I thought this story was very intresting,It used a lot of adjectives,which would help children a lot with thier school work.I liked the part when the rich man was insulted and was shouting"How dare any-one in my village isult me!".But I didn't like the beging because it didn't catch my attention that much!

I think Mamo on the mountain was a good story because the rich man learned his lesson and there were lots of detail in it and finally it was a happy ending and I love happy endings. In school we have been doing some work on Mamo on the mountain and I have enjoyed it. We have been writing stories and been doing differences and similarities. Example in Ethiopia they have the same animals that we do like cows and sheep. Ethiopia is the place where they lived. Well anyway the story is brilliant.

We thought this book was very good and we enjoyed it . It also helped us with our classwork.We worked on what is similar and what is different to us.We are now writing from another character's point of view.

I found this book to be very good and highly recommend it to teachers who have children from Ethiopia or any other African country in their classroom. They will find an appreciation for their country or continent in the reading of this story. Many times Americans tend to put down the African continent and dissolve it into stereotypes. Kids from Africa need support that where they come from is appreciated and that they are welcome in the US too.

The story upon which this picture book is based changes depending on the locale--it might be a tiger in Indian tales or a bear, as I have heard it told in a Native American version. In all, the story is a tale of patience and love discovered, and Kurtz paints this theme beautifully in LION'S TAIL.

In this version, set in Ethiopia, the story is told from the point of view of a little girl who feels left out when her father takes a new wife. The girl gets advice from her grandfather, and thus the tale is set in motion. What sets this apart from the traditional tellings is the strong character development, as well as the point of view.

Cooper's expressive illustrations set the mood for the story setting, as well as the images of the characters, beautifully. With Kurtz's well written prose, illustrations are hardly necessary, but wonderful icing on the cake.

My son (age 7) brought this book home from library day at school. We read it together and while I think the lesson of the story might have been lost on him, I don't believe it would be lost on children who face the difficulties of negotiating new mom's, dad's, foster parents, etc. I work with children that have emotional problems and the issue of acceptance (giving and getting) in step and foster families can be dealt with powerfully and sensitively with this book.

It must be really strange for a child of immigrants to understand what their parents are feeling about their other country and culture. Some may or may not understand their parents first language. I am eager to share this book with my students and see what they think.

Faraway Home is the story of a young girl whose father must go away to his home land to see his mother. The girl (Desta) isn't very happy about this. The illustrations (by E. B. Lewis) are simply stunning. This is a truly spectacular book

In this beautifully illustrated story, a young girl comes to terms with her immigrant father's plans to visit his country of birth, Ethiopia. In the process, she learns about the differences and similarities between his childhood and hers and, more importantly, about the enduring strength of the love between parent and child. This wonderful book is perfect to share with the child facing similar fears about whether a parent will return from a journey to a distant place or the child perturbed by immigrant parents' longings for an unknown and strange land. For every parent and child, it is a great introduction to a family discussion of "when I was your age, we ..." Highly recommended.

Like so many others, I lived through the Grand Forks flood. A co-worker showed this to me, and I could not get half-way through without tearing up. It captured so many memories, and touched so much emotion that still lies right below the surface. A great job, and a "must own" for those who experienced the flood first-hand. Well done, Jane.

Just when I thought I had bought all the commerative items I wanted for living through the Flood of 1997, I found this book. The book is seen through the eyes of a child, who saw and remembered things that adults overlook. From the way the sandbags were made and stacked to the air raid sirens to the comparison of our snow banks and all our treasures along the berms waiting to picked up by the crablike machine. Even if you didn't experience the Flood of 1997 in Grand Forks, but may have experienced some other disaster, you will be able to relate that it all comes down to is the family and friends you have, not the possessions that have been lost. This is a great gift!

This book is based on real-life experiences of the floods in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1997, but it is sure to have a universal appeal. The poems are both child-like and lyrical. This would be a wonderful read-aloud and also a great book to use in the classroom.

I can't wait to share this book with my student and his mother from Eritrea. Most of the time I have to find books on Ethiopia which doesn't sit well with mom even though she understands the difficulty. I also recently purchased a mancala board so we can play that game after we read the book. Mancala has been promoted to teach math and cooperative learning social skills.

