In this collection of three lesser known Aesop Fables, you will learn why bats fly at night, why you should pick your friends carefully, and why even a tiny ant could be your guardian angel.
The baker, Van Amsterdam becomes known in Colonial America for baking his St. Nicholas cookies but his greed drives hime to he become stingy in his business. When an old woman buys a dozen cookies from him and expects to receive 13, he withholds the last one. Unfotunately, his business goes downhill until the day she returns for 12 more cookies. But this time he gives her an extra measure and the custom of offering a "baker's dozen" or 13 items spreads throughout the colonies.
Deep in the Cajun country of Louisiana, Alligator is king of the swamps king to everyone that is, except a sassy clever old Dog. Storyteller J.J. Reneaux's musical rendering of this classic Cajun folktale explains how the feud between Alligator and Dog got started in the first place. When Alligator finally corners Dog in his swamphole, he falls for the oldest trick in the book and barely escapes with his life back to where he belongs. After being tricked by Dog, Alligator thinks he's a lot smarter. As he floats alone in the dark swamp water waiting for Dog, he promises that next time he'll get that Dog for sure. But will he? The combination of Cajun dialect and beautifully illustrated acrylic paintings, capture the unique flavor and mystery of the region.
When the dollmaker creates Zigzag from clothing scraps, she promises him, some child will love you. Her promise gives the strange-looking doll hope. But the other dolls and stuffed animals in the shop don't want such an ugly toy hanging around so they force Zigzag to leave. Clinging to the promise that a child will someday love him, little Zigzag sets out on a journey in search of happiness and a new home. Young readers will be intrigued by this heart-warming story of perseverance and compassion. Children love to explore the simple bold illustrations that make the story look like it was quilted from scrapes.
You may think you know the classic story of the Ugly Duckling, but think again. In the capable hands of his alter ego Maynard Moose, renowned storyteller Willy Claflin takes us on a wacky journey where this Uglified Ducky, a hapless young moose, "blunders away" from his home, is mistaken for a baby duck, and endures endless humiliation as he tries to learn to waddle, quack, swim, and fly. Eventually, he finds his true "fambly," who helps him discover his own beauty. In his fractured Moose English, translated in the glossary at front, Maynard relays a surprisingly tender story that echoes the original tale's theme of the struggle to belong and discover your true self. The Uglified Ducky's quest is playfully but sympathetically interpreted in James Stimson's luminous, droll gouache illustrations.
Two hungry travelers arrive at a village expecting to find a household that will share a bit of food, as has been the custom along their journey. To their surprise, villager after villager refuses to share, each one closing the door with a bang. As they sit to rest beside a well, one of the travelers observes that if the townspeople have no food to share, they must be "in greater need than we are." With that, the travelers demonstrate their special recipe for a magical soup, using a stone as a starter. All they need is a carrot, which a young girl volunteers. Not to be outdone, another villager contributes a potato, and the soup grows as others bring corn, celery, and other vegetables and seasonings. In this cumulative retelling of an ancient and widely circulated legend, author Heather Forest shows us that when each person makes a small contribution, the collective impact can be huge. Susan Gaber's paintings portray the optimism and timelessness of a story that celebrates teamwork and generosity
In this award-winning home-grown version of "The Three Little Pigs," the villain is, naturally, a fox - the Appalachian red fox, who any local hunter will tell you is a worthy and cunning opponent. Davis's storytelling skills make full use of the tale's inherent repetition, capturing the mountain rhythms, homestead setting, and rural wisdom of the Appalachians. The bright watercolors depict a clever fox and capture the eastern mountain terrain that has shaped this unique version of a well-known tale.
When the barnyard animals are invited to a party by their neighbors, they dress in their Sunday best and set off for a day of merriment. But when dinnertime arrives, the famished animals are perplexed to find a simple meal of cornbread. Most of them are polite but Rooster turns his beak up in disgust and rudely leaves the party, missing the treasures hidden for the guests. The surprising twist at the end of the story explains why, ever since, Rooster scratches in the dirt. Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss capture the rhythms and idioms of this rural Southern tale, and Don Tate's whimsical acrylics serve up a regular hoedown of fun.
