Magical Helpers

"Push the tabs to see amazing pop-up surprises on every page"--P. [4] of cover.

This seminal work by the renowned Russian folklorist presents his groundbreaking structural analysis of classic fairytales and their genres. One of the most influential works of 20th century literary criticism, Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folk Tale is essential reading for anyone interested in examining the structural characteristics of fairytales. Since it first appeared in English in 1958, this groundbreaking study has had a major impact on the work of folklorists, linguists, anthropologists, and literary critics. “Propp’s work is seminal…[and], now that it is available in a new edition, should be even more valuable to folklorists who are directing their attention to the form of the folktale, especially those structural characteristics which are common to many entries coming from different cultures.”—Choice

This book explores a series of powerful artifacts associated with King Solomon via legendary or extracanonical textual sources. Tracing their cultural resonance throughout history, art historian Allegra Iafrate delivers exciting insights into these objects and interrogates the ways in which magic manifests itself at a material level. Each chapter focuses on a different Solomonic object: a ring used to control demons; a mysterious set of bottles that constrain evil forces; an endless knot or seal with similar properties; the shamir, known for its supernatural ability to cut through stone; and a flying carpet that can bring the sitter anywhere he desires. Taken together, these chapters constitute a study on the reception of the figure of Solomon, but they are also cultural biographies of these magical objects and their inherent aesthetic, morphological, and technical qualities. Thought-provoking and engaging, Iafrate’s study shows how ancient magic artifacts live on in our imagination, in items such as Sauron’s ring of power, Aladdin’s lamp, and the magic carpet. It will appeal to historians of art, religion, folklore, and literature.

Sailor Moon. Card Captor Sakura. Magical Girl Rayearth. They’re magical girls, and they’re some of the biggest names in manga. Magical girls, ordinary schoolgirls given superpowers, are hugely popular in Japan and the United States. Now Christopher Hart shows fans everywhere how to draw these manga shoujo faves. Faces and body proportions, action poses, costumes, expressions, transformations, special effects—they’re all here, all in Hart’s distinctive step-by-step approach. So are magical fighting boys and everybody’s favorite, the cute, furry manga mascots. Hart demonstrates how to create funny mascots, magical boys, fighting teams, and supporting characters, plus how to design layouts. Magical girls show us that we all have special powers deep inside—now Manga Mania: Magical Girls and Friends let those special drawing powers reveal themselves at last!

Contemporary Fairy-Tale Magic studies the impact of fairy tales on contemporary cultures from an interdisciplinary perspective, with special emphasis on how literature and film are retelling classic fairy tales for modern audiences.

Claim your authentic life where dreams come true by tapping into your inner magic, listening to angel answers, and uncovering the power of making wishes. Discover your inner power and manifest the magical life you were born to live! Radleigh Valentine offers practical, cheerful advice and simple guided exercises to support you in harnessing your energy, overcoming your limitations, and finding your happiest, most authentic self. This book will equip you with the everyday magic skills and knowledge you need in several areas: Manifesting what you really want Choosing joy and living a life of gratitude Recognizing the signs from the Universe you’re receiving every day Communicating with the angels and accepting Divine assistance Strategies for increasing your “daily magic” and your “life magic” Your life is meant to be one of wishes granted and dreams come true. Discover the manifesting magic within you to make that happen! (Revised edition of How to Be Your Own Genie, the first book from best-selling author Radleigh Valentine)

Promote the love of story, familiarize children with a variety of story forms and stimulate curiosity in diverse subjects while building basic literacy skills. In this guide, dozens of enchanting stories from around the world are accompanied by simple learning extensions for children (ages 4 through 8) that build such important literacy skills as print awareness, print motivation, vocabulary, phonological awareness, listening skills, and predicting and sequencing skills. Each of the 14 chapters begins with an interactive, illustrated folktale finger play as the starting point for a range of literacy building activities such as acting out, re-telling, writing, and discussions; and ends with a short list of related books. A great resource for library story hour, the book will also be invaluable to storytellers, teachers, day care centers, and after school programs. Grades PreK-3. Enchant children with these interactive stories while building a solid foundation for literacy in young learners. This guide is designed to promote in children (ages 4 through 8) the love of story, familiarize them with a variety of story forms, stimulate curiosity in diverse subjects, and build literacy skills. It offers approximately 40 engaging and interactive tales from around the world along with related activities, and it provides educators and storytellers with a wealth of exciting material for literacy and storytelling programs. The book is organized in three sections-Exploring Structures of Stories, Exploring Themes and Characters through Stories, and Exploring Cultures through Stories. Each of the 14 chapters begins with an interactive, illustrated folktale finger play as starting point for a range of literacy building activities such as acting out, re-telling, writing, and discussions. Related stories and picture book references build upon such themes as tall tales, sharing, magical helpers, and the rain forest. Tips for working with younger children, as well as gifted and older children are also included. Grades PreK-3.

Vladimir Propp is the Russian folklore specialist most widely known outside Russia thanks to the impact of his 1928 book Morphology of the Folktale-but Morphology is only the first of Propp's contributions to scholarship. This volume translates into English for the first time his book The Russian Folktale, which was based on a seminar on Russian folktales that Propp taught at Leningrad State University late in his life. Edited and translated by Sibelan Forrester, this English edition contains Propp's own text and is supplemented by notes from his students. The Russian Folktale begins with Propp's description of the folktale's aesthetic qualities and the history of the term; the history of folklore studies, first in Western Europe and then in Russia and the USSR; and the place of the folktale in the matrix of folk culture and folk oral creativity. The book presents Propp's key insight into the formulaic structure of Russian wonder tales (and less schematically than in Morphology, though in abbreviated form), and it devotes one chapter to each of the main types of Russian folktales: the wonder tale, the "novellistic" or everyday tale, the animal tale, and the cumulative tale. Even Propp's bibliography, included here, gives useful insight into the sources accessible to and used by Soviet scholars in the third quarter of the twentieth century. Propp's scholarly authority and his human warmth both emerge from this well-balanced and carefully structured series of lectures. An accessible introduction to the Russian folktale, it will serve readers interested in folklore and fairy-tale studies in addition to Russian history and cultural studies.