In a companion volume to The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales (Knopf, 1985), Hamilton retells 19 tales with female protagonists which have been passed down from generation to generation by African-American women. The tales are divided into five sections: animal stories; fairy tales; the supernatural; folkways and legends; and true tales. Each section is introduced by an author's note and includes three or four stories. Each tale is told in a distinctive voice and followed by commentary that places the story in a historical and cultural context. Leo and Diane Dillon's distinguished color paintings add to the overall elegance of this beautifully designed volume. (Ages 7-14)