The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales

I first heard of this book when I was in 5th grade (about 10-11 yrs. old)...I'm 28 now. My African-American teacher would read us stories from it. I remember enjoying the stories so much that I bought this book for my son about 2 yrs. ago. My son is almost 3 now & while he can't read yet, I know he will enjoy the stories as much as I have. This book comes with a CD & is narrated by the author & James Earl Jones...the narration was well done. I listened to the CD & I felt as if I had gone back in time. The narrators are so vivid & they really get your attention. The CD is definitely a plus & the book was well written. I really like that the stories have morals & life lessons that we can learn from. I recommend buying this version of the book because it comes with the CD. I also recommend this book for children 9 & up. This book would be a great addition to anyone's book collection. I hope my review is helpful.

Poetry is Awsome!

In 1985 I was working in shipping& receiving at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA. The store manager (a good friend of mine) asked me if I wanted an advanced reading copy of "The People Could Fly." That is where my experience with the book began. I then went on to meet Ms. Hamilton and the Dillons, who all signed my copy of the book. My wife and I raised our two daughters on the tales contained in this book. It's hard to believe that nearly twenty-seven years have passed since then. I recently recommended this book to a friend, looking for good stories to read to her young son. And my mother was also in search of a book for her two great-grandsons. In my opinion this book should be a staple in every home, but especially those with black children in them. It is a great collection of illustrations and tales.

I first read this book while in the 5th grade and it has stuck with me all these years. I am now 33 years old and still remember the stories and still remember the author. There are not many books I can say that about from more than 20 years ago. I felt as though this book related to me and the stories were ones that touched me. I constantly told my son this was a book he should read and have no clue why I am just purchasing it now. This is one of those books everyone should have in their collection. While I have gone digital with all my other books this was one I wanted to sit on my bookshelf for my kids to read and future generations of my family to read. Do you and your family a favor and purchase this book. An African American Masterpiece.

My 5 year old son loves these stories and they are a current favorite. Some of the stories are perplexing (due to language/dialect), but many of them are quite good. We haven’t completely gotten through the book yet, but these stories are not depressing and one had us laughing out loud. Some stories do mention slavery and I have been teaching my son about that history, so he was already somewhat familiar.

I had this book when I was a child. I may be dating myself but when I originally came into possession of this book it came with an audio cassette that featured James Earl Jones narrating some of the stories. The tape broke and I could never find a decent replacement until recently!!! Not only am I glad to have this book again, but I am beyond ecstatic that it came with an audio cd with said narrations. Great book, and great stories. God Rest Virginia Hamilton

(My granddaughter, Miss Alicia, is giving me this review. She is ten and these are her words) These are different types of stories about black folktales. My favorite folktale was the last one 'The People Could Fly'.The characters in the story get together and they believe they can fly out of slavery and be free. The believe that they can fly because of one slave who told them about their tribe in Africa that could fly. One reason its my favorites is because it reminds me of Harriet Tubman escaping slavery with other slaves. Another reason I liked the book is that most of the illustrations show what each story is telling about slavery. Other children should read it because it teaches them what was going back in the 1800 and 1700s. The first time I read the book was with my grandmother when I was little and then I started reading it on my own.

I'm a traveler because I love to find the beauty and cultural beauty of people around the world. I was in a bookstore at Lake Tahoe and saw this cover. When I arrived home I decided to investigate further and had to order it. I'm so happy I did. What a delightful, upbeat book of folktales. It's not even my heritage, just a wonderful way to perceive possibilities in this world.

本書は、アフリカ殻から奴隷船に乗って、無理にアメリカ本土に連れてこられた黒人奴隷たちの民話です。 最初の動物昔話は、ヨーロッパに似たものがあったり、日本の「鶴と亀」に良く似た話があったり、発見や驚きに満ちていました。本格昔話は、グリム童話の「赤ずきん」に良く相似した話があります。「月の塔の美少女」は、悪い大魔王から、お姫様を障害物を乗り越えて、助け出して結婚するヨーロッパ共通の話があります。他に、奴隷が知恵で主人から自由になる話や、独特のもがたりがあります。巻末の解説を読むと、私はアメリカは歴史のない国だと思っていましたが、かつて奴隷だった人たちが代代語り伝えてきた民話が残っているのだなあと学びました。良書に出会えました。

Love it. Happy memories. Classic book. So glad to have again as i was searching for this book. So happy.

Interesting topic

full of resigned horror and sadness...good basis for discussions of slavery, brutality, war and horrors...not an easy read...

ふと「世界各国の民話・昔話を読みたいな～」と思い立ち、アマゾンで検索。出逢ったのがこの『福音館文庫 昔話』シリーズ。ちらりと読める本文画像に心をわしづかまれ、ほぼ全巻購入（個人的に、古本はイヤなので……） イタリア・インド・アフリカときて、四冊目の『アメリカ黒人民話集』。う～ん、重い。アフリカ本土のあっけらかんとした雰囲気（でも残酷なやつはけっこう残酷！）と違うものを、やはり感じる。特に最後の章の奴隷制に関する数話！ 表題作の「人間だって空を飛べる」はちょっぴり涙ぐんでしまった（元々涙腺緩いほうではあるけれど） この流れで来たので、次に読むのは『南アフリカの八つのお話』かな～。