Dive into the world of mermaids through carefully leveled text and appealing images. Emergent readers will learn about stories about mermaids from around the world.
Introduce beginning readers to three monsters that have captured the imaginations of humans for centuries: griffins, krakens, and centaurs. Carefully leveled text is paired with images that aid reader comprehension.
A fearful rabbit is convinced the earth is caving in.
This Middle Eastern folktale tells the story of two farmers who help each other with very funny consequences.
This Ojibwa folk tale describes the musical sounds of rain and thunder.
Long ago all birds had white feathers. This folk tale from Thailand is the story of how peacocks and crows got their colors.
In this Pueblo Indian bedtime story listeners have to figure out if Salamander and River Frog get the sniffles.
A humorous retelling of an Italian tale in which a Genoese merchant, richly rewarded for solving an irritating problem for the king of the Spice Islands, causes a greedy rival to try and gain a fortune in the same way.
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.
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.
This engaging book uses a simple rhyming pattern to tell the story of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Wonderful photos and illustrations show Santa and his reindeer on their annual trip, as well as the joy on childrens faces on Christmas morning. An activity asks children to draw their own picture of Santa Claus.
Finn McCool is the largest giant in all of Ireland. He's a fierce warrior, even beating the giant Culcullan and saving Ireland from the Scots. Helpful and kind, he helps the farmers bring in the hay. And everyone in the village of Drumnahoon admires him. "He's the best-hearted man that ever walked on Ireland's green grass." But for all his strength, courage, and goodness, there's one thing that Finn lacks. He's just not smart. And he knows it. When a wise man living in a nearby village tells Finn about a magical red salmon with the wisdom of the world, Finn sets out to catch the fish. And he learns a thing or two about himself in the process
According to African Mythology, a lonely Creator made the first human being as separate parts, such as eyes to share the beauty of the garden, a nose to smell the flowers, and legs to skip and run. Finally, a stomach was fashioned. All of the parts enjoyed their functions, except for the stomach, which didn't know what to do. Bored and jealous, the growling, grumbling stomach caused problems for all the others. The angry Creator decided to put all of the parts together so they would have to get along. He placed the stomach right in the middle, but sometimes it still growls. Colorful prose and whimsical illustrations ignite the imagination of young readers.
The Emperor has a problem. He wants his people to remember the year in which his son was born. But there is no way to keep track of the years. So the Emperor devises a race in which animals will cross a river. The first twelve animals to reach the opposite side will have a year named after them. Thus, the people will be able to remember the years and the events that occurred. And so the race is set. Rat, knowing he is no match for the rushing water, schemes with Cat on how to cross the river. Together the two convince Ox to carry them across. But halfway across the river, Rat shows his true colors. Will Cat make it to the other side? Which animals will have a year named after them? Accompanied by exquisite watercolor artwork, this charming story explains the origins of the Chinese calendar.
Mooncakes is the lyrical story of a young girl who shares the special celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival with her parents. As they eat mooncakes, drink tea and watch the night sky together, Mama and Baba tell ancient tales of a magical tree that can never be cut down, the Jade Rabbit who came to live on the moon and one brave woman's journey to eternal life.
Trosclair loves to row to Bee Island, although he knows that Gargantua, a giant alligator, is lurking there. Using his wits and a beehive, Trosclair rids the swamp of Gargantua for good.
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 Ukrainian folktale about a young man who obtains a flying ship and sets off to win the hand of the Tsarevna --helped by six men with very unusual talents.
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.
Influenced by Native American folktales, this story teaches the phases of the moon while emphasizing how to deal with bullies. After the sun insults her, the moon is hurt and disappears. With the help of her many friends, the moon regains her self-confidence each day until she is back to her full size. The "For Creative Minds" section includes moon observations, fun facts, Native American names for full moon, a section on how to deal with bullies (paperback), a lunar calendar, and graphics to help view and understand the moon's phases. Helps children deal with bullies.
Finn loves to swim with the seals in a secret cove. He arrives at the cove one day and rescues a young seal tangled in netting. Finn wishes the seal could live on land. That night the seals sing. "No good comes from seal songs," says Finn's father. When Sheila, a mysterious girl no one has ever seen before, appears on the cannery docks, the fisher folk are uneasy. They believe the newcomer is a magical selkie, a shape changer.
In this retelling of a Jewish folktale, Jacob tries to stump Rachel with his best riddles but fails repeatedly. When a young woman in need of help presents Rachel and Jacob with the trickiest riddles of all, they discover the only way to solve them is to work together.
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.