A little Red Hen lived in a house, with a frisky dog, a cat, and a mouse. So begins this fresh look at a beloved old fable. The little Red Hen's frisky housemates, Dog, Cat, and Mouse, would rather play than settle down to daily chores such as planting, cutting, and grinding wheat. But when the wheat is used to make a delicious cake, the little creatures are more than happy to help eat it! Heather Forest's rhythmic retelling captures the chaos of daily living and celebrates the spirit of teamwork inherent in the tale. Susan Gaber's whimsical illustrations transport the reader to a cozy cottage where the little Red Hen helps others learn how to help her even if it is more effort than doing the work herself.
In this timeless tale from Thailand, a girl cannot decide which of her many silken dresses and lavish jewels to wear to the dance. So she wears them all. Her foolish decision teaches her a valuable lesson.
In Mus White's skillful adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic folk story, "There Is No Doubt About It", the news that a hen has lost a feather grows into a humorous tale of five chickens engaged in battle as the story spreads from coop to coop and from hen to hen. Stefan Czernecki's bright primary illustrations and panel design reflect the comic boldness as each chicken passes along the story, until it is no longer recognizable to the original hen who started it in the first place.
Based on a fable from Aesop, the Sun and the Wind test their strength by seeing which of them can cause a man to remove his coat, demonstrating the value of using gentle persuasion rather than brute force as a means of achieving a goal.
Arnie is always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. But he can't help it--he's a hungry anteater. The other animals aren't happy with Arnie. He pokes them while they're sleeping, knocks over their stuff, and even tickles them. But when another animal loses its baby, Arnie's nose comes in handy.
Sammy the Tree Sloth is very, very slow. The monkeys in the trees breeze right by him. Sammy doesn't mind--but when a big storm hits, will he be fast enough to save himself? Or will Sammy save someone else?
When Freddy moves to the new farm, he hopes the other goats will forgive his fainting falls. Freddy's in for a rude awakening--no one will be his friend. When the kids visit the farm, however, Falling Freddy's luck begins to change. Maybe it isn't so bad to be a fainting goat!
Opie is an opossum with a problem--he keeps fainting when he's frightened! And what is that awful smell every time he wakes up? The bunnies aren't sure what is wrong with Opie either, or whether they should be friends with such a strange, stinky creature. But when the wolf comes back, the bunnies might change their minds ...
Sally is a slippery, slimy salamander. She brags about how fast she is, and how no one can catch her. One day, though, she almost gets eaten. Sally escapes, but she loses her tail. How embarrassing if her friends find out! Will Sally ever tell a tale again with her tail gone?
Lucy Goose is having a difficult time with all the names she's being called by the other animals in the barnyard. After confronting each one, she reveals her real name and her real heritage. She is actually the great-, great-granddaughter of Mother Goose.
This is a rhyming twist on the tale of Red Riding Hood. All the animals are discovering that food is missing and all they see is a red blur as they try to unravel the mystery of who could be doing this. When they arrive at Little Red's house they determine it was her and she was feeding wolf pups with the food she had taken because they had no mother. Astonished, because wolves were their enemies, they decide to transport the tiny wolf pups to Yellowstone.
Priscilla Pony organizes the tasks needed to make posters for the new school President. Everyone works together and the job is a success.
Calypson Cat is having a hard time with all the other cats on the ship. They always complained and were not grateful for the place they had to live, or the fish they had to eat, or the mice they had to chase. After calling a meeting to remind them how lucky they are, the other cats have a change of attitude and come to appreciate what they have.
Even though Tallulah Turtle is chosen to be the team captain, she doesn't let it go to her head.
As the cast of merry hikers start along the trail they decide to mark the trees with forks and spoons so they can find their way home. After a relaxing hike they start back only to find all the forks and spoons are gone. They are lost and begin to get scared when a ranger finds them and leads them to a shelter. He offers them something to eat and they notice the spoon he gives them is one of theirs. He told them he thought someone had littered and he collected the forks and spoons to give to someone who really needed them. The hikers remarked by saying that made him like Robin Hood.
As Priscilla Pony and Lucy Goose prepare to play a game of Duck, Duck, Goose they are finding trouble finding anyone to join them. So, they decide to ask Cooper Cub and Calypso Cat whom they have never talked to before. After the two decide to join in the game and neither Priscilla or Lucy choose them as the goose they lose interest, leaving Priscilla and Lucy wondering why.
Spike and Mike monkey have a game called Snatch and Stow. They take items from their friends and hide them inside a secret cave. They think it is all in fun but when their friends call a meeting to discuss who could be doing this, they confess to their mother and learn a valuable lesson of not taking what is not yours.
