Touch Magic - Softcover

Yolen, Jane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0874835917 ISBN 13: 9780874835915

Publisher: August House, 2005

Synopsis

We must equip our children with story in order to keep them linked with the past and ready for the future.

"Our children are growing up without their birthright: the myths, fairy tales, fantasies and folklore that are their proper legacy." The essays in Touch Magic, Jane Yolen's classic call-to-arms advocating the use of fantasy and folklore in children's literature, echo that statement. Yolen argues persuasively that fantasy, folklore, and the realm of story provide children with the necessary tools for facing the world, understanding its ways and capriciousness, indeed, becoming truly human.

“I believe that culture begins in the cradle,” she writes. “To do without tales and stories and books is to lose humanity's past, is to have no star map for our future.” August House now offers a richly expanded version of this seminal volume. With six new essays that tender fresh perspectives on the morality of fairy tales, time travel, the definition of story, and, of course, why such themes are essential to the development of today's children, Touch Magic heralds a new millennium of fantasy, myth, and storytelling.

“Story is our wall against the dark,” Yolen contends, and as adults, we must equip our children with story in order to keep them linked with the past and ready for the future. Touch magic, and pass it on.

About this title

From Library Journal:

This revision of a classic collection of historical and analytical essays explores the use of fantasy and fairytales in children's literature. The compilation of 16 perceptive essays includes six new entries and updates others from the original 1981 publication. Yolen, winner of the National Book Award and the Caldecott Medal, among other honors, is a renowned storyteller and author of more than 200 books for children and adults. Authoritative, eloquent, and fetching, her observations focus on traditional tales that have passed down through generations and been altered in the process. Folklore and fantasy have, she asserts, endured as basic learning tools to introduce young readers to the world around them, and the stories are a uniquely appropriate guide to day-to-day realities and culture. The definition and impact of these stories is couched in the wonder of fantasy and themes essential to today's young readers. As Yolen poetically observes, "To do without tales and stories and books is to lose humanity's past, is to have no star map for the future." This book will be prized by teachers, authors, students, and all readers who value the use of folklore, mythology, and the familiar stories of youth. A pleasure to read; highly recommended.DRichard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

A popular, prolific, award-winning author known for her children's and young adult books has added six new essays to her thought-provoking perspectives on reading and appreciating fantasy, which first appeared in 1981. The new selections complement the older pieces nicely, and, of course, they are filled with personal anecdote and informed by Yolen's strong voice, extensive knowledge, and obvious love of her subject. Where the original pieces provided a raison d'etre for passing along traditional stories to children and lent insight into the genre, the new ones are rich with opinion on thorny contemporary issues--among them, the cultural stereotypes and "hidden messages" that are passed on in traditional tales. In the final selection, Yolen reiterates the importance of folklore to both children and adults, reflecting on the way we use its metaphors to connect us to our past and our future. The bibliography has been updated to incorporate references in the new essays. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: August House
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0874835917
• ISBN 13: 9780874835915
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128