Uncle Remus: His Songs & His Sayings Audio CD – Unabridged, July 1, 2010

This book contains all of JH Chandler's writings and original illustrations from the original manuscripts. Written from the fond memory of Mr. Chandler, he attempts to recreate the voice of his storyteller, a former black sleeve. As such he uses the colloquial verbiage that is often mistaken for racism. If you are sensitive and are not capable of accepting this prose as a tribute to the old storyteller - then this book is not for you. If you were fortunate to have lived and heard old black people speak in their lexicon and can appreciate it - then this book is for you.

This is not just a book of stories. It is a handbook on the telling of stories to children. So the reader should beware that reading it may teach them to see the connections between their world and the magical world of myth. And if their life is merely a cardboard cutout primed to be painted by 'the media' they may... change.These are the classic stories reportedly told to Harris as a child. As the stories are a living legacy the reader needs to know that Harris' version is not the only one; there are as many versions as there are storytellers. This is just the one that was put into print.The charm is in the drama of the telling. Core characters are the same as in stories from around the world. The key character is of course the Trickster. Uncle Remus borrowed the West African version, Zomo the Hare, but he could as easily have been Loki, Coyote, the (Japanese) Badger. No matter where he was borne he became Brother Rabbit.The stories themselves are tales of power, greed and love, (plus the trickery) told to a child and for children forever. There is an ebb and flow which continues and moves through one crisis after another toward the inevitable end which is when the child grows up and the magical creatures become plain dogs, foxes, bears, cows and rabbits. (These stories do inevitably end but the unwary reader could find themselves transcending them. Sometimes when a person starts reading them aloud, one or two a week when their child is very small something happens to the reader which never happens when watching TV. One night they run out of Uncle Remus tales and they start telling about the magic that had been hiding in their own neighborhood or even their back yard. One can't predict what happens next.)Many people find his spelling to be difficult; I am one of them. I have always thought that southern rural dialects should be spelled and punctuated as standard English. One should take their cue from writers in other languages and keep standard spelling no matter what is the accent or dialect. But once one understands the logic of his orthography the book flows well enough.There is something here for every reader, even those of the perpetually offended class. Of course this book will give them fertile soil to sow their thistles. As they complain about the works of others they will perpetrate the bitter meaning of their own meager lives. They can deconstruct, bemoan (even bewail) to their hearts' content. The stories don't care. They will endure. As will the children of those unlucky folk who can't see the magic.

I was raised in the south by a Mother that was probably a 4th generation southerner. The tales of Uncle Remus were a staple in her repertoire of bedtime stories. Yes,,,some are politically incorrect these days. Yes,,,,not many people these days would get the language "accents." But...timeless tales and part of southern history. My Granny told Uncle Remus stories to my Mama. My mama told them to me. My mama also told them to her grandchildren (who remember those storytelling times with Grandmama fondly). My grandson is due to be born in a month or so,,,,I don't know these stories by heart like my mama did...and I live on the other side of the U.S.....but every time my daughter reads a tale from this book to her son, she'll be passing on family history.

My brother asked in a recent conversation, "Whatever happened to the copy of Uncle Remus Tales mom used to read us?" Replying, "I don't know," my hunt was on to locate the precise edition for his 65th birthday present. This is that edition; this is The Book. Every tale, every bit of folklore, fable, and parable accompanied by wonderful pen and ink drawings is here. These are not the Disney-fied kiddy tales you might recall from "Song of the South." These are Joel Chandler Harris's effort to record in full dialect the stories he heard as a yourh from a very old and wise man in the plantation slave quarters. It took a gifted ear to capture them and even greater talent to read them aloud in "these days of modern times." Reading them silently is nearly impossible, I find. These tales cry out to be Told.

This book is a wonderful collection of old folk tales that are being eliminated from our world in the name of political correctness. It is very unfortunate that we are losing a significant part of our literary history because it is written in a dialect that is no longer popular and occasionally uses words that can be viewed as offensive, while at the same time any four letter word or sexual reference is fine. Some of the tales are simply entertaining and others contain important lessons about values and morals. Reading the tales brought back many pleasant memories of my childhood growing up in rural Arkansas. Thanks to Amazon for making it available.

Just as i remember growing up my mom would read this book to me and my sister. I thought id go and start reading it to my boys. As you read you almost have to change the way you talk as the wording is in old slave accent. Love the stories.

Although the times themselves, were not good times, this collection of stories is an important addition to the children's literature canon with historical connections of North America. It is a slow read because of the dialectical writing, but there contains considerable wisdom as well as entertainment in these stories of anthropomophized animals.

Outstanding collection of folk humor, wisdom, and trickster tales. Great for studies in American folklore, world cultures, or just for personal entertainment. Includes a few illustrations.Something I read in a book, “Weapons of the Weak” by James C. Scott, about how folk tales can encourage resistance to tyranny and unite popular attitudes, led me back to this book. Even if you have read it before, it’s worth another look.This is an enjoyable read.

The first thing that I would say is that this is a comprehensive collection of all the Uncle Remus stories and songs, recorded by Joel Chandler Harris, here published in one exquisitely produced volume, together with the original 19thC drawings, as a reprinting of the comprehensive collection published in 1955. As such, it is a large book but a beautiful one. Secondly, a note about the creole language (creole in this sense being a dialect language that is distinct linguistically as a recognised variation of another language, in this case English). The publishers have aimed to retain as much of the original textual spelling and grammar as possible. And why not? The rich beauty of the dialect is unique to the region, the time, and most importantly to the people who spoke it. The rise and fall of the sweet cadence of the language in which the stories are told are a large part of the charm of these stories. For these were oral tales, written down exactly as they sound. To those who say they find the grammar or spelling 'difficult' to follow, I would say they have either nil appreciation of the linguistic nuance of Southern American patois or ignorant of oral tradition in storytelling. The book is quite unique and I strongly recommend it.

I love this book. It's well produced, a nice size font and has lots of pen and ink illustrations. It can be a bit difficult to read: a bit like learning a foreign language in parts. But for me, it makes it all the more delightful. Although the stories were written for children, younger children will struggle with reading this edition. Better to read the stories to them, but you'll need a few dummy runs on your own first to get them right!

As a child I loved the stories of Brer Rabbit as retold by Enid Blyton, so to read them in original form is great. So enlightening.

It is wonderful to reread the stories that were first read to me as a child. Now I have the book I can read them to my own grandchildren.

original storylines a bit complicated for young children , but enthralling for older ones