Hear the Wind Blow: American Folk Songs Retold

By Scott Russell Sanders

Twenty tales taken from folksongs reflecting American history, e.g. Yankee Doodle, John Henry, The Blue-Tail Fly, and Frankie and Johnnie. Includes the original folk song lyrics.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0027781402
• ISBN13: 9780027781403
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Atheneum
• Length: 202 Pages
• Weight: 2.90 lbs.
• Age Range: 11 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 6 and higher

Customer Reviews

To much interpetation, not enough facts

Only 20 songs, in a large size book, and then each is hard to read in single line 8 point font, then huge low grade colored drawings and each tied to a 12 pt font multi page re-telling (not facts) of the story behind each folk song. So basically a revisionist versions to traditional folk songs to appease historically offended readers I guess. I had hoped there would be at least a music scale with the songs, tabs or even chord changes, but there they sit as uninteresting as could be made in tiny print, seemed like the lyrics were treated more like footnotes than the main reason for the tales retelling with not a musical hint found on any page. Once again I am a little disappointed in a folk song story telling book, to few songs, and not much historical time period insight in the songs origins.