Jack tales and mountain yarns : as told by Orville Hicks

For the past two decades, Orville Hicks has enthralled audiences with his storytelling performances. In 2007, Orville was honored with a North Carolina Heritage Award. Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns includes more than 20 transcribed stories that expertly capture the voice of the master storyteller. Each of these stories is paired with lively pencil sketches by Sherry Jensen.Some of the stories tell of Orville's childhood and focus on mountain traditions such as gathering galax and selling pumpkins. Others are traditional Jack tales, which feature the antics of the mischievous boy named Jack. The most recognizable traditional Jack tale is the story of "Jack and the beanstalk."

In 1815, Council Harmon arrived from England and settled in the Appalachian Mountains. During the 1920s, folklore collectors discovered that Harmon's family, through its oral storytelling tradition, had preserved Scots-Irish tales that could be traced back for generations. It was from these roots that storyteller Orville Hicks learned his craft.

Orville grew up in a hollow near Beech Mountain, North Carolina, where he learned tales from his mother, who learned her stories from her father, Kell Harmon, and from her grandfather Council Harmon. In later years, Orville heard tales from his second cousin Ray Hicks, who received a National Heritage Award for his storytelling before his death in 2003.

For the past two decades, Orville Hicks has enthralled audiences with his storytelling performances. In 2007, Orville was honored with a North Carolina Heritage Award. As his reputation as a storyteller grew, his audiences clamored for a book of Orville's tales. Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns includes more than 20 transcribed stories that expertly capture the voice of the master storyteller. Each of these stories is paired with lively pencil sketches.

Some of the stories tell of Orville's childhood and focus on mountain traditions such as gathering galax and selling pumpkins. Others are traditional "Jack tales," which feature the antics of the mischievous boy named Jack. The most recognizable Jack tale is the story of Jack and the beanstalk.

In Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns, Orville Hicks continues his ancestors' rich tradition of storytelling, entertaining readers with stories that offer insight into Appalachian Mountain life. The endnotes include a glossary that explains colloquial and grammatical expressions.

CONTENTS......Page 5 INTRODUCTION: A HERITAGE OF STORIES......Page 8 Growing-Up Stories,Riddles, and Songs......Page 12 GATHERING HERBS AND STORIES......Page 14 SQUIRREL HUNTING......Page 20 From OLD JOE CLARK......Page 22 THE MULE EGGS......Page 24 GRANDPA AND THE HAND GLIDER......Page 28 ASHCAKES AND CORN FLITTERS......Page 30 THE HARDEST WHIPPING......Page 32 POTATO ON A STICK......Page 34 From SOURWOOD MOUNTAIN......Page 36 BROOM STRAWS AND SWEETHEARTS......Page 37 LAZY JOHN......Page 38 Jack Tales......Page 40 ORVILLE ON JACK......Page 42 JACK AND THE ROBBERS......Page 46 JACK AND THE VARMINTS......Page 56 BIG JACK AND LITTLE JACK......Page 72 JACK AND THE DEVIL......Page 84 THE CAT AND THE MOUSE......Page 88 SHEEPSKIN......Page 100 JACK AND THE KING’S MOUNTAIN......Page 108 Other Traditional Tales......Page 114 SOAP, SOAP, SOAP......Page 116 THE BEAR, THE BOY, AND THE BAKING SODA......Page 122 THE MAN ON THE MOON......Page 130 GALLYMANDER......Page 136 CATSKIN......Page 146 A Folktale in the Making......Page 156 THE LITTLE BOY OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS......Page 158 Author’s Note:Stories BehindOrville’s Stories......Page 162 Orville Hicksand Jack Talesand Mountain Yarns:A Scholar’s (and Friend’s) Afterwordby Thomas McGowan......Page 174 NOTES......Page 178 In Orville’s Words......Page 180 For Further ThoughtFor Teachers, Students,and Other Curious Folk......Page 186 Orville In Books& Recordings......Page 190 What People SayAbout Orville......Page 192 SHERRY JENKINS JENSEN......Page 196 For the past two decades, Orville Hicks has enthralled audiences with his storytelling performances. In 2007, Orville was honored with a North Carolina Heritage Award. Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns includes more than 20 transcribed stories that expertly capture the voice of the master storyteller. Each of these stories is paired with lively pencil sketches by Sherry Jensen. Some of the stories tell of Orville's childhood and focus on mountain traditions such as gathering galax and selling pumpkins. Others are traditional Jack tales, which feature the antics of the mischievous boy named Jack. The most recognizable traditional Jack tale is the story of Jack and the beanstalk. 'Orville Hicks has enthralled audiences beyond the porches of Beech Mountain, North Carolina, for more than two decades. Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns captures the voice of the master storyteller in more than twenty transcribed stories, paired with lively pencil sketches. Having grown up in a hollow, he knows the mountain setting and his clever character Jack'--Provided by publisher.