Search Results: 88 books from 10 publishers. Learn more

Scared Witless

Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss (author), Kevin Pope (illustrator)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874837964

Kids love to tell stories among themselves, and the two most popular types are funny stories and scary stories. Scared Witless delivers double dividends - it contains thirteen stories that are funny and scary. These tales are surefire entertainment for sleepovers, summer camp and parties.

Spiders in the Hairdo

David; Mooney Holt (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874835250

This collection of urban myths assembles 50 brief stories from modern oral tradition. Commonly attributed to FOAFs (friend of a friend), they are intriguing and often frightening tales passed along in casual conversation. These tales are the substance of modern folklore, an evolving treasury of narratives. From the famous Vanishing Hitchhiker to incredulous tales of alligators in the New York City sewer system these stories still live in our collective imagination.

Exploding Toilet

David; Mooney Holt (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874837155

A humorous collection of modern urban myths and legends grouped under chapters as "School Days," "The Home Front," "Scary Stories," "Scams and Conspiracies," and "Dumb Luck and Bad Breaks.

Noodlehead Stories

Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss (author), Ariane Elsammak (illustrator)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874835854

This collection of humorous folktales from around the world share one common feature: the character of a fool.

Don't Kill Santa

Donald Davis (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874837469

In this book, the award winning author shares humorous childhood memories of Christmas with his family in rural Appalachia.

Curing the Cross-Eyed Mule

Loyal Jones (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874830835

Appalachian humor can be dry, colorful, and earthy. The chapters vary greatly ranging from topics of Love and Marriage; Schools, Religion; Lawyers; Mountaineers and the Law; Animals and Hunting; Mountaineers and City Folks; Health and Medicine; and Rural Life.

Tales of Nonsense & Tomfoolery

Pleasant DeSpain (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874836707

A hilarious collection of short folktales from all over the world featuring silly characters, nonsensical situations, and general tomfoolery.

Sister Tricksters

Robert D. Sansouci (author), Daniel San Souci (illustrator)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874837919

Everyone remembers the exploits of Br'er Rabbit and his cohorts Br'er Fox, Br'er Possum, and other sly characters. But while these tales were circulating among slaves in the southern United States, another set of stories was passed along just as enthusiastically only here the clever tricksters were female. Who better to tackle the stories of these sister tricksters than the San Souci brothers? Utilizing a contagiously rhythmic, pitch-perfect dialect, writer Robert gleefully interprets the exploits of Molly Cottontail, Miz Grasshopper, Miz Duck, and Miz Goose against worthy (and not-so-worthy) foes such as Mistah Slickry Sly-fox, Mistah Rooster, and Mistah Bear. Brother Daniel's comically realistic paintings capture the slapstick frenzy of these characters engaged in battles of wits against the rural Southern landscape that nourished the tales in their infancy.

Mama Learns to Drive

Donald Davis (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874837452

The author presents eight short stories about his mother and other family members as they grew up in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

Of Kings and Fools

Michael; Olivier Parent (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874834819

Bubbling with beautiful princesses, dragon-slaying underdogs, and crafty tricksters, these Franco-American stories explore a heritage that has become known as "a quiet presence". Co-authors, Parent and Olivier recount the lutin's tricks on farmers, the Jack-like adventures of Ti-Jean, Pierre and his modern-day chainsaw, a beautiful princess conquering an evil witch, and family stories passed down from generation to generation. Meet Michael's grandfather, Honor Fournier, who spoiled his grandchildren with kindly generosity, and Alexis Lacasse, Julien's grandfather, who didn't let a prank stop him from arriving to dinner on time. Life in Franco-American families revolved around two entities: family and church. The authors address these two important aspects and how they have influenced their stories. Olivier and Parent inherited their families' love of stories and continue that legacy by sharing their ancestry and heritage in this charming book.

Listening for the Crack of Dawn

Donald Davis (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874836059

The fourteen personal stories in this delightful coming of age book apply universal elements with characters and situations that everyone will recognize so that only the names, places and times change from our own childhood stories.

Adventures of High John the Conqueror

Steve Sanfield (author)

Publisher: August House ISBN: 9780874837742

High John the Conqueror sometimes called simply High John or John was a slave trickster who always outwits Old Master. Much like Greek slave Aesop's animal characters, High John was the subject of a series of subversive narratives, whose mission was to outsmart his oppressors. Tall tales of High John's exploits flourished during slavery, but after emancipation they fell out of circulation and his antics were all but forgotten.

Brass Monkeys

Terry Caszatt (author)

Publisher: Charlesbridge ISBN: 9781934133316

Brace yourself for the scariest field trip of your life! Bumbling, cowardly Eugene is forced to transfer to a new school in northern Michigan, in the middle of the year, and in the middle of a blizzard. Eugene is used to weird things happening in his life, but this new place feels really bad. He has no idea how bad it's going to get until he meets his new English teacher, "Ming the Merciless." To save his classmates from a fatal graduation from Ming's School of the Brass Monkeys, Eugene must deliver an unfinished book to a legendary teacher named McGinty, who is hiding in the underworld. With the help of some renegade teachers and his new friends, he begins an epic journey to find McGinty. Will Eugene survive the Cliffs of Notes and the Sea of Hot Lunches? Will he reach McGinty in time to expose Ming's plot? A great choice for the reluctant reader, Brass Monkeys is action-packed and full of twists and turns. It's sure to keep readers guessing until the very end.