Each of our holidays has its own familiar traditions: Trick-or-treating on Halloween, eating turkey on Thanksgiving, waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas, exchanging cards on Valentine's Day. But where do these customs come from, when did they begin, and why do we continue to observe them? In the engaging blend of careful research and lively prose that has earned her books a lasting place on the holiday bookshelf, Edna Barth explores the multicultural origins and evolution of the familiar and not-so-familiar symbols and legends associated with our favorite holidays. Full of fascinating historical details and little-known stories, these books are both informative and engaging. Festively illustrated by Ursula Arndt, they are now available again in hardcover as well as paperback editions, featuring new, eye-catching jacket designs, and fun holiday activities inside the paperback covers. Each book includes an annotated list of holiday stories and poems and an index.

    Miller, former Deputy US Marshal turned bounty hunter—she doesn't backwater to any man. Fiona Mae and her partner, Deputy US Marshal Brushy Bill Roberts are on a suspense filled encounter peppered with old west Indian mysticism, shapeshifters, Spanish gold, and outlaws on the scout in Blue Water Woman. In a country and lifestyle normally reserved for men, Fiona Miller is a special breed of woman. She's rattlesnake fast, an expert shot…with either hand…can ride anything with hair on it and doesn't tolerate injustice or rudeness anywhere or from anyone. Who is she after now? Who is the Blue Water Woman?

    Gilman's modern adaptation and lively illustrations turn this favorite Jewish tale into a contemporary classic.

    It was originally compiled by Elias Lonnröt in the 19th century from ancient oral poetry. Since then, it has been translated into over 45 languages. This English translation captures the magic and beauty for children and adults alike. Beginning with the world's creation, it follows the stories of Väinämöinen, a shamanistic hero of song and story; his young rival, Joukahainen; and the handsome but arrogant Lemminkäinen. Their quests for love, revenge, truth, and the mysterious Sampo, the ultimate source of prosperity, have thrilled and inspired generations of readers. This vibrant translation, with shimmering illustrations by Pirkko-liisa Surojegin, is sure to attract even more fans.

    When the poor man was unable to stand it any longer, he ran to the Rabbi for help.As he follows the Rabbi's unlikely advice, the poor man's life goes from bad to worse, with increasingly uproarious results. In his little hut, silly calamity follows foolish catastrophe, all memorably depicted in full-color illustrations that are both funnier and lovelier than any this distinguished artist has done in the past.It Could Always Be Worse is a 1977 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year, and a 1978 Caldecott Honor Book.

    But, as this gentleman soon discovers, the farmer, his wife, and their daughter are all hopelessly silly. The three of them cry a roomful of tears one day, all because they start a-thinking that the gentleman and the daughter may get married and have a baby boy, and that boy might one day be donked on the head by a falling mallet. Indeed, the gentleman is flabbergasted by their silliness. "I shall set out traveling," he announces, "and when I can find three sillies who are even sillier than you three, I¹ll come back and marry your daughter." Could three sillier sillies exist in all the land? Will the gentleman find them? Is it possible that the gentleman himself is the sillier silly he seeks?

    Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett have created just such an edition of "Snow White." Beautiful color illustrations throughout.

    But then the wok rolls out of the poor family's house with a skippity-hoppity-ho! and returns from the rich man's home with a feast in tow! With spirited text and lively illustrations, this story reminds readers about the importance of generosity.

    and in fact the dragon was there too?

    It seemed like a simple enough problem at the beginning, but more and more complications set in—in the forms of a donkey, a sheep, and a cow, to name a few, until it looked as though an entire farm had come to life right there in Peter’s house!But with the proper, if overwhelming, application of true folk wisdom, the trouble was ended. Peter’s house was finally quiet.Or was it?“This is a funny book, a very funny book.”—Publishers Weekly “The too-crowded house of a familiar old tale becomes a too noisy house in this entertaining picture-book story.”—Booklist

    They have built mountains, forests, and seas and filled the world with animals, people, and unnamed beasts. Now their days are fat with long naps in the clouds, mutual admiration, and tea and cake. But their world has gaps in it filled with emptiness, gaps that intrigue Harry, Sue, and little Ben until they begin to see what might fill them. One by one the children conjure, from twigs and leaves and stones, a mousy thing, a chirpy thing, and a twisty legless thing. But as the children’s ideas grow bolder, the power of their visions proves greater and more dangerous than they, or the gods, could ever have imagined. Is it possible to unmake what’s been made?

    Full color.

    Each has a special magic, an aura that is sometimes beautiful and fascinating, sombre and frightening, or exciting and colourful. But what unites all these stories is the essential quality of folk-lore, something that transcends the boundaries of nations, of custom and time, that gives them their permanence and universality of appeal. "Authors need folk-tales," Richard Adams says, "in the same way as composers need folk-song. They're the headspring of the narrator's art, where the story stands forth at its simple, irreducible best. They don't date, any more than dreams, for they are the collective dreams of humanity." In order to preserve as far as possible the immediacy and directness of authentic folk story-telling, each of the nineteen tales is presented as being told by an imagined narrator to one or more hearers at a particular time and place, sometimes past, sometimes present. However, the reader is never told the identity either of the teller or his hearers, but is left free to infer both them and the occasion solely from the narrator's own words. This original technique adds a novel dash of piquancy to this fine collection.

    His crying keeps the rattlesnake elders up all night so his parents give him a new rattle. Sure enough, he misuses his new rattle. When he tries to scare the chief's daughter, she steps on his rattle and crushes it. Sad and defeated, he returns to his forgiving family who give him big rattlesnake hugs.

    Full color.