Below are links to Web pages with bibliographies,
texts, audio/video recordings, and background on Appalachian literature and oral traditions, to supplement
Appalachian selections published in Crosscurrents of Children's Literature.
Suggestions are also provided below for film adaptations and additional Appalachian tales to compare
with selections in the anthology from other oral traditions. In the Crosscurrents anthology, see the
Alternate Table of Contents by Genre for a list of all works recorded and adapted
from oral traditions. Many of the links on this page are to AppLit:
Resources for Readers and Teachers of Appalachian Literature for Children and
Young Adults.
"BOOK" by George Ella Lyon (p. xliii)
"Where I'm From" is another poem by Lyon, often used by teachers to inspire student to write about places they know. Lyon's web site contains audio and video versions and discussion.
Local Learning: Poetry and Sense of Place. Lesson plan with a copy of Lyon's poem "Where I'm From" and samples of student writing, from Summer 2000 Louisiana Voices Institute
"Where I'm From" poems by college and high school students, Ferrum College and St. Paul, Virginia.
"Knoxville, Tennessee" by Nikki Giovanni (in Part 4)
See also Nursery Rhymes and Folk Narratives, below.
Drama from Appalachia
"Mutsmag," a folktale adaptation by R. Rex Stephenson (in Part 3)
Dramas and Tales by R. Rex Stephenson, bibliography by Tina L. Hanlon
The Jack Tale Players web site, Ferrum College
The Script as Story Theatre by R. Rex Stephenson
Annotated Bibliography on "Mutsmag" and Related Tales
Texts of tales "Mutsmag" and "Munsmeg" in AppLit
Fiction from Appalachia
New Boy in School by May Justus (in Part 8)
This book is set in Nashville, not Appalachia, but nearly all of Justus' other books are set in the mountains of eastern Tennessee where she lived all her life. Most of her books contain folk songs she collected and other references to folklore. In New Boy in School (in Part 8), an important role is played by the folk song "I Wish I was an Apple" (or "Cindy," also copied at this link in AppLit). See Books by May Justus for Children and Young Adults, bibliography by Tina L. Hanlon.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Further Recommended Reading in Part 4)
Katherine Paterson official web site
Bridge to Terabithia web site by Walden Media on 2007 film adaptation
Bridge to Terabithia Walt Disney Pictures web site on 2007 film adaptation
Other books by Paterson set in Appalachia are listed in AppLit bibliography Appalachian Fiction for Children and Young Adults.
Selections from An Appalachian Mother Goose by James Still with illustrations by Paul Bret Johnson (in Part 3)
James Still Homepage at Colorado State University
James Still's Books for and about Children: Bibliography and Study Guide in AppLit
Mother Goose: A Scholarly Exploration, Rutgers University Eclipse program (extensive general resources)
"A Frog Went A-Courting" (in Part 3)
See Folk Narratives, below.
Note that New Boy in School by May Justus (in Part 8) contains the folk song "I Wish I was an Apple" (or "Cindy," also copied at this link in AppLit).
See Poems and Music in AppLit's Fiction & Poems for reprints of other rhymes, singing games, and folk songs from oral tradition.
Dancing Drum: A Cherokee Legend retold by Terri Cohlene
"The Daughter of the Sun" or "Dancing Drum": Annotated bibliography in AppLit
Text of "The Daughter of the Sun" in Myths of the Cherokee, 1900
The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale retold by Joseph Bruchac and Gayle Ross
"The Legend of the Milky Way": Annotated bibliography in AppLit
Video of Gayle Ross discussing and telling Cherokee legends in Kennedy Center Millennium Stage performance, Mar. 5, 2003
Text of "The Milky Way" in Myths of the Cherokee, 1900
"Oral Narration in Contemporary North America" by Kay F. Stone includes some discussion of Appalachian storytelling traditions.
"A Frog Went A-Courting," folk song collected by Cecil Sharp in Kentucky (in Part 3), also reprinted at this link in AppLit.
