I just love stories in which small clever creatures outwit big strong stupid ones. They offer children such an empowering message! In this case, the greedy cat is quite clever himself, and the majority of mice are silly and foolish. Only Mabela keeps her wits about her, and she uses her size to her advantage. I do wish that she had required a little more cleverness to resolve the problem. To fully enjoy this story, you'll need an audience of mice to sing the Secret Cat Song with you: boldly, then softer and softer until only Mabela is left to rescue them.

"Mabela the Clever" is retold by Margaret Read MacDonald, with illustrations by Tim Coffey. An introductory note states that the story has its origins with the Limba people of Africa. The book tells the story of the inhabitants of a picturesque mouse village. A cat comes to the mouse village with an astounding offer. But are his promises too good to be true? And what will Mabela, the clever hero of the title, do about the situation?

This is a suspenseful story that is well enhanced by Coffey's whimsical pictures. His colorful artwork is full of details; he also does a good job of using his pictures to enhance the story's characterizations. And in the end, some good lessons are imparted to the reader.

Not only is the African tale clever and captivating, but the illustrations are clever as well, and boldly colorful. This book is fun to look at and read, with a nice message for kids about learning to be clever and observant.

I have used these stories in Sunday School, and to bolster discussions, at work and in casual conversation. MacDonald has gathered a fine collection of thought provoking stories and quotes from around the world. Storytellers, teachers and counselors will all want to look at this collection.

We admit that we are big fans of Ms. MacDonald. That is our bias. This book was just one more YAY!! in our fan club feelings. You will especially love the story of the -Drop of Honey- as you explore stories of how the world will be a better place when we all take responsibility with for peace. This book is not as preachy as this review and you will be sure to use some of the stories within with all and any ages. ...

This excellent collection of peace tales saved us HOURS of research! Good of Margie to do it for us! We're using the books' tales to create story theater performance by kids at our national convention, a family event, of Subud, a spiritual association. Thanks to Margie MacDonald!

Going into the teaching field, I was looking for some tips on telling stories. I found it in MacDonald's book. She gives techniques for learning and performing stories. She also gives ideas for incorporating storytelling into the classroom.

Each chapter is followed with a valuable list of books and authors for you to expand on the art of storytelling.

MacDonald's book is a great introduction into the world and tradition of storytelling. She even includes twelve tales to get you going. If you want to become a storyteller, this is a good place to start your quest.

This is an essential book on storytelling. It helps the novice with useful tips. The more experienced storyteller will still find interesting material in the selection of rich tales from different cultures. It is also a great book to read aloud for the children.

Margaret Read MacDonald has another winner in this book that is guaranteed to help the novice get up in front of a group--without book or script--and share the gift known as story. She takes the reader through the process of finding, learning and practicing a story. She shares a little background on the importance of story in history and world cultures. Best of all, she includes stories with telling instructions. Unlike many other books of this type, the stories she includes are not the well-known "beginner's stories," like "The Turnip," but interesting and fun to tell, ones you may never have heard before.

Turn off your television and open up whole new worlds by telling a story to your friends, family, students, co-workers. You will enjoy the power of a story shared with your listeners, and "The Storyteller's Start-Up" will be an excellent guide for the journey.

(Gwyn is a professional storyteller who has coached many middle school students in the telling of their first story).

The myths in this book took place in the past in Thailand. They are about life, New Year, lying, humor, animals, jataka, which are stories about Buddha in his previous lives, tales that make you think, local legends, elaborate legends, and tales about helpful gods and spirits. The myths are easy to understand and relate to our present time, because the topics they describe still occur today.

In the back of the book there is a section titled The Place of Buddhism in Thai Life. The main Thai religion is Buddhism. It came to them from India.

The most memorable part of this book was in the myth about Lung Ta the woodcutter. The Thai people had found a new site for their place of worship. The only problem was that there was a large tree in the middle of the site. That was a job for Lung Ta the woodcutter. He climbed up this tall tree and started chopping its branches and then he fell. What happens when he falls is very surprising. While some of the myths were slower and more relaxing. I found that I preferred the fast and more action filled stories.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would give this book an 8. I think that it deserves that because it seemed targeted at children 9 to 13 but it was written more at a 3rd grade level. Most of the scenes were very brief. They just said that the character went to a place and did something. There then left. They don't describe what it was like when the person did these things. If I had been the author I would have made this book more complex. It was a little easy to read. I don't think that most children under the age of 8 would enjoy reading this book. They would not enjoy it because they wouldn't understand it, even though they could read the words.

I really liked that this book had different types of myths. It made reading it more exciting because there were a variety of points to be gotten across. Such as what story tellers had to do with lying. Story tellers often made up outrageous stories. In one of the myths the king actually set up a contest for who could make up the most outrageous story. The reward for the least truthfull story is to marry the princess.

The book helped me learn about Thai culture and beliefs. Earlier in this year I had read a book about Native American myths. It was interesting to see the differences between the two. I would recommend that people who would like to learn about other countries and their cultures read this book.

"'Poppa, turn the stories back on.' How is that for a review from my six-year old daughter? After a long car trip when we needed some peace and quiet among daughters ranging from 12 to 3, we found that for the younger ones especially, they could easily drift off into the 'story trance' while listening. Nice collection from around the world." -Storyteller.net Reviews

I had purchased this book because I was looking for basic techniques on telling short stories. The majority of the book is stories with tips on telling those specific stories. I returned this book within 10 minutes of receiving it in the mail!

The art of storytelling is an essential, invaluable skill for any parent or grandparent wanting to entertain a child. With Margaret MacDonald's The Parents' Guide To Storytelling: How To Make Up New Stories And Retell Old Favorites, now any parent or grandparent can learn how to spellbind eager youngsters with stories and tales that will pass along family traditions, values, histories, as well as nurturing familial bonds and affectionate intimacies. The Parents' Guide To Storytelling offers a wealth of tips and techniques suitable for use with children of all ages in the telling of favorite nursery narratives, fingerplay stories, bedtime yarns, folktales, and more.