©2000-2010 Diane Wolkstein / Cloudstone Productions, New York City. All rights are reserved.

storyteller author teacherrepertoire.htmlpublications.htmlteacher.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2





  1. “It is a joy to have this book, not only to read

  2. it, but to listen to it.
    The Magic Orange Tree

  3. is a gift.”


  5. — P.L. Travers,

  6. author of Mary Poppins

Synopsis


  1. When Diane Wolkstein, herself a well-known storyteller, traveled throughout the Haitian countryside in search of stories, she harvested a rich collection of twenty-seven tales, each of which is illuminated by fascinating introductory notes. From orange trees growing at the command of a child to talking fish, these stories present us with a world of wonder, delight, and mystery.

    “Folk tales reveal a great deal about a culture — what it values, how members of the society relate, what their beliefs are. These tales do exactly that. While they aren’t as clear-cut, with a defined beginning, middle and end, as American readers have become accustomed to, they do give away a great detail about Haiti. Life is unfinished; hardship is to be embraced and studied; the spirit world is right here at hand, not a million miles away above the clouds.


  2. “Even on their own, they stand as a monument to the creative act and the power of the human intellect. These stories will infect your head like a virus, spreading and replicating, until you have to pass them on. Read them casually, and you will be enlightened. Study them seriously, and you may be transformed.”
    — Kevin L. Nenstiel, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Master of Arts, English,

  3. writing in Amazon Reviews



Video preview

Reviews


  2. "This book is sheer delight. Grown-ups of all ages, as well as children of all ages, will revel in it."

  3. — Lillian Ross, The New Yorker

    “The amazing thing about this collection is Wolkstein’s introductions... she tells you about the teller and the setting in which each tale was collected... it is like taking a storytelling tour of Haiti. I require all of my storytelling students to read these intros to understand the variety of the storytelling tradition. Plus the stories are really great for telling. AND she includes the music! EVERY school and public library should own this!”
    — Margaret Read MacDonald

    “Strong literary pieces packed with diversity and varied themes.”
    — Midwest Book Review

    “An unusual and arresting book... Wolkstein’s prefatory notes are so eloquent and so filled with flashes of light thrown upon the customs, beliefs, and practices of the Haitian people that nothing else seems to be wanted.”
    — Katherine M. Briggs

    “Diane Wolkstein fairly sizzles with a raw burst of creative energy. Not for nothing is this 60-plus leader of the U.S. storytelling movement one of the world’s best storytellers: just watch her as she breaks into song and dance — with a story to go with it — and you can understand why audiences the world over have been spellbound by her recreation of ancient stories, ranging from that of a youn Haitian woman whose song animates an orange tree to growth to that of the Sumerian goddess Inanna’s open celebration of female sexuality.”
    — Vani Doraisamy, The Hindu (India)

    “Wolkstein is a person who can bridge cultures in such a way as to bring understanding, wit, humor and moral meaning along with the words.”
    — Barre Toelken, Journal of Latin American Literature & Arts

    “The spirit of Haiti comes alive in this rich collection of tales.”
    — Booklist

    “Acting, catchwords, songs and music, tales happy and scary, clever tricks and foolish failings     — all in a magical world.”
    — Scientific American

    “The comic or supernatural, romantic or cautionary tales are all delivered with élan.”
    — Publisher’s Weekly





Performance Photos

 

Available Media

THE MAGIC ORANGE TREE

and Other Haitian Folktales

Illustrated by Elsa Henriquez.

Random House-Schocken, New York, 1997, softbound.

ISBN 0‐06090854‐8.


Available from Amazon.com

Also available:

The Banza

Bouki Dances the Kokioko


Buy them in our Webshop!

Teaching Resources


  1. Teacher’s Lesson Plans for Teaching The Magic Orange Tree
    (created by Jessica Reitmyer):


  3. Kindergarten to 2nd Grade (MS Word DOC file, 36KB)

    3rd to 6th Grades  (MS Word DOC file, 36KB)

    Lyrics for the songs on the disc (MS Word DOC file, 28KB)

    (Right-click on each link to save the files to your computer)

THE MAGIC ORANGE TREE

and Other Haitian Folktales

Musical accompaniment by Shirley Keller.

Cloudstone/Roomful of Sky, New York, 2010, audio CD.

ISBN 0‐06090854‐8.


BUY IT NOW in our Webshop!