"Froggy Went A-Courting": Annotated bibliography in AppLit
"Froggie Went A-Courting" from Wise County, VA, 3 versions collected in 1941-42 by James M. Hylton
English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians Collected by Olive Dame Campbell and Cecil J. Sharp, circa 1917, contains several versions of this song as well as "The Tree in the Wood," reprinted in A Traditional Music Library by Rod Smith
See also Mother Goose: A Scholarly Exploration, Rutgers University Eclipse program
"John Henry," ballad and tall tale
"John Henry": Annotated bibliographies in AppLit with links to variants in different media
"John Henry" with audio and score in AppLit section West Virginia's Appalachian Music and Literature
"Munsmeg," folktale collected by Richard Chase
Text of Munsmeg in AppLit
Bibliography of Works by and about Richard Chase by Tina L. Hanlon
Annotated Bibliography on "Mutsmag" and Related Tales
See also "Mutsmag" by R. Rex Stephenson and links under Drama From Appalachia, above.
Tom Davenport's Live-Action Appalachian Film Mutzmag: An Appalachian Tale
See AppLit's Fiction & Poems section for reprints of other tales, rhymes and folk songs from oral traditions.
Other Appalachian Folktales to Compare with Selections from the Oral Traditions in Crosscurrents
"Ashputtle" (in Part 5) and other Cinderella tales
Annotated Bibliography on "Ashpet" and related tales in AppLit
Tom Davenport's Live-Action Appalachian Film Ashpet: An American Cinderella
"Beauty and the Beast" (in Part 3)
Text of "The Three Gold Nuts" in AppLit
"Blue Beard" (in Part 1)
Texts of "Pretty Polly" (prose and ballad) in AppLit
Annotated Bibliography on "Pretty Polly" and Related Tales in AppLit
"The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Andersen (in Part 2)
Annotated Bibliography on "The Two Old Women's Bet" in AppLit
"The Frog King" (in Part 2)
"Hansel and Gretel" (in Part 2) and "The Twins" (in Part 7)
Tom Davenport's Live-Action Appalachian Film Hansel and Gretel
Texts of "The Little Babes in the Woods" and "The Babes in the Woods" in AppLit
Annotated Bibliography on "Babes in the Woods" and "The Two Lost Babes" and "Hansel and Gretel" in AppLit
"How Tortoise Cracked His Shell" by Chinua Achebe (in Part 3)
Annotated Bibliography on "Kanahena" or "Why the Turtle's Shell is Cracked" in AppLit
"Jack and the Beanstalk" (in Part 3)
Annotated Bibliography on "Jack and the Bean Tree" in AppLit includes details on James Still's Jack and the Wonder Beans
"The Last of the Dragons" by E. Nesbit (in Part 7)
Annotated Bibliography on "Jack and the Fire Dragon" in AppLit
"Mother Holle" (in Part 2)
Annotated bibliography on "Gallymanders" and "Jack and the Witch's Tale"in AppLit
"The Pancake" (in Part 3)
Text of "The Gingerbread Boy" in AppLit
Text of "The Johnny Cake Boy" in AppLit
Annotated Bibliography on Runaway Cakes and Gingerbread Boys in AppLit
"Snow-White" (in Part 3) and "Snow White in New York" (in Part 7)
Tom Davenport's Live-Action Appalachian Film Willa: An American Snow White
"Rapunzel" (in Part 3)
Tom Davenport's Live-Action Appalachian Film Rapunzel, Rapunzel
Annotated Bibliography on "Rapunzel" in AppLit
The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton (Further Recommended Reading, Part 3)
See AppLit's Folklore in Books by Virginia Hamilton for references to Appalachian tales.
General References
AppLit's Appalachian Folktales in Children's Literature and Collections for all Ages, bibliographies by Tina L. Hanlon
Digital Library of Appalachia, Appalachian College Association Central Library
SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages by Heidi Anne Heiner contains a wealth of material on fairy tales.
Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts, D. L. Ashliman, University of Pittsburgh
The Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant-Killer Project, University of Southern Mississippi
In memoriam J. D. Stahl: see links on Tina Hanlon web page
Home Page
of anthology companion web site: Crosscurrents of Children's Literature
This page created November 2007 | Top of Page | Last update: August 24, 2010
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Contact Tina L. Hanlon with questions or comments on this page.
