With roots in American slave tales, Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of using one’s wits to overcome hardship. “As usual, Stevens’ animal characters, bold and colorful, are delightful. . . . It’s all wonderful fun, and the book opens, fittingly, from top to bottom instead of from side to side, making it perfect for story-time sharing.”--BooklistThis title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Stories)

    Each story focuses on the role of women--both real and fantastic--and their particular strengths, joys and sorrows. Full-color illustrations.

    When Clement falls in love with enchanting Pauline, he bids Hippolyte to join his quest to court her, and the two friends set out toward danger and adventure.Pauline is ward of the mysterious Monsieur Zabocat -- a plantation owner reputed to be a quimboiseur, a wizard -- and, defying his wishes, Pauline joins her new fiancé and his friend on their trek home. But the fruited fields and forests they traverse hide dark forces plotting to destroy the couple...and one night -- Tam! Tam! Tamtamtam! -- the distant sound of a drum lures Hippolyte into a deadly trap that forces him to choose between his friend's safety and his own.Robert D. San Souci and Brian Pinkney again combine their talents to bring to life a West Indian folktale that draws upon African, European, and South American traditions and imagery. The result is an extraordinary tale of romance, intrigue, and incomparable courage in which the truest of friends remain faithful to the very end.

    This wonderful story by a renowned storyteller explains how light was brought to the dark side of the world.

    I am sitting on the floor with my Cheechum and the old ladies. The room is full of grandpas, mammas and papas, aunties, uncles and cousins. There is laughter, hot sweet tea and the smell of red willow tobacco. "Hahaa kiyas mana kisayanoo kah kee achimoot...Long ago the old man told us his story," my uncle would begin and my Cheechum and the old ladies would puff their clay pipes and nod. "Tapwe anima, tapwe... Yes, yes it is true."

    In this lively tale, a woman must pluck three whiskers from a fierce lion's chin in order to win her stepson's trust. Full color.

    And not the fisherman, whose fish declares that yams can speak. And what will the king say when he hears of all this foolish talk? (More important, what will his royal chair say?) Full of hubbub and hullabaloo, this traditional story from Ghana offers an irresistible invitation to young listeners to join the fun.

    Brilliantly retold in the sparkling, energetic prose of one of the great names in children's books, Golden Myths and Legends and its companion volume Silver Myths and Legends make an outstanding collection of wonderful tales, many of them unavailable anywhere else.

    Magnificent illustrations and captivating texts tell the legends of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, and Native America.

    The second was the kingdom of the sea, ruled by the ferocious Shark. And the third was the kingdom of the air, ruled by the powerful Hawk.And then there were the People, who needed the forest and sea and air for survival. But they were small and weak--no match for the beast who dominated the kingdoms. Yet the People had a gift--the gift of storytelling.With powerful prose and bold illustrations, Walter Dean Myers and Ashley Bryan tell how the People used their gift to outwit the rulers of the three kingdoms, making this triumphant story one worth reading again and again.

    Organized into six dossiers, each dossier examines a particular facet of France's development.

    There is the story of Jumman the labourer, who thinks the Qazi of Jaunpur is actually his donkey! And the strange adventure of Dhania who, stealing out for a midnight snack, gets stuck in honey. Or the account of how a lowly weasel put the mighty Yudhishtir in place. And what happens when Bhim tries to match his strength against that of Hanuman!Culled from all parts of the country, and spanning heaven, earth and the netherworld, these stories let us into a world of enchantment, wisdom and loads of fun.