One dreams of becoming a royal throne; one of being a ship that can withstand any storm; and one longs to stay in the forest and grow as tall as tall can be. When they are felled, it seems their dreams are over. But as each tree is crafted into a new item - a manger, a fishing boat, and a rugged cross - it becomes clear that through the role they play in one important life their hopes are more than fulfilled. This traditional folktale is accompanied by stylish artwork from a highly sought-after children's book illustrator, and will help set the Christmas and Easter stories into the overall context of the Christian faith.

    His stories are all delightful lessons in wisdom. Some teach us the value of honor while others tell us that might is not always right. We see a tiny rat outwitting a venomous serpent and then an old turtle saving his friends from a greedy eagle.

    Beguiled by his cousin’s amazing tales, the country mouse visits the electric city. Unfortunately the town mouse forgot to mention that the city has a lot of noise, tall buildings . . . and dangerous dogs! Helen Ward’s 1930s New York at Christmas is at once gorgeous and frighteningly busy. In the end the reader understands both why the town mouse loves his exciting life and why the country mouse is content with his peaceful home.

    Essential reading for young and old alike.Among the stories collected here are:• Kate Crackernuts• Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree• Yallery Brown

    One, a humble peasant woman who struggled daily to provide for her children. And the other, a mother spider who also worked hard to care for her family. And although it would appear they were as different as night and day, these two mothers had more in common than would first seem.As the only holiday gift she can give her children, one cold Christmas Eve the peasant woman goes to the forest to get a tree, never noticing that someone has made a home among its branches. During the night, the mother spider spins webs decorating the tree, resulting in a Christmas that neither mother will ever forget.

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    It has often been retold and reinterpreted in modern times in novels, poetry, plays, movies and more. Once upon a time the character was better known and offered a larger cultural touchstone for the general population. Today he is best known only in literary circles. Consequently, the history of the tale as seen through its tales and other interpretations is fascinating. Offering over ninety tales and ballads, this collection compiles several variants of Bluebeard tales from around the world. Many of the tales are new translations, some appearing for the first time in English. Usually the stories are obviously related to each other and at other times the relationship is more tenuous. While tales from Europe dominate the collection, other parts of the world--including Africa, India, and North America--are well represented. Additionally, several plays and operas, as well as short fictions and poetry, all primarily from the nineteenth century, are offered here. The commercial value and diverse interpretations of this complex tale provide insight into our cultural past, present, and perhaps our future. Whether you are a student of folklore or an armchair enthusiast, this anthology offers a diverse array of tales with a unifying theme that both entertains and educates, all gathered for the first time in one helpful collection.

    Let these stories from the Summer Lands take you on a journey: across wind-wild moors that plummet to treacherous tides; on a scramble from gorge to cave, discovering ancient mines and dragons' haunts; to emerge into forest and field, and stroll beside ancient waterways where willows walk and orchards talk... Your travelling companions will meet you from legend, from history, from living memory - from the places where they were once known best. They will guide you through the wonders and curiosities that make Somerset such a special place. Their stories, strange or faintly familiar, will beckon you to explore this extraordinary landscape or to look on it again with new eyes.

    From the lore of the land to ghost stories, fairy stories, tales of the "oak men," and the true historical tales that inspired many of the famous and haunting legends of Cumbria’s wild landscape, no chair by the fireside is complete without it. These tales will make you want to visit the places where they happened and meet some of the characters who told them to the author.

    Even as his fortunes decline, Josephs door remains open. But times change and Judah turns to his Joseph for help. A very special fish helps Joseph save the day.

    It is the last of three volumes, which include 217 of the 547 stories from the original Pali. Jataka tales are the stories the Buddha told of his previous lives. They are sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, but always instructive in morality and the Dhamma.Originally translated in English at the beginning of the twentieth century, these tales take on new life in this exciting retelling. Whereas many recent collections have presented the Jatakas as fables for children, here the authors have preserved much more of the original drama, so that they are suitable for readers of all ages.

    For a thousand years, its inhabitants passed down oral histories that included fantastical fables as a way to understand their strange land. For settlers escaping starvation in the wake of volcanic eruptions and economic hardship, Manitoba's Interlake held further mystery.35 years after Turnstone Press published its first book of poetry, The Gutting Shed, W. D. Valgardson returns with a collection full of fantastic tales and colourful characters. Bears, wolves, fish, forests, swamps, harsh winters, insect-infested summers, the unpredictable waters of an inland sea, and people claimed by the forces of nature, provide a wealth of material from which Turnstone Press's first published author draws his inspiration.Ancient sturgeon who rescues a fair maid from drowning, a fisherman who can "speak" with a bear, and mischievous Christmas sprites who protect a poor girl from a nightmarish marriage: these and more tales combine a canon of Icelandic folklore with the landscape and wildlife of Canada for a truly absorbing reading experience. Blurring lines between reality and fantasy, W. D. Valgardson continues to be one of Canada's foremost storytellers.

    Many are published here for the first time, and others have evolved through countless retellings in Hampshire schools, festivals, fetes and events. Featuring dark tales of muderous kings and commoners, wild women, screaming skulls, galloping plague coaches, dragons dancing themselves to death, giants, and wandering corpses, combined with humorous stories and evocative tales of love, lust and passion, this book takes the reader beyond the written page and reveals the wonders that lie within the Hampshire landscape.

    Designed to provide educators with material with which to enhance curriculum and lesson plans, the stories open a gateway to a rich and unique cultural mix.The tales presented here are divided into animal stories, how and why stories, tales of enchantment, trickster tales, and scary stories. In them readers can discern not only the native Filipino culture, but the influences of the many peoples who have moved through and settled in the islands, most notably Malay, Chinese, and Spanish, but also Arab, Indian, and American. A brief history of the country, its people, and their cultural traditions is included, as are crafts, children's games, recipes, and color photos. Notes about the stories, a bibliography, and a glossary complete the volume.

    The Children of Lir is an Irish legend of a wicked queen who uses her magic to make the King love her more than his children.

    From historical to fabled, the book includes an array of heroes and villains - including the legendary Robin Hood - and lovers of the supernatural will find an abundance of fairies, ghosts and monsters. This book presents the history of the people of Nottinghamshire through the stories they have told and passed on, keeping alive the rich history of events, ideas and customers. Whether the stories are of national import or local folklore, Pete Castle has made them accessible and enjoyable.

    Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these 30 stories from Cheshire reflect the wisdom (and eccentricities) of the county and its people. Cheshire has a rich and diverse collection of tales, from the stories of some of Britain’s most famous mythical heroes, to tales of demons, dragons, boggarts, and sniddlebogs. These stories, illustrated with 25 line drawings, bring alive the landscape of the county’s rolling hills and fertile plains. The Journey Man is a professional storyteller who has been telling stories across the world for over 20 years.

    Combines well-known legends with previously unpublished stories. Compiled by a popular and well-known local storyteller. The Highlands of Scotland are rich in traditional stories. Even today, in the modern world of internet and supermarkets, old legends dating as far back as the times of the Gaels, Picts and Vikings are still told at night around the fireside. They are tales of the sidh—the fairy people—and their homes in the green hills; of great and gory battles, and of encounters with the last wolves in Britain; of solitary ghosts, and of supernatural creatures like the sinister waterhorse, the mermaid, and the Fuath Scotland’s own Bigfoot. In a vivid journey through the Highland landscape, from the towns and villages to the remotest places, by mountains, cliffs, peatland and glen, storyteller and folklorist Bob Pegg takes the reader along old and new roads to places where legend and landscape are inseparably linked.