Beautifully told tales - love the unique voice that Yolen brings to each tale. Some are heavily modified from the originals, but thorough author's notes and a bibliography explain the genesis and development of each. I had my 19 yo son read Jack and his Companions" which is an Irish Bremen Town Musicians and he both enjoyed and admired it. Fun to read, a variety of tales from around the world, with perfect illustrations. The only nit I'd pick is that the boys didn't use their brainpower enough - sometimes they were a bit clever, often they were kind, and sometimes they were physically courageous but that was ok because they turned the metaphorical sword on themselves instead of on the bad guys...? Recommended to parents, teachers, boys, and girls. Note that there is a companion volume: Not One Damsel in Distress." ( )

TO be used in conjunction with "Not One Damsel in Distress" to teach myths and folklore to me older elementary/intermediate students.

Mightier Than the Sword contains folktales about non-traditional "heroes"--people who use their intelligence or other attributes to overcome obstacles. This book has 14 stories from Asia, the Middle East, Scandinavia, Europe, and Africa. Yolen includes names and terms that are common to different cultures to help young people learn about the different cultures the stories come from. Yolen also includes a "Notes on the Stories" section at the end of the book describing the stories' origins, how Yolen collected them, and why she sometimes changed elements of traditional stories. These stories are most suitable for fourth or fifth graders because they contain some advanced language and Yolen often inserts pointed comments about corruption for older readers to appreciate. ( )