Many of the stories included in this book may be considered treasures that have yet to be presented to the Jewish and general public. Some versions of these tales have been published in different anthologies and languages over the years, but most are basically unknown. The author includes stories from varied oral and written sources, mainly Czech, Slovak, German, some Yiddish, as well as Polish and Hungarian. 'Storytelling, ' says Nagarajan, 'is perhaps the only tool that creates a path leading through the many layers of the past, shedding light on it without destroying the mystery and magic.