Tales of Indonesia and Malaysia

The Adventures of Mouse Deer: Tales of Indonesia and Malaysia (or Indonesian and Malaysian Folktales)
By Aaron Shepard

Product Details

Product Description

 

“I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me!”  Mouse Deer sings his song as he walks through the forest looking for tasty fruits and roots and shoots. Though he is small, he is not afraid. He knows that many big animals want to eat him — but first they have to catch him! 

 In these delightful trickster tales from Southeast Asia, find out how Mouse Deer gets the best of his enemies — Tiger, Crocodile, and the most dangerous animal of all, Farmer! 

 Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of “The Legend of Lightning Larry,” “King o’ the Cats,” “The Sea King’s Daughter,” “The Baker’s Dozen,” and many more kids’ books from major publishers. His stories also appear often in Cricket magazine.

 SAMPLE

 Then he heard something. ROWR! 

 There was Tiger!

 “Hello, Mouse Deer. I was just getting hungry. Now you can be my lunch.”

 Mouse Deer didn’t want to be lunch. He looked around and thought fast. He saw a mud puddle.

 “I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his pudding.”

 “His pudding?” said Tiger.

 “Yes. There it is.” Mouse Deer pointed to the mud puddle. “It has the best taste in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to eat it.”

 Tiger looked longingly at the puddle. “I would like to taste the King’s pudding.”

 “Oh, no, Tiger! The King would be very angry.”

 “Just one little taste, Mouse Deer! The King will never know.”

 “Well, all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so no one will blame me.”

 “All right, Mouse Deer, you can go now.”

 Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight.

 “Imagine!” said Tiger. “The King’s pudding!” He took a big mouthful.

 Phooey! He spit it out.

 “Yuck! Ugh! Bleck! That’s no pudding. That’s mud!”

 Tiger ran through the forest. Rowr! He caught up with Mouse Deer.

 “Mouse Deer, you tricked me once. But now you will be my lunch!” 

Product Details

• Published on: 2005-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 52 pages

Customer Reviews

A Teacher’s Gold Mine !!!
This book is a gold mine of resources for teachers! The Adventures of Mouse Deer has classic folktale characteristics which lend perfectly for teaching this genre. The entertaining storyline is highly motivating for the most reluctant reader. The simple, yet exciting plot make it perfect for practicing retelling, sequence, cause and effect. Because this is a folktale from Malaysia and Indonesia, readers have an authentic reason (and interest!) for research and practicing nonfiction reading strategies and atlas/map-reading. The book has three “stories” which are the perfect length for small group reading. The downloadable scripts from Mr. Shephard’s website are ideal for the Fluency Station post Guided Reading Group.

A retelling of some of South Asia’s most popular folklore
The Adventures of Mouse Deer: Tales of Indonesia and Malaysia is a retelling of some of South Asia’s most popular folklore, about Mouse Deer, a creature who is small but brave and cunning – in many ways similar to the trickster fox of other mythologies, or Brer Rabbit of more contemporary children’s literature. Simply narrated so that young people who are just graduating from picturebooks can easily follow the text, The Adventures of Mouse Deer is witty and steeped with the power of myth, as well as high-spirited determination. Black-and-white illustrations intersperse the text in this delightful introduction to an enduring legend.

Mouse Deer
Ingenious! I am thrilled with the storyline. I plan to use this book in teaching character education or the rainforest.

 

Tags: Tales of Indonesia and Malaysia