You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong.
 
In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.”
 
“In this humorous story, Alexander T. Wolf tells his own outlandish version of what really happens during his encounter with the three pigs…. Smith’s simplistic and wacky illustrations add to the effectiveness of this fractured fairy tale.”
—Children’s Literature
 
“Older kids (and adults) will find very funny.”
—School Library Journal

tags:

The bold, bright colors of India leap right off the page in this fresh and funny picture book retelling (with a twist) of how Ganesha came to help write the epic poem of Hindu literature, the Mahabharata. Ganesha is just like any other kid, except that he has the head of an elephant and rides around on a magical mouse. And he loves sweets, especially the traditional dessert laddoo. But when Ganesha insists on biting into a super jumbo jawbreaker laddoo, his tusk breaks off! Ganesha is terribly upset, but with the help of the wise poet Vyasa, and his friend Mr. Mouse, he learns that what seems broken can actually be quite useful after all. With vibrant, graphic illustrations, expressive characters, and offbeat humor, this is a wonderfully inventive rendition of a classic tale.

tags:

Learn Japanese and enjoy folktales at the same time with this whimsically illustrated multicultural children’s book!

This bilingual edition of A Treasury of Japanese Folktales—presented in both English and Japanese—contains 12 of the best Japanese legends and fairy tales, told to generation after generation of Japanese children. Originally written in English by Yuri Yasuda, based on her interpretations of traditional Japanese tales, these charming stories of rich imagination are now accompanied by Japanese text by Yumi Matsunari and Yumi Yamaguchi. The Japanese text includes basic kanji accompanied by furigana to help beginning learners to recognize and learn the characters.

Adventures carry us, on turtle-back, to the splendors of the underwater palace of the dragon princess, to the beautiful hills where Kintaro plays with his animal friends, and to a temple where we discover a “tea kettle” that is really a cunning badger in disguise.

Executed with great skill and imagination, the 98 color illustrations bring to life the charming characters of these heart-warming tales of old Japan, which include:

• Shitakiri Suzume, the Tongue-Cut Sparrow
• Kintaro, the Strong Boy
• Kaguya Hime, the Luminous Princess
• Momotaro, the Peach Boy
• Bunbuku Chagama, the Lucky Cauldron

tags:

This colorfully illustrated multicultural children’s book presents Philippine fairy tales and other folk stories—providing insight into a rich oral culture.

Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories presents thirteen well-loved myths and tales from the Philippines. These stories will enchant six to ten year old readers around the world with their wit and charm. Many of the tales have been transmitted from mother to child over centuries, and cover classic childhood themes—such as the forces of good triumphing over evil, children rebelling against adults and the weak prevailing over the strong.

Narrated with an international audience in mind and illustrated with whimsical watercolors by award-winning artist Joanne de Leon, this is a must-have collection of tales for anyone interested in the Philippines.

Featured Filipino stories include:

• Why Mosquitoes Buzz Around Our Ears
• The Magic Lake>
• The Deer and the Snail
• Why the Cock Crows
• The Prince’s Bride

The Children’s Favorite Stories series was created to share the folktales and legends most beloved by children in the East with young readers of all backgrounds in the West. Other multicultural children’s books in this series include: Asian Children’s Favorite Stories, Indian Children’s Favorite Stories, Indonesian Children’s Favorite Stories, Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories, Singapore Children’s Favorite Stories, Favorite Children’s Stories from China & Tibet, Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories, Korean Children’s Favorite Stories, Balinese Children’s Favorite Stories, and Vietnamese Children’s Favorite Stories.

tags:

From an award-winning Native American storyteller comes this captivating re-telling of a Cherokee legend, which explains how strawberries came to be.

Long ago, the first man and woman quarrelled. The woman left in anger, but the Sun sent tempting berries to Earth to slow the wife’s retreat. Luminous paintings perfectly complement this simple, lyrical text. 

“Complete harmony of text and pictures: altogether lovely.”– Kirkus Reviews, pointer review

tags:

This colorfully illustrated multicultural children’s book presents Indian fairy tales and other folk stories—providing insight into a rich literary culture.

Indian Children’s Favorite Stories is a charming selection of eight Indian tales that provide an insight into traditional Indian culture. Retold for an international audience, the beautifully illustrated stories will give children of all ages a glimpse into the fables and folklore of India including tales of how the Lord Krishna escapes the evil Kamsa’s repeated attempts to kill him, and how the elephant keeper’s daughter, Rani, humbles an unwise and unjust king by emptying his storehouses of rice.

