A Junior Library Guild Selection

Tashi lives in a tiny village at the foot of the mountains, below the tea plantations where her mother works. When her mother falls ill, Tashi goes alone to the plantation, hoping to earn money for the doctor. But she is far too small to harvest the tender shoots, and her clumsy efforts anger the cruel Overseer. She is desolate, until — chack-chack-chack! — something extraordinary happens. Inspired by a centuries-old legend of tea-picking monkeys, here is a richly told tale full of vivid characters: the heartless Overseer, the enigmatic Royal Tea Taster, and — far away — an empress with a penchant for tea.

This multicultural children’s book presents a heartwarming Korean fairy tale about a little girl and a fortunate encounter.

Poverty is all Maya has ever known, but she doesn’t allow it to stop her from caring for her father, and others, as best she can. Kind and gentle, she is a lovely young girl who always puts others first. One day, she finds a little turtle and takes him home, raising and loving him, never knowing that he will play an instrumental part in her destiny.

Similar to The Korean Cinderella, Maya and the Turtle, is an original Korean fairy tale by authors John Stickler and Soma Han that teaches children that the road to greatness lies in selflessness and that the loving kindness of a pure heart can awaken great love and power in another. Beautifully illustrated by Han, this book contains fascinating bits of information about Korean culture and is a poignant tale about the rewards of kindness, patience and courage.

Grandma Panda is a wonderful teacher, a wonderful storyteller—and a wonderful cook! Her grandchildren Baobao and Lingling love staying with her every summer, because at Grandma Panda’s house each day is an adventure. This summer, with the help of celebrated novelist and artist Mingmei Yip, Grandma will take them to a world filled with Chinese calligraphy, kites, kung fu and more!

They’ll get to hear Grandma’s stories of a time long ago in China, when everything began and learn simple Chinese language along the way. Come join Grandma Panda, Baobao and Lingling for a summer of fun and learning as bright watercolor illustrations make favorite legends come alive!

Chinese stories include:

• Yum Yum, We Love Dim Sum!—Grandma and the children go to a restaurant to enjoy dim sum. Grandma explains what dim sum is and tells the legend of how it was invented.
• Grandma Panda Teaches Us Chinese Writing—Grandma shows the children how to mix ink and hold their brushes. She shows them characters in both their ancient and present forms and tells them the story of four-eyed Cang Jie.
• Dotting the Dragon’s Eyes—To explain the importance of paying attention to detail, Grandma tells the story of Zhang Sengyao.
• The Story of Mulan, the Brave Woman Warrior—Grandma tells the story of Mulan to teach the virtues of bravery, leadership, patriotism and determination.
• The Little Kungfu Warriors—The story of Mulan excites the little pandas into action, and they and grandma share a few moves.
• The Painted Faces of Chinese Opera—Grandma explains the meaning of the painted faces.
• Fun with Chinese Kites—Grandma takes the children kite flying and tells them the story of Luban the kite inventor.
• Grandma Panda Sings an Old Farewell Song—Grandma shows the children the Qin and sings “Three Variations on the Yang Pass”

Despite the changes in the ways we access information that have occurred in the past few decades, there seems to be a perennial human need for good stories. Regardless of the format or time-frame in which they are presented, we are continually drawn to the art of a good story and the effect it can have on our collective and individual psyches. We seem to be hard-wired to have a need for narrative.

The first goal of this book, like so many others, is to tell a good story. To draw readers of all ages together, perhaps in a nightly ritual that sends young minds off to sleep with spirits and imaginations soaring. Along with that, I would hope to take my readers on a journey and give them even a passing glance at the vast collection of stories that we have inherited from those who have come before us. Especially in today’s high-tech society, we have unparalleled access to a treasure trove of the world’s literatures that have endured over millennia. Their staying power is a testament to the power of story in the human life journey, and to the boundless creative spirit that we all share.

