These are stories that have been collected from many different countries. These are orally told stories. Some of these stories may have not been written down in book form before this book. There are 56 stories most of which are only two pages long.
I have to admit I was anxious to read this book. I love to read stories collected from around the world. While there are gems in this book, it was not all that I had hoped it would be. There are classics such as Stone Soup and The Lion and the Mouse. I was surprised to find the Good Samaritan among the collected stories as this is a well documented parable in the Bible. There are many stories that will be new to most as well, The Power of Secrets, Trust and The Second Bag of Gold. They are interesting stories that often have a twist in them. I would recommend checking this out of the library before buying it. I would recommend this book to late elementary and up.
Reviewed by Carrie Holton