Featured Indian stories include:

• Munna and the Grain of Rice
• T he Birth of Krishna
• No Ordinary Lad
• The Story of Rama
• Sukhu and Dukhu
• Tenali Raman
• Journey to Heaven
• The Foolish Man

A glossary is also included to clarify Indian words. The Children’s Favorite Stories series was created to share the folktales and legends most beloved by children in the East with young readers of all backgrounds in the West. Other multicultural children’s books in this series include: Asian Children’s Favorite Stories, Indonesian Children’s Favorite Stories, Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories, Singapore Children’s Favorite Stories, Filipino Favorite Children’s Stories, Favorite Children’s Stories from China & Tibet, Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories, Korean Children’s Favorite Stories, Balinese Children’s Favorite Stories, and Vietnamese Children’s Favorite Stories.

tags:

“Even reluctant readers (let alone closet classicists) will be drawn to pore over these entrancing pages. -School Library Journal

Greek myths are among the most exciting stories ever told. In this collection, Marcia Williams offers a fun but faithful retelling of eight myths using simple language and her signature comic-strip format. Panels and spreads brimming with color, decorative detail, and nonstop action make each tale a pleasure to look at, and speech bubbles add modern humor. This indispensable collection is the perfect way to introduce young readers to the power of myth.

tags:

Nicholas the orphan becomes Nicholas the woodcarver, whose job is to create a gift for every child in his small village on the Baltic Sea. As he grows older, explanations for many beloved Christmas traditions are woven into the story as the true spirit of Christmas is revealed.

tags:

All fairies love Midsummer’s Eve, but this year it’s extra special! Why are all the ladies so excited, and what’s in the invitation arriving by Ladybird Post? Press out Princess Daisy and Prince Oakleaf, raise a glass of fizzy elderflower juice and dance to the fairy music until dawn…

tags:

The Caldecott Honor book and modern classic now in boardbook format. Finally!

Nearly twenty years ago, Ed Young translated the ancient parable of the seven blind men and the elephant into a modern children’s classic, one as simple as it is profound. A lesson in colors, numbers, the days of the week and most important, knowledge, this beautifully illustrated book has stood the test of time and continues to entertain and teach. Now in board book format, even the youngest children can experience the beauty and wisdom.

tags:

Originally published in 1989, this luminous reissue of an all-time favorite fairy tale will attract an even wider audience with its romantic new jacket and a shortened text.

Exquisite illustrations of Beauty and her mysterious suitor, the Beast, are set in a magical castle where animals dressed in period costumes serve them. Woven into glorious tapestries throughout are hidden clues hinting at the Beast’s secrets, setting Brett’s version apart from others.

tags:

Every version of Cinderella in one collection:

The Cat Cinderella

The Little Glass Slipper

Aschenputtel

The Baba Yaga

The Little Glass Slipper

Katie Woodencloak

Tattercoats

Ashey Pelt

The Sharp Grey Sheep

Rashin-Coatie

Cap O’Rushes

The Hearth Cat

The Princess and The Golden Shoes

The Twelve Months

Yeh-Shen

Kongji and Patzzi

Bawang Putih And Bawang Merah

The Story of Tam and Cam, Fair, Brown, and Trembling …

And more …

The definitive Cinderella collection. Every single version for one bargain price!

“If you love Cinderella, or if you just love fairy tales in general, this is the book for you! Highly recommended!”

~ Amazon customer review 12/26/2013

tags:

The wonders found in fairy tales and myths have enriched childhoods for centuries. In between “Once upon a time” and “happily ever after” we embark on adventures that seem an eternity away from our everyday lives, and yet through these adventures we are brought back to the innocence and beauty of the truth. In The Mysteries of Children’s Literature, journey through a treasury of well-known fables and folk tales, as well as others not so well known, and discover the wisdom hiding within them. In an age that rejects the moral absolutes and repudiates the whole idea of intrinsic evils, children’s literature restores the meaning of good and evil, beautiful and ugly, and normal and abnormal.

“Fairy tales clear the way for sanctity. They are the child’s first morality play, clear-cut, no-nonsense black and white, good and evil, life and death – with a bit of fun thrown in to alleviate the pain.” -Ethel Pochocki

tags:

Tomie dePaola’s wonderful story of how one girl’s remarkable courage saved her people, and how the bluebonnet flower came to Texas is now available for young children! Adapted from the bestselling The Legend of the Bluebonnet, this board book features an appliqu? on the cover and beautiful illustrations by Tomie dePaola.

tags:

William H. Hooks’s evocative retelling of this unusual Christmas legend transports readers back two thousand years to Bethlehem to follow nine-year-old Dorothy on her journey to see the Baby Jesus and to witness the miracle of a tiny white flower delicately transforming into the beautiful Christmas rose. Richard A. Williams’s lush oil paintings evoke the beauty and joy of the first Christmas.

tags:

Stephen Cartwright’s colour illustrations accompany a collection of old and new fairy stories from different lands and of different moods, both happy and sad. Also available in paperback priced at 6.99, ISBN 0 7460 1819 3,

tags:

tags:

Ralph Manheim, the highly acclaimed and  prize-winning translator, has rediscovered in the original  German editions of the Grimms’ works the  unadorned, direct rhythm of the oral form in which they  were first recorded.

tags:

Out of a bitter storm comes a gift that saves a village.

