Even though she was the daughter of the emperor, Izta had no desire to marry a man of wealth and power. Instead, she fell in love with Popoca, a brave warrior who fought in her father’s army—and a man who did not offer her riches but a promise to stay by her side forever.   The emperor did not want his daughter to marry a mere warrior, but he recognized Popoca’s bravery. He offered Popoca a deal: If the warrior could defeat their enemy, Jaguar Claw, then the emperor would permit Popoca and Izta to wed. But Jaguar Claw had a plan to thwart the warrior. Would all be lost?   Today two majestic volcanoes—Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl—stand overlooking Mexico City. They have been admired and revered for countless generations, and have formed the basis of many origin and creation myths. In The Princess and the Warrior, award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh retells one of Mexico’s cherished legends.

    The book is broken into 12 chapters, for each of the 12 months of the year, and throughout, stories are matched to internationally celebrated dates, including Valentines Day and the International Day of Friendship, as well as seasonal events and festivals. Collected and retold by award-winning author Angela McAllister, and illustrated by internally recognised artist Christopher Corr, this is a book that will be treasured by families and appeal to teachers and librarians around the world.CONTENTS --Dedication --JANUARY --New Year's Day Father Frost (A Russian story) --Wintertime The Magic Porridge Pot (A German story) --Chinese New Year King of the Forest (A Chinese story) --FEBRUARY --Candlemas The Empty Barn (A Latvian story) --Valentine's Day The Frog Prince (A German story) --The Mole's Wedding (A Korean story) --Shrove Tuesday The Runaway Pancake (A German story) --MARCH --St. David's Day Gelert the Hound (A Welsh story) --World Wildlife Day The Bird Wife (An Inuit story) --Purim The Blue Coat (A Jewish story) St. Patrick's Day The Pot of Gold (An Irish story) --World Water Day Tiddalik, the Thirsty Frog (An Indigenous Australian story) --APRIL --April Fools' Day Rabbit and Crab (A Mayan story) --Easter The Basket of Eggs (A Canadian story) --World Health Day How the Bear Clan Learned to Heal (An Iroquois story) --St. George's Day The Glass Knight (An English story) --The Shoemaker and the Dragon (A Polish story) --MAY --May Day The Cracked Pot (An Indian story) --Springtime Spring and Autumn (A Japanese story) --Vesak The Hare in the Moon (A Buddhist story) --JUNE World Oceans Day Prince Fire Flash and Prince Fire Fade (A Japanese story) --Ramadan The Boots of Hunain (An Arabic story) --Midsummer Anansi and Turtle (A Caribbean story) --World Music Day Skeleton oman (An Inuit story) --JULY --Eid ul- Fitr Zirak and Ring-dove (An Iraqi story) --Tanabata The Weaving Maiden and the Oxherd (A Japanese story) --St. Swithin's Day Elephant and the Rain Spirit (An African Bushman story) --International Day of Friendship Heungbu and Nolbu (A Korean story) --Androcles and the Lion (A Roman story) --AUGUST --Lammas Day The Little Red Hen (A Russian story) Harvest The Ship of Wheat (A Dutch story) --Persephone (An ancient Greek story) --SEPTEMBER --Yom Kippur Jonah and the Whale (A Bible story) --International Day of Peace The Two Kings (A Buddhist Story) --Autumn Why the Evergreeens Keep Their Leaves (An American story) --The Gifts of the North Wind (A Norwegian story) --OCTOBER --World Food Day The Raja and the Rice (An Indian story) --Why the Bananas Belong to the Monkey (A Brazilian story) --Diwali Rama and Sita (An Indian story) --Halloween The Buried Moon (An English story) The Shortest Ghost Story in the World (An English story) --NOVEMBER --Thanksgiving How the Pine-tree Chief Got His Name (An Iroquois story) --The Gift of a Cow-tail Switch (A West African story) --Bonfire Night How Grandmother Spider Brought Fire (A Choctaw story) --National Tree Week The Woodcutter and the Wolf (A French story) --The Tree of Magical Leaves (A Chinese story) --St. Andrew's Day Conall and the Thunder Hag (A Scottish story) --DECEMBER --Human Rights Day The Bell of Atri (An Italian story) --Midwinter East of the Sun, West of the Moon (A Scandinavian story)

