When Goat, Rooster, and Donkey decide to try their hand at farming, Donkey learns the price of being greedy and discovers that the truth will always come out in the end.
A high-interest inquiry into the possible existence of North America’s forest-dwelling Bigfoot, emphasizing reported sightings and seekers as well as footprint analyses.
A high-interest inquiry into the possible existence of magical fairies, emphasizing reported sightings and stories as well as investigations into fairy rings.
Crow has some food and clever Fox wants it! Can Fox make Crow drop the food?
Long ago, the Old Ones were bad. They drank all the water, ate all the pine nuts, and left nothing for the other creatures. Sinawav the coyote punished them by turning them into rocky hoodoos. Now when children misbehave, their Paiute elders remind them that they too could be turned into stone columns! Vivian has heard the stories, but this year as she and her grandmother climb the mesa to pick pine nuts, Vivian has something more important on her mind: basketball tryouts. When Vivian is disrespectful to the trees and the land, her grandmother must remind Vivian of the legend of the hoodoos and how nature has made it possible for her people to live.
While Ming plays outside one summer day, the smell of delicious food fills the air. It is coming from greedy Fu Wangs house, What is he up to? wonders Ming. To his alarm, Fu Wang demands that all the neighbors pay him for the pleasant smells. When the neighbors refuse, the case goes to court. How will the judge rule in this unusual case? Can Fu Wang make money from the neighbors sense of smell? A wise judge makes use of another sense to close the case with clever and convincing logic.
It started with a mother's love... Fleeing from a forest fire, a mother bear urges her two cubs into the watery shelter of a vast body of water. Though it will be difficult, she knows if they can swim across to the opposite shore, they will be safe. With calls of encouragement and steadfast love, Mother Bear guides her cubs across the great lake, Lake Michigan. And the story of what happens once Mother Bear reaches the far shore becomes the legend behind the natural wonder known as Sleeping Bear Dune.
Five minutes after his birth, Johnny Kaw is over six feet tall and still growing. When he outgrows his crib and even their town, his parents decide to move west where "little" Johnny can have plenty of room to play. After the family crosses the wide Missouri River to Kansas, Johnny sits down to play with his dog. His bottom ends up making the valley where his family will settle. And when Johnny clears stones from a field so his father can plow, he ends up creating the Rocky Mountains in the process. The legendary folk hero shapes the state's landscape by carving out valleys and creating prairies with his bare hands. Why, he even takes on a tornado when it threatens the family farm.
Long ago in a faraway place there lived two mothers. One, a humble peasant woman who struggled daily to provide for her children. And the other, a mother spider who also worked hard to care for her family. And although it would appear they were as different as night and day, these two mothers had more in common than would first seem. As the only holiday gift she can give her children, one cold Christmas Eve the peasant woman goes to the forest to get a tree, never noticing that someone has made a home among its branches. During the night, the mother spider spins webs decorating the tree, resulting in a Christmas that neither mother will ever forget. Based on an old Ukrainian story, Trinka Hakes Noble (The Orange Shoes) crafts an original heartwarming tale of the grace that can be found in the true spirit of Christmas.
The Sparrow family is ready for their trip south for the winter, but Papas wing is hurt and he cannot make the trip. He asks the trees for help. One by one, the mighty, leafy trees of the forest say no! Will any of the trees help Papa Sparrow? What will happen to the selfish trees that turned him away? Discover why some trees lose their leaves in winter in this retelling of a Cherokee pourquoi tale.
When Tree Kangaroo and Koala dig a well to get some water, Tree Kangaroo ends up doing all of the work and Koala ends up with a stumpy tail in this origin story from Australia.
A clever, singing rabbit eats his way through the pea patch until Little Girl snatches him up and he is soon singing a new tune as he plans his escape. With a nod to Brer Rabbit, Pickin Peas is adapted from two folktales collected in Alabama and Virginia. The lively storytelling voice of award-winning author Margaret Read MacDonald, combined with Pat Cummings' bright, bold contemporary illustrations, makes this timeless battle-of-wits an instant classic.
Long ago, when the world was young, the magpies' nests were the envy of all other birds. To help the other birds, Maggie Magpie patiently explained how to build a nest. But some birds were impatient and flew off without listening to all the directions, which is why, to this day, birds' nests come in all different shapes and sizes. This clever retelling of an old English folktale teaches the importance of careful listening.
The greedy Leprechaun King has locked away all the luck in Ireland and the whole country has fallen in to despair. Through clever charades, Fiona outwits the Leprechaun King and restores luck to the land. Luminous illustrations add to the magic and wonder of this original folktale.
What if you were given a locked box as a gift and told to never open it? Pandora received this gift from Zeus, the head of the Greek gods. What could be so important that it needs to be padlocked shut?
Hitchiti legend has it that hummingbirds ate fish. In this pourquoi American Indian tale, you'll hear an explanation of why hummingbirds dine only on nectar today.
In this retelling of the Greek myth, King Midas loves gold more than anything else in the whole world! Or at least, he thinks he loves gold the most.
Who is the best trickster in Japan? Let the games begin!
Cowboy hero Pecos Bill has one true love and that is Sluefoot Sue. He first sees her when she is riding a catfish down the Rio Grande.
Keelboat Annie does not like bullies! She does not like bullies one bit! Find out how this tall tale heroine brings her own brand of justice to the South.
Can Kanchil, the little mouse deer, trick a few crafty crocodiles with giant teeth? This Malaysian trickster tale gives a humorous insight into the difference between right and wrong.
Is it better to be a dog without freedom who has his meals provided or a wolf who is free and captures his own food? Read this Aesop's tale and decide.
What happens when two gods from Greek mythology want to rule a town? The townspeople are afraid of a fight between two powerful gods. A contest is set to decide the winner.
Have you ever seen a fluffy bunny tail? They are puffy like cotton balls. Did you know rabbits used to have long tails like squirrels?
This is a Lakota Indian tale about Iktomi, a lazy trickster who cannot be bothered to hunt for himself. Instead, he plays tricks and steals rather than earn an honest living. Will Muskrat teach him a lesson?
