Uncle Monday and other Florida tales / written and edited by Kristin G. Congdon ; illustrated by Kitty Kitson Petterson.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Congdon, Kristin G.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tales--Florida.

Tales.

Florida.

Physical Description:

xx, 196 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, [2001]

Summary:

Few states can boast the multitude of cultures that created Florida. Native American, African American, Afro-Caribbean, white, and Hispanic traditions brought their styles of storytelling to fashion Florida's legends and lore.

Written for adults, for children, and for folklorists, this gathering of forty-nine folktales drawn from a wide variety of sources includes tall tales, old magical legends, even quirky, almost straightforward narratives about everyday living, such as one story titled, "My First Job." The book is divided into five sections: "How Things Came to Be the Way They Are," "People with Special Powers," "Food, Friends, and Family," "Unusual Places, Spaces, and Events," and "Ghosts and the Supernatural." Within these sections are stories with titles ranging from "How the Gopher Turtle was Made" to the improbable "The Woman Who Fed Her Husband a Leg Which She Dug Up from a Cemetery."

Uncle Monday and Other Florida Tales, a collection representing this cross-section of the state's ethnic diversity, captures the way Florida has been shaped by its unique environment and inhabitants. In these tales Florida is a world full of magic, humor, and adventure. Kitty Kitson Petterson's fascinating pen-and-ink drawings illustrate each narrative.

The introduction discusses the origins of Florida tales and the state's storytelling tradition. A reflection accompanies each story to guide readers to a deeper understanding of historical context, morals, and issues. Although oriented towards children, Uncle Monday and Other Florida Tales is also accessible to adults, particularly scholars of the state's folklore and oral traditions.

Contents:

1. Telling Traditional Tales in Florida 3

2. How Things Came to be the Way They are 20

Why Men and Women Don't Have Tails Like Cows 24

How the Gopher Turtle Was Made 27

How Florida Got That Way 30

Cape Sable Cats 33

The Alligator and the Eagle 36

Buzzard Roost 38

Why the Rabbit Is Wild Today 40

Stolen Fire 43

The Legend of the Moss 46

3. People With Special Powers 51

Uncle Monday 55

How to Handle a Rattlesnake 58

Old Pete 61

Railroad Bill 65

Bone Mizell and His Teeth 69

Bone Mizell and the Circus 71

Acrefoot Johnson 72

The Turkey Maiden 74

4. Food, Friends, and Family 78

Kerosene Charley and the Potatoes 80

The Little Boy and the "Ayayay" 83

Grandpa and the Panther 87

Sister's Milkcow 90

Cutting a Pumpkin 92

Homer and the Bear 93

The Shoemaker and the King 98

The Preacher and the Ducks 103

Aunt Hazel 107

The Cucarachita Martinez 112

The Bunny Rabbit 115

Uncle Luke 118

5. Unusual Places, Spaces, and Events 122

My First Job 126

The Man and the Beanstalk 133

Diddy-Wah-Diddy 136

Old Frostysides 138

Raising Popcorn 141

Big John Gives Old Master a Sign 143

Quevedo on French Soil 146

Quevedo Chooses to Die of Old Age 148

The Tiny Little Chicken 149

The Fig Tree 150

Daddy Mention's Escape 153

6. Ghosts and the Supernatural 157

The St. Andrews Bay Legend 161

The Witch 162

Hugging Molly 165

Mystic Music of the Manatees 166

Five-Mile Bank 169

The Armored Ghost 170

The Woman Who Fed Her Husband a Leg Which She Dug Up from a Cemetery 172

A Ghost Story About an Aunt 174

A Christmas Ghost Story 176.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-194).

ISBN:

1578063841

157806385X

OCLC:

46503214