    It had fountains of cool, refreshing water to quench the thirst of the desert, and storytellers to bring the people together. But as the kingdom grew, the people forgot the dangers of the desert, and they forgot about the storytellers, too. All but one young boy, who came to the Great Square for a drink and found something that quenched his thirst even better: wonderful stories. As he listened to the last storyteller recount the Endless Drought, and the Glorious Blue Water Bird, he discovered the power of a tale well told. Acclaimed illustrator Evan Turk has created a stunning multidimensional story within a story that will captivate the imagination and inspire a new generation of young storytellers.

    A medieval, Italian town named Roseto serves as the backdrop. The beautiful and colourful illustrations – all done in paper collage style – depict different parts of the town and journey. Although, the story unfolds in a different time and place, the message is universal and timeless.Available on Amazon and iTunes (iBooks store)Printed version of the book sold on Mary's website: m.f.publishing.com

    The magical storytelling of award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli dramatizes these timeless tales and ignites childrens' imaginations.

    There she discusses folklore, fairy tales and fantasy, taking their study seriously, in the spirit of scholars such as Katherine Briggs and Jacqueline Simpson, but always with a light and graceful touch.In her book for The Greystones Press, Katherine explores fairy tales, ballads and folk tales. She reflects on the role of women in fairy tales, discusses specific tales such as Briar Rose and The Juniper Tree, and looks at wider themes of White Ladies, Water Spirits, Fairy Brides and many more.Seven Miles of Steel Thistles will be published in paperback and e-book on 23rd April 2016.

    And every loch in Scotland has its kelpie. But it's easy to forget those dangers on a sunny afternoon..." Flora is playing with her brothers and sisters by the loch when she notices a stunning white horse. While her siblings clamour for a chance to ride the beautiful animal, Flora is worried. Where has this strange horse come from? Why are its hoof prints wet? Too late Flora realises this is no horse! It's a kelpie: a shape-shifting water horse from Scottish folklore known to steal children. Can Flora reveal the secret of the kelpie in time to save her family? The kelpie, once a lesser-known creature of Scottish mythology, is now enjoying legendary status as Andy Scott's magnificent Kelpies statues have become a world-famous tourist attraction. The classic tale of the kelpie is wonderfully retold for 4-7 year olds in this gripping adaptation by renowned Scottish children's author and storyteller Lari Don, with breathtaking illustrations by artist Philip Longson.

    And yet, until very recently, East Anglia has been a land 'set apart' and isolated amidst impassable marshes, Fens and uncleared Forests.Thus East Anglia is a landscape in which 'the good folk', land drakes, land wights, meremaids, giants, spectral hounds, saintly miracles, wort Cunning, toad lore, folk magic and indeed witchcraft have been nurtured and continue to play a part in the lives of the people of what has aptly been named 'Witch Country'.

    At nineteen, when she was seven months pregnant, her parents were in a fatal car accident. And at twenty-four, when her son was only five-years-old, he was murdered before her eyes by a cloaked figure in the middle of the night. It takes everything she has to hold on after the amount of devastation she's endured. But when a mysterious neighbor sees her crumpled on the sidewalk in grief, he picks her up and introduces her to a new world. She goes with him to the Chamber of Darkness, an underground secret society, where she learns to fight evil beings and creatures as a Huntsman. Her sole motivation to complete her training is getting revenge on the demon that killed her little boy. But while she's there, prophetic dreams reveal there is a mysterious traitor in the Chamber's headquarters and they are trying to get their hands on a goblet that will open the portal to unleash all the demons in existence into the human world. Will Kamlyn and her friends be able to figure out who the traitor is in time to stop them from destroying the human race?

