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.
When a rich man is rescued from thieves by a smelly, slobbery dog, the man offers the dog any treasure is his house as a reward. The treasure that the dog chooses is the rich mans daughter. With great sadness, the daughter honors her fathers promise and goes to live with the dog. Over time, a friendship grows between the girl and the dog, but she still misses her father. In this tale from Great Britain, award winning author, Margaret Read MacDonald puts a new spin on the classic story, Beauty and the Beast, reminding us all that appearances can be deceiving and that compassion can be powerful.
Have you ever heard the saying, Your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Well, Cat's stomach is bigger than a lot of things. He is always hungry, and living with culinary-inclined Mouse, who makes thirty-five pies in one day, just makes it worse. Fat Cat swallows everything in sight, including the washlady and her washtub, a troop of soldiers and their swords, even a king and his elephant! But when Cat swallows Mouse and her sewing basket, that's the last straw. Tiny Mouse cuts to the heart of the situation, taking an upside-down world and turning it right-side-up again. Greedy Cat learns his lesson and turns fat into fancy, fabulous, and fantastic. Margaret Read MacDonald's infectious energy combines with Julie Paschkis's folk-inspired gouache paintings to create a new retelling of a favorite comic cumulative tale.
A wise rabbi uses a pillow full of feathers to teach a gossipy villager a lesson on what happens when a person's reputation and trust are harmed by someone's negative, mean-sprited remarks.
In this action packed folktale from Panama, a clever little rabbit and his Tía Mónica find ways to outwit a fox, a tiger, and a lion, all of whom want to eat him for lunch.
This hilarious Maynard Moose tale as retold by master storyteller Willy Claflin takes us on another whimsical journey with the misadventures of a Bully Goat who suffers from Random Hostility Syndrome. The Bully Goat clashes with a three headed troll family and is undone by a baby girl troll when she suddenly realizes that everybody ought to mess with him! Her inspiration leads to a confrontation with the Bully Goat using only a pillow and three raggedy old bed sheets. After she cleverly outwits the Bully Goat, all of the forest animals follow her example and the threat of the bully is eliminated. Fortunately, everyone lives happily for never afterwords except for the Bully Goat since nobody likes a dubnoxious beastly. A Moose-English Glossary is included along with Hoofnotes to help guide you through the translation. This latest fractured fairy tale from the Piney Woods marks the third collaboration from the creative team who brought you the 2011Texas Bluebonnet Award winning book, The Uglified Ducky and the award winning Rapunzel & the Seven Dwarfs. James Stimson has worked his magic once again with his eclectic stylized illustrations that depict the humor of the offbeat trolls and capture the joy of the forest animals inhabiting the Piney Woods.
With a tiny, cluttered house, giggling children, and a snoring wife, the poor man can't get a good night's sleep. If only, he thinks, I had a big quiet house! He throws off his covers and goes to visit the wise old woman at the edge of the village. Surely she can help him solve his problem. And she does, but not without giving him some very unusual advice. Bring a chicken into your house, she suggests. And when that doesn't work, she has him add a goat, a horse, a cow, and even a sheep. The ending of the story proves, as so many ancient folktales do, that quite often, nonsense makes the best sense of all.
A primer of the familiar fairy-tale devices of spells and potions, from who uses them to their effects upon recipients, plus famous stories and movies in which they have appeared.
A primer of the familiar fairy-tale setting of enchanted castles, from what makes them spellbound to who inhabits them, plus famous stories and movies in which they have appeared.
A primer of the familiar fairy-tale characters of magical creatures, from the various forms they take to the tricks they play, plus famous stories and movies in which they have appeared.
A primer of the familiar fairy-tale characters of fairy godmothers, from how they use their magical powers to those they help, plus famous stories and movies in which they have appeared.
A primer of the familiar fairy-tale characters of princes and princesses, from what they are like to whom they interact with, plus famous stories and movies in which they have appeared.
A girl and a boy watch a stranger build a dragon in the sand. The dragon must wait for the night tide to set it free. But there is danger on the beach. As the sea crawls closer, other children come. They jump and play and the dragon begins to dissolve beneath their feet. The boy and the girl must keep the dragon safe until the sea can free him.
In this fresh take on a classic tale, a magic meat grinder helps a poor Jewish couple learn a little gratitude after the three wishes it grants them go awry. A cautionary story that questions today's consumerism and excessiveness, Kishka for Koppel, like the best folktales, can help children and adults alike to look both beyond and within.
Doors in the Air is the story of a boy who is fascinated by doors. He marvels at how stepping through a doorway can take him from one world to another. He is especially enthralled by the doors of his imagination, which he refers to as "doors in the air." He delights in discovering that when he passes through these doors, he leaves behind all feelings of boredom, fear and unpleasantness. Doors in the Air is a lilting journey through house doors, dream doors and, best of all, doors in the air.
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.
Paul and Babe are summoned to help the people of Shadowtown move their house to the sunny side of the mountain, but Babe's strength kept hurling the houses too far. So a young boy named Ezra devises a plan to tempt Babe with a basket of apples that help her to slowly push the houses to the exact spot they wanted. All the houses were moved and they celebrated while Babe takes a nap.
Alden promises to build the people of Thatchville new homes after theirs had been blown away in a windstorm. After having some trouble he runs into a beaver who supplies him with bamboo to build the homes in the promise that Alden would not follow him. Needing more bamboo Alden ventures into the forest again and this time the beaver would only give him more bamboo if he could guess his name. When Alden could not the beaver left, and Alden broke his promise and followed the beaver to the bamboo forest. After apologizing for breaking his promise and following the beaver, he decided to supply Alden with more bamboo.
A modern day version of King Midas' Touch. When the gumball machine delivers a ring instead of bubble gum, Peggy can't hide her disappointment. After turning the ring round and round on her finger, a genie appears and grants her one wish for the "sweet touch."
All of the elements of a classic fairy-tale are present in this simple retelling of the Mozart opera.
A fanciful adaptation of a Turkish folktale that tells the story of a poor villager, a donkey, and a wise man whose clever plan outwits a tyrannical Mongol ruler.
A retelling of the Grimm Brother's beloved tale about five animals who travel together to Bremen, and encounter an unexpected result along the way.
Clever word play and comic-book style illustrations showcase the adventures of two "bad eggs" who run amok until Chip--one smart cookie--steps in!
