Christmas tales of Flanders

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ridder, André de, 1888-1961

Contributor:

Boschère, Jean de, 1878-1953

Morris, M. C. O.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Christmas Tales of Flanders" by Ridder, Boschère, and Morris is a collection of illustrated short stories likely written in the early 20th century. Drawing from folk tales and legends from Flanders and Brabant, the book offers enchanting narratives that explore themes of generosity, cleverness, and the human condition through popular fables familiar to children in Belgium. The opening of this collection begins with an introduction that establishes the context of these tales-handed down through oral tradition, they embody unique Flemish characteristics while sharing similarities with stories from other cultures. The first tale, "The Rich Woman and the Poor Woman," illustrates a moral lesson about kindness and generosity through the contrasting actions of a rich farmer's wife and a poor widow who helps a stranger in need. This is followed by humorous stories of characters like Seppy, a man who wishes to manage his household but finds himself in a series of comical misadventures. Each story not only entertains but also conveys the values of community, empathy, and humility, making for a delightful read for audiences of all ages. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

The rich woman and the poor woman

The story of Seppy

The enchanted apple-tree

The convent free from care

The witches' cellar

The boy who always said the wrong thing

Hop-o'-my-Thumb

The Emperor's parrot

The little blacksmith Verholen

Balten and the wolf

The mermaid

The story of the Little Half-cock

The dwarf and the blacksmith

Percy the wizard, nicknamed Snail

Simple John

The two chickens or the two ears

The wonderful fish

The frying-pan

Farmer Broom, Farmer Leaves, and Farmer Iron

Little Lodewyk and Annie the witch

The giant of the Causeway

The key-flower

The ogre.

Credits:

Charlene Taylor, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 79.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Selected from the "Zoo vertellen de Vlamingen" of Pol de Mont and Alfons de Cock and from the "Brabantsch sagenbock" of Isidoor Teirlinck by André de Ridder.

Release date is 2020-12-26