When the World Began: Stories Collected in Ethiopia

by Elizabeth Laird

Book Overview

The classic stories of our childhood--"Cinderella," "The Sleeping Beauty," Little Red Riding Hood"--exist only in books today, but they started their lives as oral tales told from one generation to the next. In Ethiopia, however, great treasuries of fairy tales still live in people's heads and have never been written down. Old people sit together in the evenings and tell each other stories that were already old a hundred years ago.
Elizabeth Laird--a...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192745352
• ISBN13: 9780192745354
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.8" x 10.4"

Customer Reviews

Not for children only

Although written for children, this collection of myths and legends from Ethiopia is also enjoyable and informative for adults who have friends from Ethiopia or who enjoy learning about other cultures. I thought it was particularly interesting that the stories were collected from throughout Ethiopia, and include representations from the diverse subcultures within that rich and varied country. The illustrations are gorgeous and colorful.