The purpose of this book is not to provide an academic or pedagogical introduction to world mythology and sacred literature. These ancient works stand alone as complete art forms and need no help or summary from me (although those readers interested in a methodical approach to mythology would be well advised to read the work of the late Joseph Campbell, a real-life hero of mine). The stories presented in this book are of my own creation, inspired by the stories of times past. In writing these “new” stories, I have borrowed transcendent themes, character names, moral lessons, and other tidbits in the hopes of inciting the reader’s curiosity as to the origins of these details. I have also subtly referenced a few of my favorite historical characters and ideas that have influenced our understanding of the world. I hope you have as much fun finding these little gems as I did hiding them.

It is my sincere hope for this book to give readers of all ages a good story. A reason to gather together at night and explore the different worlds and possibilities of the human imagination, much like millions of people from generations past. Whether by the glow of a campfire or from a portable reading device, it is apparent to me that the tradition of storytelling will be with us forever. I can only hope that my fascination with the world’s stories is contagious, and that my readers, much like the heroes in the pages of 27 Nights, would set out on their own journeys of learning and discovery. If I can get even one reader to load up a search engine or crack open another book in the spirit of “where did that come from…?” then I count this work a success.

Happy reading, and as always, “follow your bliss.”

Enter a world of FRIENDSHIP through DIVERSITY and ADVENTURE with your child

Happy Friends: 12 animal stories nurturing positivism, friendship and adventure

>New Edition with ADDED BONUS

Different, but Friends: 10 stories in rhymes about unusual friendships between animals promoting DIVERSITY

Over 200 pages, 70 colour illustrations!

This fun children’s book is about finding the best in each situation. Then something magical can happen: you make new friends and discover that clouds do taste like ice-cream.

Meet Pete the cheerful toy elephant, Little Tail the curious dog, Summer Wind with a gentle soul, Murphy the lizard with a quick mind as well as their new friends: mysterious Blue, brave Dragonfly, helpful Squirrel and energetic B-Bee.

Friendship is good and friends do matter, regardless of differences.

Read these magical bedtime stories for sweet dreams, a warm fuzzy feeling and quality time. For PARENTS to READ to their young CHILDREN, as well as at the OLDER child, to enjoy and read on his/her own.

** Don’t forget, your FREE GIFT is already inside this book.**

BONUS stories in rhyme about unusual friendships between animals:

• The Dog and the Cat
• The Dog and the Rabbit
• The Squirrel and the Cat
• The Horse and the Dog
• The Cat and the Mouse
• The Dog and the Chimpanzee
• The Pig and the Geese
• The Dog and the Duck
• The Elephant and the Sheep
• The Lion, the Tiger and the Bear

Do your kids love to listen to stories about baby animals and their adventures in the snow?

Do your children like beautiful picture books?

Happy Friends is a heartwarming children’s book, written especially for you and your age 4- 12 children. The bonus stories in rhyme have simple rhyming text and colorful, real life illustrations .

From Write Your Own Christie Winner Patricia Furstenberg

A 5 Stars Reader’s Favorite Book

”Someone was, again, stomping through the forest. Branches pushed and snapped. Pulled by their stalks through the force of the passing-by shape, acorns poured to the ground only to crackle and pop, squashed by the moving mass. An undefined figure made its way towards the clearing as it did every morning since the beginning of summer. Closer and closer it got, faster and faster it stomped until, without any fear of danger, out it burst into the open space. All yellow; a ginormous daffodil suddenly popped up into the meadow.” Happy Friends

”Two four legged animals met one hot day,

In the sunny Africa, by a quiet water hole.

One felt the water gingerly with his trunk,

The other one touched it with a front hoof.

One’s body was grey and covered with wrinkly skin,

The other’s was woolly and as soft as can be.

The water was scarce under the African sun,

Yet they both shared it and so their friendship begun.” The Elephant and the Sheep

”For friendship is good and friends do matter,

No matter the size, the race or the skin’s cover.

