I love riddles and riddle tales. So do kids and grown-ups. Often one only finds one riddle story in an anthology. But -Riddling Tales- is the largest anthology of folktales focused on riddles and puzzle and dilemma stories I have come across. The stories originate from countries all over the globe.

I especially like the variety and version of the same story which enables a reader to create an entirely original version of his own using elements from each of the versions.

Many of the folktales are short enough to read aloud to a group of students, scouts, campers, seniors or children needing entertainment. Great aid for babysitters. I find when I tell a riddle tale the listeners eagerly await the solutions and how they are solved.

I often stop the story to ask the audience what they are thinking, what are the answers, how is this going to be solved.

You’ll even find a chapter of Riddle Tales that break the mold--they don’t fit into any one category but may be in several. Dundas has added commentary and sources for each of these tantalizing tales.

Besides Clever Manka, Debate in Sign Language, Palace of Bird Beaks, the Silent Princess, & Cow Tail Switch you will find many others that you probably have never seen or heard before. That’s what keeps us buying good books like this one.

Librarians, media specialists, drama or speech teachers, scout groups, storytelling class instructors, and storytellers of all levels will find this book a treasure house of terrific tales to tell.