    The castle has since been hidden by a mysterious and constant fog that looms over the water, but his story speaks of nine girls who rowed out to the castle on Needle’s Eye Island. None of them returned, and the lord’s family was never heard from again.Years later, following their grandfather’s death, the last ties that bind the three sisters to the village—and each other—seem to be breaking. A careless mistake on the water leads their boat to be swallowed by the forbidden fog, and when they emerge from that cloud, the girls discover that the island castle they’d dreamed of is not a myth. The mere innocence of a curious glimpse becomes a fight for survival when the girls are cursed by the lord’s ghostly sons. The sisters learn firsthand what happened to the nine girls who never returned home, and their choice quickly becomes apparent: they can play the games of the three soulless men, or they can give in to death, never to see one another again.

    Can she do it at 6,000 years old? Can he? Or will divine intervention be needed?

    . . and make you think twice before disobeying your mom the next time she asks you to clean the shower stall. "This book is 'Twilight Zone' for kids." -Don Winn, founder of Cardboard Box Adventures Publishing and author of the Sir Kaye book series "Each story is a pleasure!" --Linda LaRue Austin, writer, historian, and author of Midnight Amethyst "David Hughes is a modern-day weaver of tales much like the classic Grimm brothers. Each story awakens the imagination and questions what we commonly refer to as reality, while entertaining and delighting the senses." -Jan Sikes, author of Flowers and Stone and other biographical fiction

    This book is not your usual reference work, but a complex and engaging exploration of the subject matter, written with Forsyth’s distinctive flair.

    Here you will meet strange beasts, creatures and even stranger folk; here you will meet men and women capable of tricking even the Devil himself, and here you will find the very tale that inspired Robert Burns's most famous poem, Tam o'Shanter. With each Story told in an engaging style, and illustrated with unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.

    The region has played a key part in the history of Scotland since prehistoric times. From the Irish settlers who established the kingdom of Dál Riata, bringing with them the Gaelic language and the tales of Finn MacCool, to the Lords of the Isles, and the warring clans, their folk tales and legends are gathered together in this richly entertaining book by Highland-based storyteller Bob Pegg.

    Composed of seventeen recipes based on the most beloved fairy tales, Cook Me a Story offers young cooks their first opportunity to create deliciously enchanting dishes. Throughout each recipe, well-known fairy-tale characters act out cooking instructions that are woven into each scene of the tale.

    Scratch under the surface and you will find settlements of ancient Britons razed to the ground and ruined castles. The landscape rings with the stories of robber barons, conniving highwaymen, and lonely women condemned as witches, characters brought to life here by noted storyteller Jen Foley. Richly illustrated with 30 unique drawings, these enchanting tales tall and true, ancient and recent, powerful and fantastical, will appeal to young and old and can be enjoyed by readers time and again.

    In the ancient South Pacific world of Oceania, Moana, a born navigator, sets sail in search of a fabled island. During her incredible journey, she teams up with her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui, to traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage. They encounter enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds, and ancient folklore. In theaters in late 2016, the film is directed by the renowned filmmaking team of Ron Clements and John Musker ("The Little Mermaid," "The Princess and the Frog," "Aladdin"). This essential guide to Moana's world is perfect for children ages 9-12.

    Every mountain, tree, lake, stream, rock, stone and character tells a tale. There are the stories about "educated" ancient Irish pigs who understood three languages (Irish, Latin and English) and monsters that lurk under the surface of Lower Lough Erne, and there are spooky tales of ghosts, such as that of a murdered stableboy said to haunt the stable of Tempo Manor and the strange glowing ball of light that has been seen at Castle Crom, which rolls around the lake and foretells of major events that will affect the whole of Ireland. And there are the "hints," or tall tales, that the locals love to retell. All these stories and more are featured in this collection of tales which will take you on an oral tour across the county.