Jane Kurtz has once again taken the raw material of the oral tradition and translated it to print, without losing the "feel" of a story told face to face. Tekleh, armed with a plaything that was designed to keep him out of trouble, finds himself trading it and each new item he receives, to stay out of trouble. As is traditional in such a circular tale, he ends where he began.

For those who wish to venture into the world of telling a story without the book, this is one story that will help you avoid "trouble" as you retell the tale. For those who appreciate the appeal of an illustrated tale, the pictures are just enough to delight, but will allow the reader/listener their imagination at the same time.

TROUBLE is a circular story in the best tradition of folkloric literature. Young Tekleh is always in the company of trouble as he tends his goats in the Eritrean countryside. He loses the gebata board, which his father has made for him to keep him away from trouble, to a group of traders. Yet another board is cleverly regained, in a circular fashion, by the end of the book. Kurtz's rich imagery enlivens the story as do Bernhard's sprightly folk art illustrations. With an ever changing palette, she tells her own small jokes in the pictures. A wonderful, child-centered story kids will ask for again and again

School visits can range from abismal to inspiring. It all depends on planning and communication. This book is the perfect resource for librarians and PTO visit coordinators, but it's also a between the lines how-to and fair-warning guide to authors and illustrators. All that plus an entertaining read. Don't miss this one!

As an author of children's books, it is important to me to connect with my readers in as many ways as possible. Terrific Connections is the perfect guide to making the author/reader experience a postitive one. With this book you can learn how to make those first connections, learn what makes a good visit great, learn from others what works and doesn't work, and so much more. Whether connecting virtually or in real time and space, this book sets the standard by which all future visits will be measured.

Author visits are a lot of work for everyone involved. Using this resource, you can be assured of making many terrific connections of your own. Authors, illustrators, teachers, and libraraions should all have this book.

C. VanHook...a media specialist, June 28, 2002,
Refreshing ideas to teach READING and GEOGRAPHY
What a great resource! I will take a 'focus' title from the resource and summarize the layout. Will Hobb's is a favorite author of mine, thus BEARSTONE: --begins with brief summary --background is brief with helpful teaching strategies to hook students --bookpairing section is attractive and formatted nicely to grab attention, also encourages reading more titles by same author, a feature I like! --expansion activities: Learn about author and themes in book. Websites are listed with detail about sites and suggestions for learning activities using these websites --hands-on activities give six brief but concise activities to do in classroom : graphic organizer, mapping, create character conversations, archaeologist journaling, cook, writing activity--covers the scope of the curriculum nicely here. --ready to go graphic organizer (student activity page) is included. Consistently, through the hands-on activities, additional books are brought into picture as well as more websites. This is packing so many useful resources into the 112-page resource! Books with audio recording are noted. Many cultures are touched on. There are 15 books recommended per seven U.S. regions covered in the resource. The table of contents will direct you to the 'beginning of each region' page. This page has a nice regional map that features 5 of the 15 books as 'focus' books. The other ten title recommendations are noted at the bottom of that page. All books refer to the states that are set in the stories. The authors will keep an updated list of websites to support this resource at their official websites. That's going 'above and beyond' and is greatly appreciated. The hands-on activities listed per 'focus' book are creative, innovative, exciting, and encourage students to think critically. Students will not just be 'cutting and pasting' information into the form of a book report. They will be living, feeling, and remembering the story for a lifetime! Permission is granted to copy and use the student activity page in the classroom. Excellent resource! Hope they do another just like this one--different titles or maybe with picture text books!!!!

Jane Kurtz enriches this Inca folktale with details of pre-Colonial Incan life, creating a book which will find enthusiastic audiences among those choosing books for pleasure and teachers and students studying the Inca, as well. The author's beautiful prose is enhanced by David Frampton's richly hued woodcuts, creating a memorable story of a strong heroine in a lost culture

This story, of a young boy awaiting the time when he can race his pigeons, glows with detail of everyday life in a world that would be foreign, both in sights and possessions, to most of the young readers to whom the book is aimed.

Rather than evoking a sense of "Oh, what a hard life," instead Ms. Kurtz tells the story of a day in this boy's life, allowing his spirit and excitement about the thing he really loves to shine through.

