Elegantly illustrated, Muskrat Will Be Swimming is a treasure for all who have dealt with the fear of being different. Full color.

    The full story in Chinese and instructions for making traditional Chinese paper-cuts are also included.

    Familiar stories like Demeter and Persephone are included, along with a host of international tales that will be new to most readers. Full-color illustrations throughout.

    An international collection of 18 nursery tales for young children, grouped by theme, such as "Runaway Cookies," "Slowpokes and Speedsters," and "Chain Tales," and brillantly illustrated with full-color borders.

    Richly textured illustrations capture the parched beauty of the old Southwest.

    With a tiny, cluttered house, giggling children, and a snoring wife, one man can't get a good night's sleep. "If only," he thinks, "I had a big quiet house!" He throws off his covers and decides to visit the wise old woman at the edge of the village. Surely she can help him solve his problem and she does, but not without giving him some very unusual advice.The woman convinces the man to fill his house with rambling animals, none of which cure his sleeping problem. Until one day, the man takes the animals back to where they belong, and he welcomes the rhythmic sound of his wife's snoring. This ancient Yiddish folktale proves that quite often, nonsense makes the best sense of all. Susan Greenstein's bold illustrations--white pencil on black surface with watercolor - carry the reader through the warm interiors and peaceful nights of the shtetls of Eastern Europe. This story highlights the importance of perspective. Everyone has problems, however attitude can dramatically affect perception. It is the man who changes, and the world he perceives is transformed.

    His description of Saint Nicholas personified the jolly old elf known to millions of children throughout the world. However, far from being the offshoot of Saint Nicholas of Turkey, Santa Claus is the last of a long line of what scholars call Wild Men who were worshipped in ancient European fertility rites and came to America through Pennsylvania's Germans. This pagan creature is described from prehistoric times through his various forms--Robin Hood, The Fool, Harlequin, Satan and Robin Goodfellow--into today's carnival and Christmas scenes. In this thoroughly researched work, the origins of Santa Claus are found to stretch back over 50,000 years, jolting the foundation of Christian myths about the jolly old elf.

    This edition includes his best-loved yarns about ghostly boots, stampeding chickens, a mysterious creature called an orm that cleans chimneys for Santa, computerized hound dogs, simulated sheep, runaway trees, dimwitted czars, and resourceful princesses.

    They'll leave before the sun comes up, and they'll never be poor again!But something keeps them from leaing, and in their Poor God they find richness they would not have found anywhere else.Ruth Well's retelling of this Japanese folktale, with Yoshi's lush illustratuons, creates a compelling book and reminds us that sometimes what we're looking for is in the most unexpected places.

    Would you dress in a fishnet and ride a goat to the royal palace? Clever Caterina does! When her poor father graciously offers his gold treasure to the king, Caterina predicts his regal but discourteous response.

    Both scary and funny, The Windigo's Return is based on an Ojibwe legend which recounts the winter when the People of the North Woods began to disappear, one by one. Exquisite, earthy paintings by Greg Couch make this book as pleasing to look at as it is to read. Full color.

    To her door come Vainamoinen, ancient sage, and his faithful friend Ilmarinen, master blacksmith, each hoping to win her love. But little do the heroes know that Aila and her mother have agreed that she will wed neither of them.