The Serpent Slayer
The Serpent Slayer, and Other Stories of Strong Women
by Katrin Tchana, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, published 2000
“In the dark time of the year, when the days are short and a cold wind blows from the north, a serpent came to live in an old cave on the mountain of Yung Ling…”
Thus starts the first story in a collection of 18 fairytales from all around the world, each of which features a young girl as the heroine. It is fitting that I write the review of this children’s book as we approach March 8, International Women’s Day, because the book is a valuable collection to illuminate the ingenuity of women. And yet, of course, this book is for boys and girls, as the principles of each successful fairy tale go beyond gender.
This children’s book makes a magical read-aloud for the younger (5 and 6) children, and it certainly can be read by independent readers. The stories from from almost every culture, and are easily recognized, no matter in what language you originally heard the story.
The collection is also a great resource for teachers who want to tell stories, aka Waldorf Teachers, as each story is easily learned and adapted to story telling, or even crafting in to a class play. The book is a bit hard to get, but there are definitely used copies on Amazon.