An enjoyable read in its own merit, Only a Pigeon is a wonderful resource for any number of curricular topics, whether it is multiculturalism, social studies or even values education. The paintings show a busy city through which this young boy must navigate, and details of life in Addis Ababa can be gleaned from Cooper's sensitive paintings, without the need to read through description or fact.

Kurtz's message of coming to love those you have been taught to hate is never emphasized enough in today's world. (Think Serbia.) Kurtz story is compelling but must be read carefully by taking time to read over the stories, the explanations of the girls' cultural histories, and the meanings of their words. Unfortunately, this is something most young readers would rather not do. If given as a class assignment, I am afraid many young readers comments may be less favorable. Anytime a children's book accurately tells about a global problem it deserves much attention and reading, and such is the case of "Storyteller's Beads". Previous Amazon reviewers have properly used this book - sharing it with an adult. Having the background notes in the front of the book would have improved the book's effectiveness. For this reason I give it 4 not 5 stars.

Can you imagine for someone to travel to an extended journey from Ethiopia to Jerusalem? In the novel, The Storyteller's Beads by Jane Kurtz is the exact similar event that happened to the main characters Sahay and Rahel. The genre of the novel is fiction. The setting of the story is generally Ethiopia and Sudan, in 1980, (during the political strife and famine). It illustrates that since most Ethiopian people wanted to seek for safety, they struggle to escape to Sudan. Therefore, the novel is a refugee story.
Sahay and Rahel, play a role in the most part of the plot. Sahay, a Christian girl, in the first place did not realized that life could get worth, but now, her uncle is rushing her through the night away from the only home she has ever known out of Ethiopia, forever. Blind Jewish as child, Rahel has always relied on her grandmother to guide her; however, her parents are sending her and her brother on a long petrify trip, with no assurance when. This illustrates that both of these girls' families wanted the two girls to live in a developed life in another place instead of Ethiopia. The Sudan soldiers sent Sahay's uncle and Rahel's brother back to Ethiopia from Sudan. When Sahay's and Rahel's paths join, they were both in a bad mood; but Sahay is disgusted to share food and water with Rahel. This shows that males could not go out of Ethiopia around 1980. Therefore, Sahay and Rahel are trying a superlative way to save each other; in addition, they want to attain their dream, which is going to Jerusalem.
One of Sahay and Rahel's external conflicts is that Sahay's uncle and Rahel's brother were sent back to Ethiopia. On page 120: Sahay said to Rahel, "Let's go to the edge of the camp everyday and we will try to find my uncle and your brother." This illustrates that both of the girls wished if the two men approached back to Sudan. It is because they are frightened, and they do not have anyone to support them in Sudan and help them survive the hazardous journey. Consequently, Sahay become Rahel's guide; however, they repeatedly go to the mountains to examine if the two men are circuitously.
One of Sahay's internal conflicts is to be friends with Rahel or not. On page 118: Sahay thought when she has nobody, even a blind Falasha (Ethiopian Jewish) girl is somebody, even though she does not like Falasha. This shows that Sahay felt being with Rahel is better than being with no one. This is because people in her family have always feared and hated Ethiopian Jewish. Consequently, Sahay started getting along with Rahel, to overcome their cultural prejudges and help each other.
The theme subject of the story is refugee. A quote that proves the theme is on page 143: they arrived to Jerusalem and saw them self that they had come to the land where for now, no matter what lay ahead, and no one was stranger. The authors comment about refugee is that refugees can accomplish a place that they can truly call home. The author's comment is true, because Rahel and Sahay accomplished a place that they can truly call home in Jerusalem. The Storyteller's Beads is a great book, and it would be recommend for anyone who want to determine some of the experiences that refugees go through.

The Storyteller's Beads explores a timely theme: how do we make connections with people from different religious, ethnic and geographical backgrounds? Read this book, and the magic of distant lands will come alive for you. Hardships and suffering are transcended by the grace of friendship. The author lived in Ethiopia as a girl and writes with exquisite detail and nuance. A must-read for ages 9-12 in this difficult moment of history. Read aloud to aware 8 year olds. Also a marvelous testament to the strength of a young woman who is physically blind but morally gifted.