Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls - Hardcover

Yolen, Jane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152020470 ISBN 13: 9780152020477

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 2000

Synopsis

These thirteen folktales have one thing in common: brainy, brawny, brave heroines--and not one damsel in distress! From Bradamante, the fierce female medieval knight, to Li Chi, the Chinese girl who slays a dreaded serpent and saves her town, these heroines use their cunning, wisdom, and strength to succeed.
Drawing from diverse cultures around the world, renowned author Jane Yolen celebrates the smart, strong, and sassy heroines of legend and lore in a collection that will encourage bravery in every girl.

About this title

About the Author:

Jane Yolen is a highly acclaimed author who has written hundreds of books for children and adults and has won numerous awards. She and her husband divide their time between Massachussetts and Scotland. Visit her at janeyolen.com and on Twitter at @JaneYolen.  

Susan Guevara received the Pura Belpré Award for her illustration of Chato’s Kitchen by Gary Soto, an ALA Notable Book and winner of a Parents’ Choice Award. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Visit her at susanguevara.com.
 

Review:

This collection of folktales from around the world presents a range of tales that all feature strong women. . . . Yolen’s retellings are consistently engaging and well written.”
—School Library Journal

“This is a spirited collection with a lively pace. . . . The stories sing and soar in Yolen's supple language, and each is contained enough for a read-aloud.”
—Booklist

“What a treasure! Jane Yolen has retold these stories in the energetic, lucid, and poetic style that characterizes her writing and has brought her legions of fans. Her fresh and invigorating takes on these timeless tales of nonpareil heroes make this book a must for anyone interested in folklore, women’s studies, and the very best of storytelling.”
—Robert D. San Souci

“Not One Damsel in Distress glows with intelligence yet is eminently readable. It’s hard to imagine any young woman opening this book and not finding something of herself—or the self she would like to be—in its pages. . . . Their stories are a chronicle of feminine strength, steadfastness, and resourcefulness through the ages and around the world. Carefully researched, delightfully told, this collection might well become a classic.”
—Joseph Bruchac

About this edition

• Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0152020470
• ISBN 13: 9780152020477
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: Guevara Susan