A Change of Storyteller: Folktales in Children and Books, from Arbuthnot to Sutherland

Library Trends, Wntr, 1999 by Janice Del Negro

INTRODUCTION

One of the most controversial developments in the field of children's literature is the critical maelstrom revolving around the idea of cultural authenticity in books for youth, especially in that staple of children's collections, the folktale. The changing criteria in evaluating traditional folktales published for youth in single volumes and anthologies include buzzwords such as cultural pluralism, multiculturalism, inclusivity, and authenticity. Is the retelling authentic to the culture of origin? Do the illustrations accurately reflect the culture of origin? And what difference does it make whether they do or not?

An overview of the changing criteria for the evaluation of traditional materials for youth reveals the social, political, and aesthetic issues that define what we want our children to read and know. Looking at the issues historically calls for a close study of standard bibliographic tools and canon resources such as The Children's Book Catalog, The Elementary School Library Catalog, and the ground-breaking best-selling children's literature textbook, Children and Books authored by May Hill Arbuthnot in 1947 and subsequently revised by Zena Sutherland from 1972 onward.

This discussion focuses on the folktale chapter in Children and Books (henceforth referred to as CAB) over the course of nine editions from 1947 to 1997 (copyright years on the nine editions are 1947, 1957, 1964, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1997), based on the hypothesis that an analysis of such an influential guide to children's literature would be enlightening in terms of changes made over a fifty-year time span.(1) In surveying the folktale chapter through CAB's nine editions, I considered the general reorganizations, the specific chapters on folktales and chapters or sections on storytelling, the illustrations, the indexes, and the bibliographies.

My initial premise was that the discussion and controversy that has accompanied the burgeoning publication of folktales for youth in the last twenty years would be reflected in this standard work and indicated through changes in each edition. When does CAB start discussing the new question of cultural authenticity, representing the culture of origin accurately both in illustrations and text, and do the bibliographies supporting these sections reflect that question? Since CAB is a classic in its field, what stays in and what comes out, what is emphasized and what is de-emphasized, and what changes occur (and when) have great impact. A short overview of CAB is followed here by a close look at the folktales and storytelling chapters in the first edition, tracing changes made in relevant sections through subsequent editions, with commentary about language, race, and gender issues. For the purposes of this article, CAB's Chapter titles are in bold italic; chapter headings are in bold; and SUBHEADINGS are in bold, small caps.

OVERVIEW

May Hill Arbuthnot's (1947) enormous endeavor (and there were fewer books to talk about in 1947) includes chapters on The Child and His Books and Children's Books: History and Trends in which she discusses the history of publishing books for children, remarking on the didacticism and somber tone of the available material until "cheerfulness creeps in" with Charles Perrault's fairytales (p. 17), beginning a tradition of folk- and fairytales published for children that continues today. A major tribute to their appeal is their longevity, despite many educational philosophies that declared them worthless at best and damaging at worst.

Arbuthnot's (1947) preface to the first edition describes the origin of what was to become a definitive work in the field of children's literature: "Children and Books grew out of the tantalizing questions grownups are always asking: `what kind of books do children like?' `How can we get our children to read more and better books?'" (p. iii). The purpose of CAB is given in this first edition as "a text-book for children's literature courses in teachers colleges and library training schools, but it is also a book for teachers in-service and for parents or for any adults who wonder about children's reading; criteria are presented for each type of reading to help adults evaluate the different kinds of books and their value to children" (p. iii). This stated purpose remains constant until Zena Sutherland extensively revised the fourth edition.

Under the first author, May Hill Arbuthnot, the layout and design of CAB is consistent through the first two editions; chapter arrangement and titles remain constant, and content of the relevant chapters is essentially unchanged. The references and bibliographies are located at the end of the book, arranged by chapter; for the first-edition folktales chapter, Old Magic, the books are divided into adult references and collections of tales, the entries divided by cultural group.

In the second edition, the content of the relevant chapters is essentially unchanged from the first edition, with the exception of changes of photos and illustrations and minor additions of newly recommended titles. The bibliography of folktale collections has been expanded slightly, but bibliographies are still located at the end of the book.