjdobq

Mother’s Legacy – Eastern Nigeria
https://anikefoundation.org/african-folktales/mothers-legacy

The Poor Sick Mother – France

http://tinyurl.com/d637r25

The Son of  Seven Monthers – India
https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/book.php?id=109&tale=3932

The Story of the Aged Mother – Japan

http://tinyurl.com/cz42pq8

The Story of a Mother – Hans Christian Andersen
http://hca.gilead.org.il/sandhill.html    

BOOKS

Collections of mother and daughter tales:

• Fearless Girls, Wise Women and Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan
• Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Woman in Mexican Folktales by Mary-Joan Gersen
• Mirror, Mirror: Forty Folktales for Mothers and Daughters to Share edited by Jane Yolen
• Mother and Daughter Tales by Josephine Evetts-Secker

CRAFTS

Better Homes and Gardens – Twenty cute and clever crafts.

http://tinyurl.com/bogl8ql

DaniellesPlace.com – Flowers, frames, bookmarks and more will keep the little one’s busy making a cute craft for their Mom.

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/mothersday.html

FINGERPLAYS

Helping Mother

I like to help my mother

(nod head knowingly)
To me it's just like play.
(point to self on"me")

I wash the dishes
(pretend to wash dishes)
And sweep the floors
(pretend to sweep)
Because it's Mothers Say
(broad smiles)

Five Pretty Mommies - Sung to "Five Little Ducks"

Five pretty mommies I once knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, too,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me…
I love her and she loves me!

Down to the grocery we did go,
Wibble – wobble, wibble – wobble, to and fro,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me,
I love her, and she loves me!

SONGS

A Mom's a Special Lady - Sung to: "Eensy, Weensy, Spider"

A Mom's a special lady,
So hug her every day.
She gives you lots of food to eat,
And takes you out to play.

Your mother reads you stories,
And buys you sneakers, too.
Aren't you happy that you have
A mom who loves you so?

Five Pretty Mommies - Sung to "Five Little Ducks"

Five pretty mommies I once knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, too,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me…
I love her and she loves me!
Down to the grocery we did go,
Wibble – wobble, wibble – wobble, to and fro,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me,
I love her, and she loves me!

Sometimes Mom Says Sung to: "Twinkle, Twinkle"

Sometimes Mom says "don't do this"
Sometimes Mom says "don't do that"
Still she loves me that I know.
Why? Because she tells me so.
Sometimes Mom says let's do this.
Sometimes Mom says "kiss, kiss, kiss!"

Many more songs for Mother’s Day here:
www.preschooleducation.com/smother.shtml

STORY STRETCHES

Momma don't allow no "jumping " around here (Shake your finger at the children)

Momma don't allow no jumping around here (jump up and down)
I don't care what Momma's going to say (shake finger back and forth)
I'm going to do it anyway (point finger to self)

Momma don't allow no "jumping" around here. (jump up and down)

 

Continue with other actions:

Momma don’t allow no twirling around here. (spin around)
Momma don’t allow no wiggling around here. (wiggle up and down)
Momma don’t allow no clapping around here. (clap hands)
Momma don’t allow no stomping around here. (stomp feet)

Mommy, Mommy

You and the children stand together and do the movements suggested by the verse.
Mommy, mommy, let's sweep the floor. (pretend to sweep the floor)

Mommy, mommy, let's go to the store. 
(pretend to drive a car)

Mommy, mommy, let's bake a cake. 
(pretend to mix ingredients)
Mommy, mommy, let's take a break. 
(wipe brow and whisper "whew")

Mommy, mommy, loves me so. 
(Draw a heart shape in the air with fingers)

Mommy, mommy, watch me grow. 
(Stretch arms up high)

Mommy, mommy, turn out the light. 
(Make a click sound and turn pretend light off)
Mommy, mommy, say good night 
put hands together beside cheek and tilt head)

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.