People of all ages love to watch the escapades of tricksters. In modern times, we watch Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, even Ace Ventura and Bart Simpson. But these contemporary characters have roots in antiquity. The trickster is a universal archetype, found in every culture: Anansi among the African people, Coyote in the American Southwest, Raven in the Pacific Northwest, Rabbit in the American South, the leprechaun in Ireland, and Fox in South America. Josepha Sherman has collected forty stories of tricksters from around the globe. Sometimes human, sometimes animal, most often...

This collection of fifty folktales and parables was selected from diverse story traditions such as Sufi, Zen, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, African, and Native American. Comprised of ancient plots both poignant and comical, this anthology contains simple truths, common sense, and the promise that we can benefit from past generations' experience. By metaphorically suggesting constructive strategies for living, these ancient tales resonate with a universal appeal. "The characters in these stories may gain wisdom by observing a good example or by bumbling through their own folly," Heather...