Parents' Guide to

Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales

By Mary Dixon Weidler, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

A spirited retelling of tales old and new.

Book Virginia Hamilton Folklore 1995
Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales, and True Tales Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

A spirited retelling of tales old and new, this is part collection and part celebration of the lore of African-American women. All manner of females--fairies and witches, the brave and the meek, women magical or fundamentally strong--star in this compilation of stories that broaden girls' understanding of where they came from and where they are going.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Virginia Hamilton creates a beautiful book illustrated by intensely colorful paintings. The oral history of African-American women has been passed on for centuries through spoken word, spirituals and lullabies, autobiographical musings, and nighttime tales, and Hamilton has collected the best of these. The comments that accompany the stories, explaining their history, colloquial language, and imagery, are as fascinating as the stories themselves, and contribute greatly to the sense of self a girl develops when reading these accounts.

The final three stories are oral histories of three African-American women. It is this chapter -- when we meet real women speaking in their own voices -- that brings the rest of the book together, giving perspective and context to the folklore and fairy tales.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different women in the stories. How are they connected? How are they different? Which ones do you admire most? Do any of them disappoint you?

Book Details

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