Friends do matter”

**Scroll up and get your copy now**

A long, long time ago, the Sun God spent his days enjoying a very special secret treat: rich, dark cacao. Unlike the Wind God, the Sun God did not want to share this heavenly food with the creatures of the Earth. One day, the Wind God transformed himself into the Rana Azul, or Blue Frog, and he taught the children of the Earth where to find the secret cacao beans through song. A recipe for hot chocolate and a sprinkling of Spanish words and phrases enhance this intricately illustrated foodie fable.

In ancient times, a man drowning in a river was rescued by a deer shaded with nine colors. In exchange for his life, the man promises not to talk about the deer’s whereabouts. Later, the man reached an imperial palace where the king insisted on hunting down the deer to make clothes out of the deer skin. The man could not resist the opportunity for profit and led them to the same spot as before. He falls back into the water, hoping the deer would show up to rescue him. But this time, the man drowns and the warriors’ arrows turn to dust, leaving the deer unharmed.

One monk shoulders two buckets of water. Two monks lift one bucket of water. Three monks have no water! This is a story told generation after generation, and has much in common with the western saying “too many cooks spoil the broth.” When there is one monk in the temple, he fetches water for himself. When there are two, they share the duty. But as the third comes, it’s hard to divide the responsibilities. Everyone thinks for himself and nobody fetches water any more. At last, a fire in the temple teaches them the importance of cooperation. From then on, they cooperate and have water every day.

The fabulous illustrations of Walter Anderson brought forth this brilliant retelling of twenty tales from world literature, a book first published in 1987 and now back into print at the demand of appreciators of Ellen Douglas’s fiction and of Anderson’s art. Here for a wide range of readers Douglas recounts fairy tales, classical stories, myths, and adventure stories that inspired Anderson to create these enchanting pictures.

Douglas’s special gift for storytelling weaves an alluring spell that is intensified by twenty-four of Anderson’s most spectacular works. These are reproduced in full color and are adapted from his linoleum block prints of tremendous size (18 in. x 6 ft.) and hand colored by his niece Adele Anderson Lawton.

This indeed is a document of art’s power to excite the imagination. What is the elusive quality in narrative that draws out the illustrator’s response? And the quality in illustration that compels the teller of stories to elucidate? Just as great tales piqued Anderson to create these fantastical pictures, his illustrations motivated Douglas to take them back to their source, the word. From the Brothers Grimm, Ovid, Malory, Burton, Perrault, and other great storytellers she has retold her refreshingly appealing versions of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Magic Carpet, The Fisherman and the Genie, Sinbad and the Roc, Rapunzel, The Six Swans, Thumbelina, The Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince, The White Cat, Puss in Boots, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Bremen Town Musicians, Jack the Giant Killer, The Birth and Coronation of Arthur, Cupid and Psyche, Androcles and the Lion, Europa and the Bull, and The Golden Apples of the Hesperides. In recounting them anew, she gives them fresh insights while retaining their eternal charm.

Long long ago, the world was a colorless, gray place. It had stayed that way for thousands of years. People never expected anything different until one day, the colorful Snake Goddess, Nuwa, fell from the sky. She was determined to bring color and beauty to the gray nothingness of the earth, but all the colors kept running out through a giant hole in the sky. To fix the hole and bring color to the world, Nuwa would have journey near and far to find the five magical colored stones that were her only hope for fixing the sky.

Join the Snake Goddess on her journey to bring color to a desolate world!

Welcome to a fantastic world populated by magical teakettles, long-nosed goblins, brave warriors, and a host of other beloved characters who have lived on for centuries in the traditional tales of Japan.

Drawn from Japanese folklore that has been passed down from generation to generation, the nine enchanting stories collected in this volume have been lovingly retold just for today’s readers. Vibrantly illustrated and full of thrilling adventures, funny discoveries and important lessons, they’re sure to become story time favorites.

Included are some of Japan’s best-loving children stories:

• Peach Boy
• The Magic Teakettle
• Monkey-Dance and Sparrow-Dance
• The Long-Nosed Goblins
• The Rabbit in the Moon
• The Rabbit in the Moon
• The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
• Sill Saburo
• The Toothpick Warriors
• The Sticky-Sticky Pine