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annabannana's review against another edition
3.0
Guided Reading Level O
Beautiful pictures. I wasn't wild about the story. My 6 1/2 year old boy and I agree: 3 stars.
Beautiful pictures. I wasn't wild about the story. My 6 1/2 year old boy and I agree: 3 stars.
sducharme's review against another edition
5.0
If you ever need a picture book to teach the concept of "self-fulfilling prophecy" this is it. The setting is Cameroon, but it could be anywhere; it has a folk tale feel. A carpenter goes to a fortune-teller to hear about his future. He's told he'll be wealthy WHEN he earns many gold coins. He'll be happy IF he can avoid being miserable. And with each question he asks, he gets an affirming answer. The events that follow can be chalked up to either his own belief in his abilities or destiny, but certainly not to the powers of the fortune-teller.
Trina Schart Hyman's finely detailed watercolors give us a view into the vibrant colorful culture of Cameroon and the beauty of its people.
Trina Schart Hyman's finely detailed watercolors give us a view into the vibrant colorful culture of Cameroon and the beauty of its people.
innae's review against another edition
3.0
it is a very cute children''s story, and I like the colorful illustrations!
farkle's review against another edition
3.0
The Fortune Tellers is a lovely story of how our fortune is what we make of what we have; it’s in our own power to succeed or fail. The story is brought to life through the vivid colors, patterns, and landscapes of West Africa.
Set in Cameroon, the illustrations somehow feel misleading that the story represents a West African “folk tale,” which is not indicated. This is a reminder to me that navigating cultural stories is complex and can’t be taken at face value.
Set in Cameroon, the illustrations somehow feel misleading that the story represents a West African “folk tale,” which is not indicated. This is a reminder to me that navigating cultural stories is complex and can’t be taken at face value.
dereksilva's review against another edition
3.0
I actually really liked this book but I couldn't bring myself to give it more than three stars because I don't quite understand what happened to the original fortune teller in the story. We find out at the end that he was struck by a lot of very bad luck. But why? Why did his life tumble down around him when the story's main character (who went on to become the fortune teller himself) got really good luck? What lesson should I be taking away from this story? Or is there even a lesson? Perhaps it's just a fun story. I'm not sure.
phoenixs's review
2.0
I'd give the artwork a 4 out of five, except for the unfortunate "comic" episode near the end that included a terrible bout of luck for an old black man that involved a whole lot of watermelons...So it's more like a 3, because there was generally a lot of respect shown for the depiction of the culture, but the imagery near the end felt ignorant.
I'm also not very thrilled with the idea that the protagonist of the story basically earned his dreams on the basis of being a big fraud just like the fortune teller (who ended up dying, seemingly for no reason). 2 Stars for the story because I'm not really sure what Lloyd Alexander was going for with this.
I'm also not very thrilled with the idea that the protagonist of the story basically earned his dreams on the basis of being a big fraud just like the fortune teller (who ended up dying, seemingly for no reason). 2 Stars for the story because I'm not really sure what Lloyd Alexander was going for with this.