ONCE THE HODJA

A collection of tales that form an integral part of Turkish folklore, and that are, perhaps, more successful if used by adults with children, either read with them or retold. As in the seen of Mexican and Indian folk tales, there are implications that are distinctly adult; there is a type of humor that needs some interpretation either in actual phraseology or in gesture and manner of telling. The ""Hodja"" is a mythical priest, a story teller, a jokster, a mixture of wisdom and stupidity. Frank Dobias' pictures will doubtless help give the point to some of the fun, which one misses in the text. Occasionally the stories bear resemblance to other folk tales, but in the main their special quality is lost for the average reader unfamiliar with the setting and not allergic to the brand of humor.