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.
Chicken Little may have thought the sky was falling but Peter Pika is sure the glaciers are melting and is off to talk to the Mountain Monarch about it. Joined along the way by friends Tammy Ptarmigan, Sally Squirrel, Mandy Marmot, and Harry Hare, they all wonder what will happen to them if the glaciers melt. Where will they live, how will they survive? When Wiley Wolverine tries to trick them, can the Mountain Monarch save them? More importantly, can the Mountain Monarch stop the glaciers from melting?
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.
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?
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!
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.
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?
Medusa brags and brags about her beauty. She loves to look in the mirror. She loves to tell others that she is the prettiest. Find out what happens when a young lady spends all of her time bragging.
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?
In this Nigerian pourquoi tale, long ago people could take bites of the delicious sky whenever they wanted to. People gobbled and gobbled and gobbled the sky. Soon the sky had to make some changes.
This African American tall tale tells of John Henry, who was as big as an oak tree in overalls! He is famous as the strongest railroad worker in the East, West, North, and South. Read about the hardest worker that ever was!
Paul Bunyan was the biggest baby boy ever born! At one week old he had to wear his father's clothes! And he continued to grow!
A poor, hungry man has to pay for simply smelling soup! Here comes the wise Turkish folk hero Hodja to the rescue. What will he do to help?
Do you know why all chipmunks have three stripes down their backs? This pourquoi tale gives a creative explanation as to how this happened. This tale originated with the Seneca Indians.
The shepherd boy shouts "Wolf!" when he gets bored. What will happen when a real wolf comes?
