Kindness Tales: World Folktales to Talk About

What could be more timely than a book about kindness in today's divided and often hostile world? Kindness Tales is the long-awaited third book in a trilogy that includes Peace Tales and Earth Care from award-winning author and highly-respected folklorist, Margaret Read MacDonald. Margaret has curated a collection of her favorite stories that celebrate the timeless power of kindness to make our world a gentler, safer, and more loving place.

Kindness Tales contains more than forty folktales that illustrate the transformative power of kindness through leading, sharing and caring for one another. These stories share a common theme of using thoughtful and sometimes generous acts of kindness to make the world better. In addition, these stories demonstrate how taking personal responsibility can help other people in unexpected ways.

Due to Margaret's careful curation, these stories can be shared with groups of all ages. Some of these tales easily engage preschool and primary school-aged children, while other stories are more thought-provoking and engaging for teenagers. These timeless tales from the world's great oral traditions are a delight to tell, read aloud with a group, or simply enjoy as a quiet reading experience. This book can also be used as a personal meditation for reflecting more deeply on the impact of quiet acts of kindness.

This diverse collection of folktales from around the world is supplemented by generous reference notes, source information, and suggestions for further reading on the topic of kindness.

Margaret Read MacDonald is well known for her lively retellings of folktales. Drawing on her extensive background in folklore (Ph.D. Indiana University Folklore Institute) and her many travels throughout the world, MacDonald searches out unusual tales from the world's folk literature and oral traditions. She has a unique gift for telling these stories in her performances so they appeal to children and adults alike. Margaret is a prolific writer having published over 55 books.