This collection of original folktales and stories created the foundation for the most popular films in recent memory including: Star Wars, Star Trek, Superman, and Lord of the Rings.
Maybe it's the king who spills honey, and then says it is not his problem - until it causes a war. Or maybe it's some sandpipers and whales who get into a foolish fight that almost destroys their homes. Perhaps it's the man who thinks that a gun makes him strong or the monkeys who follow their leader into water that's too deep. Peace Tales contains more than three dozen folktales and proverbs that illustrate these choices. Always fun to read these stories also prompt us to think about the seemingly minor events that lead to war and the little events that can also lead to peace. Stories from across the globe are accompanied by generous story notes, source information, and suggestions for further reading on the topic of peace.
Italian-Americans compose one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States.Unfortunately, they have often been portrayed negatively in fiction and film based on stereotypes that are not borne out among the immigrant population. These entertaining stories highlight a rich cultural heritage that has often been neglected.
Mexican-American traditions are richly nourished by the folkways of three cultures: Indian, Spanish, and Mexican. This comprehensive look at the Mexican-American world includes a range of traditional proverbs, riddles, stories and folksongs.
This collection of traditional Jewish-American stories includes lunar holidays and everyday observances; wonder tales from the Sorcerer's Apprentice; a Jewish version of Cinderella; tales of dybbuks, golems and other supernatural beings; and superstitions and traditions surrounding birth, marriage, and death.
When she was a young girl, Barbara McBride-Smith was introduced to the ancient Greek myths but she didn't quite hear right. When her teacher told her they lived in the cradle of western civilization, young Barbara thought she said Western civilization - as in central Texas, around about Waco, where they seemed to fit right in. Ol' Man Zeus, after all, was a gun-totin' Big Daddy, sort of the J.R. Ewing of Mount Olympus. You know Aphrodite, the school basketball queen or Pandora the debutante, the best guitar picker around was Orpheus - Tom T. and wasn't Medusa the one who started the fashion trend known as Big Hair? With her incurable Texas drawl, feminist sympathies, and cheerleader's do-right attitude, master storyteller Barbara McBride-Smith spins the Greek myths as you've never heard them before.
This collection of 30 stories about wise judges, clever lawyers, and deceitful tricksters, were collected from places as diverse as ancient Greece, Morocco, Germany, China, and Ireland. Some date back to pre-biblical days while others come from the American colonies.
Nationally acclaimed storyteller J.J. Reneaux has compiled highly engaging animal stories, fairy tales, ghost stories, and humorous tales from her native Cajun culture.
This collection of Hindu folktales for middle readers features stories about the Hindu god, Ganesha, who is easily recognized because of his elephant head. Krishnaswami introduces the stories by recalling her own introduction to Ganesha and goes on to offer a mythological context for the tales. Included among these classic stories are "Ganesha's Head", "The Broken Tusk", and "Why Ganesha Never Married". Most of the stories come from Hindu legend; one comes from Mongolia, where Ganesha made his way into the Buddhist tradition. The simple pen-and-ink illustrations support the themes and a helpful pronunciation guide and glossary are also included.
This collection of world tales focuses on stories originating from nearly every continent. They are short, gripping stories that "kick in fast including comedy, trickster, tall tales and family themes for middle and young readers.
Just who was Robin Hood? What did William Tell do that was so special? Why is Joan of Arc so famous? Author Lorna Czarnota presents medieval tales that answer these questions and many more in a highly entertaining format. Czarnota offers solid historical background for each story so that young readers have a framework to enhance the significance of each story. As they explore these action packed stories, young readers will be able to imagine themselves pulling Excalibur from the lake, untying the Gordian Knot, or fighting with Roland and the Frankish army.
Back by popular demand, these timeless, scary and spine-tingling thrillers are collected together for young readers.
In the Native American tradition, a strong connection exists between the spirit world and the natural world. It is believed that what happens in one has a definite impact on the other. In this collection, Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle draws from the rich heritage of the Five Civilized Tribes - the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole nations.
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.
Twenty-three original, horrific tales of vengeful spirits and nefarious supernatural creatures are made all the more sinister by the comfortable, contemporary settings of these cold-blooded tales.
In this collection of eerie tales, a ghostly gazetteer chronicles the numerous contemporary accounts of Northwestern hauntings and other strange happenings reported around British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. The typical Northwestern ghost almost always appears alone, in the form of a faint, often grayish wisp.
Everybody loves a scary story and nobody more than kids, but these tales collected from kids themselves - are particular favorites. These traditional scary stories are the ones that kids ask for the most. Children love to hear how Wylie outwitted the terrible Hairy Man, how Skunnee Wundee and an unexpected friend got the best of the fierce Stone Giant. Shivery stories of vengeful ghosts, spooky stories of witches and spirits, and giggly stories that turn fear into fun are part of this collection. Symbols precede each story to indicate the most appropriate age group. The stories in this multicultural collection come from the Ozark Mountains, the desert Southwest, even Japan and Hawaii, as well Native American tribal stories, Yiddish tales, and even Laotian legends.
More than 100 tales of the supernatural, drawn from Tidewater Virginia to the Lone Star State, are included in this collection. The author, W.K. McNeil's introduction traces themes peculiar to the South, such as the screaming bridge and the levitating railroad light. Line drawings contribute to the mood of the stories and an index references various Southern localities by town and state.
Over 140 spine-tingling tales from the hills of the Missouri Valley, the mesas of Texas, the great plains, the swamps of the Bayou and even the cities of California. These classic, timeless ghost stories range from the Monster of Mongollon Run, to the Blue Lady, to the Wolf Girl to Haunted places, to Native American spirits and to ghostly lights.
Young or old, playful or terrifying, clad in the brocades of the 16th century or the jeans of today, the phantoms of these tales vary as much as the places they haunt. Whatever their demeanor, wherever they are, however their actions are explained or dismissed, these ghosts have a common power: anyone reading this anthology will see that they still haunt us today.
Born on January 1, 1900, on a family farm in the mountains of North Carolina, Medford McGee grows up awestruck by the rapid changes that blazon the New American Century and the promise of new opportunities that come along with these changes .
This coming of age story takes place in 1944 in rural Arkansas where a twelve year old boy named, Richard has a simple dream: he just wants to buy a red scarf for Rosalie, the prettiest girl in school.
Andrew Jackson Fielder wants to pitch in the major leagues. It should seem a distant dream to a kid in Smackover, Arkansas, in 1939. But for Jackson, it comes true, partly due to the afternoons he and his brother spend practicing pitches in a pipe yard down in the south Arkansas oilpatch.
Mary Clayborne, the teenage daughter of a country doctor and a piano teacher, dreams of going to a conservatory and becoming a concert pianist. When her mother falls ill, she temporarily puts aside her ambition in order to care for her younger brothers and sisters. A timeless coming of age story.
For the past three decades, Pleasant DeSpain has explored Latin America its people, customs, cultures, and especially the myths and legends. The tales in this collection are full of compassionate souls, tricks and humor, explanations of nature and geography and as always, memorable characters and places. Mario Lamo-Jimnez's Spanish translation that accompanies the English version reverberates with the rich, vibrant quality that has become the bench mark for the best stories from Latin America.
