The Singing Top

Book excerpt: Until now, few tales from Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore have made their way into print in English. Renowned folklorist Margaret Read MacDonald has worked with archival material as well as with local storytellers to collect traditional tales from these people, including 15 tales from the ethnic peoples of Borneo. Organized broadly by region, and then by specific groups and themes, this book offers more than 50 tales, including animal tales, stories of magic, trickster tales, humorous stories, place legends, and more. Like other titles in the World Folklore series, it also includes general information about the geography, peoples, and history of the Malay Peninsula and surrounding areas; as well as proverbs, songs and games, color photos, and notes on the stories. All levels.