Stories from Our Collective Past and a Modern-Day Golem vs. Bullies Story

Who doesn’t enjoy a good story? And some of the best stories I know are those that have been passed down through the generations and shared between cultures.

In honor of World Folktales and Fables Week this week, I’ve pulled together a list of some wonderful resources for enjoying the classic as well as the not-so-familiar stories from our collective past.

Some Fantastic Reads:

• Tales of the Shimmering Sky: Ten Global Folktales with Activities Retold by Susan Milord (available at Amazon.com)
• Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls Collected and told by Jane Yolen (available at Amazon.com) 
• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales (available at Amazon.com)

Read Tales Online:

• WorldofTales.com - A comprehensive collection of tales including King Arthur’s Knights, Grimm, Andersen, and Aesop as well as tales from countries from around the world
• Pitara.com - Kid-friendly site with colorful graphics 
• The Baldwin Project - A collection of Celtic fairy tales including “A Legend of Knockmany” and “The Shee an Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire” 

And, if a child in your life is interested in writing his/her own fairy tales or myths, be sure to check out Scholastic.com’s Myths, Folktales & Fairy Tales writing project that features tips and suggestions from popular authors like John Sciezka and Jane Yolen.

Let’s end our celebration of World Folktales and Fables Week with a review of Timothy Tolliver Bully Basher, an imaginative reworking of the Jewish Golem legend of a man of clay brought to life to protect the Jews from persecution.

This funny and short chapter book for children in grades 3-5 is written by award-winning professional storyteller Aaron Shephard (the Kindle version is currently available for free here).

When classroom bullies make life especially difficult for fourth-grader Timothy and his friends, they decide to take matters into their own hands by building their own robot to protect them.

"Yeah, but the Golem came first, and that was probably where the idea for Frankenstein came from." Arnie grinned. "Wouldn't it be cool if this robot could protect us from the Stinks, like the Golem protected the Jews?" 

At first “Joe” seems like a dream come true and a creative solution to their bully problem. But, like the original, Timothy’s Golem develops a mind of its own.

Timothy Tolliver Bully Basher is a fun adventure story with an important lesson. I think it’s a great book to read with your child and start a conversation about bullying. Be sure to visit the author’s website for more great stories.