In this adaptation of an Italian folktale, the young fisherman Gianni braves the thawing, ice-bound lagoon of Burano to catch fish to feed the starving people of his island. His fiancée, Nicoletta, prays for his safety. Gianni, swept from his fishing boat, is rescued by a mermaid who whips the water into a length of elegant lace, which she gives to Gianni for Nicoletta’s wedding veil. This gorgeously illustrated tale recounts the mythical origins of Burano lace, whose production has long been a vital part of the island’s economy and vibrant culture, ensuring the islanders would never go hungry. The lace is still famed throughout the world for its scalloped, wave-like patterns.

tags:

tags:

Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of this classic depiction of Aesop on stage, here, in all their wisdom and humor, are the best of these timeless fables, selected and adapted by Barbara McClintock and illustrated in her inimitable nineteenth-century anthropomorphic style.

This collection contains the artist’s interpretations of nine fables, including such familiar ones as “The Fox and the Grapes,” and a fine selection of lesser-known examples, “The Wolf and the Lamb” and “The Crow and the Peacocks.” All are revitalized by McClintock’s uncanny ability to capture humanity, with all its strengths and weaknesses, in the expressions of her exquisitely drawn costumed creations. Filled with the delicacy of line and color that has come to be her trademark, these images are bound to please readers of all ages as well as collectors of fables for another generation.

tags:

tags:

A spider tricks other animals into thinking a melon can talk.

tags:

With unique and playful illustrations this multicultural children’s book is a classic Japanese fairy tale that young children and parents alike will love.

The Last Kappa of Old Japan is a warmly written and beautifully illustrated bilingual Japanese children’s book that introduces many aspects of traditional Japanese culture and folklore, while teaching an important lesson about environmentalism. The story is of a young Japanese farm boy who develops a friendship with a mythical creature— the kappa—a messenger of the god of water. The tale begins in post-Modern Japan when the boy is young and the kappa is healthy and ends when the kappa, now the last one left on Earth, keeps an important promise to his human friend.

A story of love, friendship, and adventure, readers of all ages will enjoy this picture book by award-winning author/illustrator, Sunny Seki. This bilingual edition includes Japanese text alongside the english, making it a great way for kids to lean Japanese.

tags:

The town of Plotchnik hasn’t had a drop of rain in forty days. But the town’s humble shoemaker, Poor Schmuel, has the power to command rain and much more. What makes him so extraordinary? Nobody, including the town elders, can explain it until one nightthe Rabbi has a very strange dream…. Francine Prose and Mark Podwal bring to life with wit and flavor another Jewish legend in this tale of Schmuel and the holy Lamed-vavniks.

tags:

Wherever stories are told, in whatever language, life and death hold center stage, along with pain and glee, mystery and magic, fools and foes, deceit and decency. This book has them all. Here, in embellishments upon the folklore of Native American tribes from the Pacific Northwest, are tales that seek to explain the world, dispel its darkness, and celebrate its light.

So, meet a sorcerer whose magic can turn a horse into a loon, a man who becomes a bush-tailed rat, a girl whose sons were born as puppies, and a Native American tribe that sought the power of shamans to escape white men bent on destroying them.

tags:

Inspired by a legend of the Karuk people, the story of how Coyote captures fire and how Eagle, Cougar, Fox, Bear and others work together to help is a dramatic tale of bravery and cooperation.

tags:

tags:

A collection of classic myths, legends and stories, this book features tales based on topics such as gods and goddesses, animal fables, and monsters and dragons.

tags:

With gorgeous illustrations based on Chinese painting techniques, a lively retelling of the legendary animals’ race that led to the twelve signs on the Chinese Zodiac.

Long ago in ancient China, the Jade Emperor, ruler of heaven and earth, proclaimed a mighty race, saying that the first twelve animals to cross the river would have a year named after them. When the gong rings out, Tiger leaps in the river, followed by peaceful Rabbit clutching a log. Rat and Cat climb on Ox’s back, and Dog splashes in the shallows while Rooster finds a raft and takes clever Monkey and gentle Goat on board. Snake hitches a ride in Horse’s mane, powerful Dragon flies over the river, and Pig plays happily in the mud. But thirteen animals are racing for only twelve places on the Zodiac. Who will be honest, and who devious? Who will help friends along the way? Who will come first — and who will miss out?

tags: