Ellin Greene

Set in prehistoric times, this Lenape/Delaware folktale explains how the Yah-qua-whee (AKA mastodons) were first created by the Great Spirit as an aid to the people, how the two species (and others) lived in relative harmony for many generations, and how they eventually came into conflict, when their great migration to the eastern coast of what is now North America came to an end. Having turned vicious to both humans and the other animals, the Yah-qua-whee were deliberately hunted to show more extinction, driven into great pits where they were stoned to death, or sinking and drowning in the bogs created by their struggle with humans. Eventually, when all the Yah-qua-whee were gone, the site of their battles with humans yielded a new, never-before-seen crop: the cranberry...

According to Ellin Greene's author's note at the rear of the book, the story in The Legend of the Cranberry: A Paleo-Indian Tale is an adaptation of part of Richard C. Adams' 1899 A Delaware Indian Legend and the Story of Their Troubles. The story itself it very sad, covering the extinction of a species that people today find fascinating. As it happens, scientists have been working on possibly reviving the later woolly mammoth species. As I read, I found myself wondering about the story, and the possible history it recorded. Did the ancestors of the Lenape, so many thousands of years ago, coexist with mastodons? If so, this story must represent a folk memory of how that relationship ended. Pits with mastodon remains in them have been found, and some scientists believe that human hunting may have been a factor, along with possible climate change, in the extinction of the species. Is this story a faithful representation of what happened—that the mastodons became destructive—or it it a means of putting a good face on a less pleasant tale, in which unwise humans over-hunted one of their major food sources, leading to a disaster?

Whatever the case may be, it's certainly fascinating to think about, and amazing to see that the folk memory of the Lenape people stretches so many thousands of years back into prehistory. I recall reading an Iroquois folktale many years ago, that also addressed ancient prehistory, and the existence of woolly mammoths—I'll have to see if I can find that story again. Perhaps it was in a Joseph Bruchac collection...? In any case, I found the story here engaging, although also very sad, and I thought the accompanying artwork, done in watercolor by Brad Sneed, was lovely, and quite expressive. With the exception of more sensitive youngsters who might find this one a little distressing, and sympathize with the mastodons, I would recommend this one to young folklore lovers, as well as to those looking to explore the idea of folk memory and oral history with young people. show less

When Billy Beg's mother dies, and his new stepmother takes against him, and against his bull, the young prince and his companion must flee, setting off at a gallop for parts unknown. Aware that he will be slain by the third bull opponent he fights, in the course of their journey, Billy's taurine friend instructs him to make a belt out of his hide, once he is dead, and to take the napkin from his left ear, and the stick from his right. These magical items, which prevent him from being killed show more (the belt), provide him with food (the napkin), and give him the strength to defeat his enemies (the stick, which turns into a sword), allow Billy to defeat three giants, as well as the dragon which threatens a local princess's life...

After encountering this traditional Irish tale, which is reminiscent in some ways of Cinderella (the princess recognizes her savior by means of his shoe), and closely mirrors other stories of magical bull companions, such as the Norwegian Kari Woodenskirt, in Shirley Climo's The Irish Cinderlad, I decided to track down some other variants, beginning with this 1994 Ellin Greene retelling. There is also a version done by Daniel Curley in 1978 (Billy Beg and the Bull), although I have not yet had the chance to look through it. This adaptation is taken from the version found in Seumas MacManus' 1899 collection, In Chimney Corners: Merry Tales of Irish Folk-Lore, and is well told, and appealingly illustrated. I was particularly interested to see that Greene retained the traditional "runs" found in many Irish tales ("They knocked the soft ground into hard, and the hard into soft, the soft into spring wells, the spring wells into rocks, and the rocks into high hills"), and impressed that she specified this, in her brief, but informative foreword. show less

Storyteller, librarian and writer Ellin Greene presents folk and fairytales with the theme of cooks and cooking in this charming anthology from 1973, pairing the tales from various sources with recipes, descriptions of folk customs and riddles. The former includes such treats as fairy cakes, butter cookies, cherry dumplings, griddle bread, chocolate potato cake with chocolate butter icing, molasses milk shake, marzipan, coconut kisses, roast chicken, pancakes, honey butter, simnel cake, show more pumpkin chiffon pie in gingersnap crumb crust, and hearty soup. The latter includes charms to encourage butter to churn and to convince bewitched cows to give milk. The stories themselves include:

The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies, a Scottish folktale taken from Sorche Nic Leodhas' Heather and Broom: Tales of the Scottish Highlands, in which a woman renowned for her baking is kidnapped by the fairies, who long to enjoy her baked goods. The woman wins her freedom through her cleverness, quick thinking, and judicious use of noise. This story can also be found, as The Fairies and the Cake Baker, in Tanya Robyn Batt's A Child's Book of Fairies.

Brewery of Eggshells, a Welsh folktale taken from Joseph Jacobs' Celtic Fairy Tales, in which goblins exchange their own children for two human twins, until the human mother forces them to change them back again by boiling some pottage in eggshells. There is an Irish variant of this tale in Thomas Crofton Croker's 1825 Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland.

The Old Woman Who Lost Her Dumpling, a Japanese folktale translated into English by Lafcadio Hearn, and originally published in Japan in 1902, in which an old woman follows her wayward dumpling into an underground land, and becomes the cook for an oni (an ogre).

Clever Oonagh, an Irish folktale taken from Amabel William-Ellis' Fairy Tales from the British Isles, in which the wife of the giant Fin protects him from the giant Cucullin, with the help of some very hard griddle cakes, and a clever plan. This story has been retold numerous times, in various collections and in picture books such as Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill by Tomie dePaola, Finn MacCoul and His Fearless Wife by Robert Byrd and Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cuhullin by Jessica Souhami.

Dwarf Long Nose, a German fairytale taken from Andrew Lang's Violet Fairy Book, in which a handsome young boy named Jem in turned into a long-nosed dwarf by the sorceress with whom his mother quarrels in the market, spending seven years as her enchanted servant, and many years afterward as the local Duke's cook, until he finally finds a way to undo the spell cast on him. This tale was originally written by Wilhelm Hauff, and adapted in English by Lang. There are a number of published editions of the original Hauff version, in English and in German.

Pinto Smalto, an Italian tale taken from Giambattista Basile's collection of Neopolitan fairy-tales, Il Pentamerone, in which a young woman named Betta creates a man out of almond paste, rose water, perfume, and jewels. Brought to life by the goddess of love, Pinto Smalto is to wed Betta, but is kidnapped by a great queen who wants him for her own. Betta must seek far and wide for her lost bridegroom, and endure many trials to win him back. Apparently Italo Calvino included a Calabrian variant of this story in his collection of Italian folktales. For my part, I was struck by the similarity here, at least in the final section, with the Scandinavian tale of East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon.

The Miller, His Cook and the King, a Slovenian tale taken from Vladimir Kavčič's The Golden Bird: Folk Tales From Slovenia, in which a prosperous miller's boast that he has no care almost brings him to calamity, when the king of the land challenges him to answer four questions. Fortunately, the miller's cook knows what to do.

Clever Grethel, a German fairytale taken from Walter de la Mare's Tales Told Again, in which the eponymous Grethel, a very talented cook, manages to outwit her employer and avoid the consequences of eating both of the roast chickens she initially prepared for his dinner with a guest. This story comes from the Brothers Grimm originally (or from their sources), and was published in 1819 in the second edition of their fairytale collection.

The One-Legged Crane, an Italian tale taken from Domenico Vittorini's Old Italian Tales, in which another clever cook outwits his employer after a portion of the meal he is preparing is eaten before it gets to the table. In Chichibio's case, it is his humor that saves the day in the end, in addition to his creative cookery. This story originally comes from Boccaccio's 14th-century story collection, The Decameron

The Birth of Simnel Cake, an English taken from Eleanor Farjeon's The New Book of Days, in which an argument between husband and wife Simon and Nelly results in the creation of the simnel cake, traditionally served on Mothering Sunday, in the season of Lent.

The Perambulatin' Pumpkin, an Appalachian folktale taken from Ellis Credle's Tall Tales from the High Hills, in which Hank Huggins tells the story of how his wife rolled down the mountain in one of his enormous pumpkins, creating the perfect pumpkin pie filler in the process.

The Old Woman and the Tramp, a Swedish tale taken from Nils Gabriel Djurklou's Fairy Tales from the Swedish, in which a clever old wander convinces a stingy old woman to make and share a hearty soup with him, under the pretense that they are making broth from a nail. This story is very similar to the famous French folktale concerning Stone Soup, although there the soup is made from a stone rather than a nail, and the miracle is pulled off by a group of soldiers in a village, rather than a lonely tramp in a private home.

In enjoyed Clever Cooks: A Concoction of Stories, Charms, Recipes & Riddles immensely, appreciating both the stories (and recipes, charms and riddles) collected by Greene and the accompanying artwork by the marvelous Trina Schart Hyman. Ellin Greene collaborated on two picture books with Hyman before this collection, The Pumpkin Giant and Princess Rosetta and the Popcorn Man, but I think they really created something special here! The tales are engrossing and entertaining, the black and white illustrations gorgeous! A fabulous thematic folklore collection, one I would recommend to readers who enjoy such fare in general, as well as to those looking for good and cooking-centered tales. show less

The king, the queen, Princess Rosetta, the courtiers and all the people of the kingdom of Romalia were returning home from the celebration of their annual Bee Festival, when the princess simply disappeared from her rose-lined basket. For six months, no one, from the princess' parents and nurses to the many detectives put on the case, could shed any light on the mystery. Then, when one of the royal nurses visited Baron Greenleaf the magician, and the Popcorn Man appeared at his door, a show more surprising solution was presented: Rosetta had obviously been kidnapped by the king of Glacia, the enemy kingdom across the river, and the Popcorn Man would use his wares to rescue her...

Published in 1971, Princess Rosetta and the Popcorn Man is an original fairy-tale, and is the second picture book presentation I have read of a story from Mary E. Wilkins' 1892 collection, The Pot of Gold, following upon the 1970 The Pumpkin Giant, which was also adapted by Ellin Greene and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. I found that earlier book engaging, but this one was truly outstanding! The story was entertaining, and well told, and left me wanting to track down the original collection, and read more from Wilkins. The artwork was truly magical! vintage Trina Schart Hyman, and although in black and white, had that some gorgeous, delicate sorcery to be found in some of her best fairy-tale work. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, which I had to track down through interlibrary loan, but I ended up loving it, and would love to have a copy for my own collection. Recommended to fairy-tale lovers and to fans of Trina Schart Hyman. show less