LS5603 Porch Lies

McKissack, Patricia. Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters. Ill. Andre Carrilho. New York: Schwartz and Wade Books, 2006.

ISBN: 978-0-375-83619-0

Patricia Mc Kissack presents ten African- American folktales in the form of “porch lies,”as the author, in her introduction to the book, put it they are “tales of humor and exaggeration told to listeners of all ages.” Each is narrated by a grownup telling a story from their childhood. There’s the tale of Pete Bruce who good-naturedly conned Ms. Frenchie Mae Bosley out of all her coconut cream pies. In “The Devil’s Guitar,” James Booker “Bukka” Black impersonates blues guitarist Robert Johnson and runs into trouble when the Devil comes to collect Johnson’s soul. The final story is a two part tales called “Cake Norris Lives On” about man that was too good for Hell but too bad to go to Heaven when he died and his journeys in the levels of limbo.

This collection of a mishmash of original and tales based on stories the author heard throughout her childhood, is an excellent choice for reading aloud to children. There are many colloquialisms and southern speech patterns in the stories that would make them come alive if read aloud. I found myself imagining different voices as I read the stories! The illustrations contained in the book are attention-grabbing; they are almost anamorphic, in black and white with one picture per story. I think this was an interesting choice. The illustrations are unusual and reflect the “stretched” nature of the stories being told.

The September, 2006 edition of School Library Journal call the tales “great fun to read aloud and the tricksters, sharpies, slicksters, and outlaws wink knowingly at the child narrators, and at us foolish humans.” Readers and listeners alike would probably enjoy passing this title around to read out loud to one another! They may also enjoy folktales from other cultures such as The Girl Who Jumped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales retold by James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac, Rachel the Clever and Other Jewish Folktales selected and retold by Josepha Sherman and The Acorn Tree and Other Folktales by Anne Rockwell.