Plays of America from American Folklore for Children / Edition 1

by L.E. McCullough

Overview

This book offers students and theatre groups a fresh, entertaining perspective on American folklore and history. The 25 original plays celebrate the diversity of American culture, with dramatizations of folktales from American Indian, African-American, Cajun, Hispanic, Irish-American, Scandinavian, Hawaiian, Korean, and Japanese sources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781575250380
Publisher:	Smith & Kraus, Inc.
Publication date:	05/01/1996
Series:	Young Actors Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.39(w) x 8.49(h) x 0.41(d)
Age Range:	5 - 11 Years

About the Author

L. E. McCULLOUGH, PhD is an educator, playwright, composer, and ethnomusicologist whose studies in music and folklore have spanned cultures throughout the world. He is the author of twenty books of plays, monologues, and scenes for Smith and Kraus. L. E. now has 17 titles in print for young actors.

Table of Contents

Grades K-3:
How the People Got Fire
Let's Have a Hoedown!
The Cobbler's Pipe
Mr. And Mrs. Charlie T. Mule
Gluscabi and His Magic Game Bag
The Beggar in the Blanket
Patches Solves a Wedding Riddle
Magnus Fourpenny and the Black Bear Birthday Bash
The Laziest Girl in the world
Tillie Edelpickel's Sack of Lies
Grades 4:
The Glass Mountain
Return of the Red Phantom
The Honest Miller (El Molinero Honesto)
Shlemazl Goes to Paradise
The Most Expensive Bonnet in All Indiana
The Cobbler's Pipe

Editorial Reviews

Gr. 7-12. This title in the Young Actors series provides students, directors, and classroom teachers with 10 original, well-crafted plays drawn from several American folk traditions. A Cajun production, a play about Abe Lincoln, a work based on a Blackfoot tale are among the selections. Suggestions for staging, costumes, and special effects are provided as are musical arrangements that can be incorporated in the performances. The background McCullough supplies on each play may inspire additional student research on the folktales or characters.
(Booklist, August 1996)

Chris Sherman

If a picture is worth a thousand words then The Kingfisher Illustrated Pocket Dictionary and Illustrated Pocket Thesaurus say it all, in a format handy for tossing in a school backpack. The dictionary features more than 12,000 definitions plus 200 labeled, full-color illustrations, while the thesaurus boasts more than 5000 entries along with two-color illustrations throughout. )

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 3-6Folktales from a full range of cultural heritagesNative American, European, African American, and Asian Americanand from American history are represented in this collection of 15 plays. The selections were written to be performed by children, or by a mix of children and adults. Ten are listed in the table of contents as being for "K-3"; the remainder are for "4-6." However, while an occasional young student might be successfully included in the casts, the works are beyond the capabilities of most five- or six-year-olds. Each of the scripts is 6-10 pages long. Minimal sets, props, and costumes are required, and suggestions are given at several levels, from very simple to elaborate. The plays are intended to be more than acting exercises; they are designed to express universal themes that can be integrated into related curricula. Source information as well as notes for staging and music (when called for) are included. The ideas, plots, and vocabulary are easily understood and appropriate for young performers, although there is no guide to the pronunciation of names. This collection should appeal to children and teachers or group leaders alike.Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KS

School Library Journal

Read More