Tales from Silver Lands

Atmospheric woodcuts illustrate this Newbery Award–winning collection of 19 South American folktales. Charles J. Finger heard the tales firsthand from native storytellers, whose fables of talking animals, witches, giants, and ordinary people in supernatural settings provide remarkable insights into regional values and culture.
The first of the stories, "A Tale of Three Tails," tells of an age when the rat had a tail like a horse, the rabbit had a tail like a cat, and the deer's tail was plumed like the tail of a dog. "The Magic Dog" recounts an act of kindness to a stray animal that helps overcome a witch's curse. In "The Calabash Man," the creatures of the jungle assist a suitor in winning his bride, and in "El Enano," a greedy troll's insatiable appetite leads to his downfall. Packed with adventure and full of surprises, these and other stories emphasize the importance of hard work, courage, and loyalty.

English author Charles J. Finger (1869–1941) traveled extensively, visiting Africa and South America before settling in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In addition to his 1925 Newbery Medal-winning Tales from Silver Lands, Finger's books include Bushrangers, Tales Worth Telling, Courageous Companions, A Dog at His Heel, and an autobiography, Seven Horizons.

I. A Tale of Three TailsII. The Magic DogIII. The Calabash ManIV. Na-Ha the FighterV. The Humming-Bird and the FlowerVI. The Magic BallVII. El EnanoVIII. The Hero TwinsIX. The Four HundredX. The Killing of CabrakanXI. The Tale of the Gentle FolkXII. The Tale that Cost a DollarXIII. The Magic KnotXIV. The Bad WishersXV. The Hungry Old WitchXVI. The Wonderful MirrorXVII. The Tale of the Lazy PeopleXVIII. Rairu and the Star MaidenXIX. The Cat and the Dream Man