Book picks similar to
Odysseus and the Giants by I.M. Richardson


folktales
general
legend-retellings
troll-communications

The Wise Old Woman


Yoshiko Uchida - 1994
    The overlord threatens to destroy the farmer's village unless the young lord can perform three seemingly impossible tasks. How the elderly mother accomplishes the tasks and saves the village is a satisfying story brought to life with remarkable full-color paintings.

Child's Story of the Bible


Mary A. Lathbury - 2009
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Chicken Little


Steven Kellogg - 1985
    Steven Kellogg's hilarious retelling and irresistible illustrations bring fresh delight to this timeless classic of chain reaction panic.

Black Folktales


Julius Lester - 1970
    Arranged by topic — Origins, Love, Heroes, and People — the tales combine universal themes and uncanny wisdom. Though some of these stories have been around for centuries and many were passed down by slaves, Julius Lester's urban expressiveness and Tom Feeling's spirited illustrations give them continued resonance for today's audience.

Hansel and Gretel


Susan Jeffers - 1980
    From Hansel's trail of bread crumbs to Gretel's ingenious triumph over the witch, the details of this familiar fairy tale enchant children year after year. Now, in an update on her classic retelling, Caldecott Honor winner and New York Times bestseller Susan Jeffers brings Hansel and Gretel to life for a new generation.

Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and other Wily Characters


Patricia C. McKissack - 2006
    From the author's note that takes us back to McKissack's own childhood when she would listen to stories told on her front porch... to the captivating introductions to each tale, in which the storyteller introduces himself and sets the stage for what follows... to the ten entertaining tales themselves, here is a worthy successor to McKissack's The Dark-Thirty. In "The Best Lie Ever Told," meet Dooley Hunter, a trickster who spins an enormous whopper at the State Liar's contest. In "Aunt Gran and the Outlaws," watch a little old lady slickster outsmart Frank and Jesse James. And in "Cake Norris Lives On," come face to face with a man some folks believe may have died up to twenty-seven different times!

Heckedy Peg


Audrey Wood - 1987
    “The inherent drama of the story, combined with the haunting images the art provides, gives the picture book a timeless quality.”--Booklist

Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky


Elphinstone Dayrell - 1968
    But so many poured in that they were forced to move to the sky.

Swallows and Amazons for Ever


Arthur Ransome - 1984
    Abridged versions of Coot Club and The Big Six.

The Salmon Princess: An Alaska Cinderella Story


Mindy Dwyer - 2004
    But this story is set in the Last Frontier, and its details and imagery reflect Alaska's landscape and sensibility: the fairy godmother becomes an eagle spirit, the glass slipper a fisherwoman's boot. Evocative writing and colorful artwork distinguish this playful retelling of the classic. Here children learn about cultures and ways of life but happy endings are still the rule.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale


Verna Aardema - 1981
    A cumulative rhyme relating how Ki-pat brought rain to the drought-stricken Kapiti Plain. Verna Aardema has brought the original story closer to the English nursery rhyme by putting in a cumulative refrain and giving the tale the rhythm of “The House That Jack Built.”

The Wolf Who Cried Boy


Bob Hartman - 2002
    How he wishes his mother would serve up a nice platter of his favorite dish: Boy! But Boy is hard to come by these days. As Little Wolf trudges home from school one day, he decides to postpone his boring dinner by shouting "Boy! Boy!" But what will happen when a real boy finally comes along? In this hilarious twisted tale, Little Wolf learns the same timeless lesson that the boy who cried "Wolf!" did so many years ago.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas


John Boyne - 2006
    (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter one.

Love Flute


Paul Goble - 1992
    One night he receives mystical visitors who offer him a special gift -- a love flute. A gift from the birds and animals, its tells the girl of his love where words have failed.

Tikki Tikki Tembo


Arlene Mosel - 1968
    Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent's classic re-creation of an ancient Chinese folktale has hooked legions of children, teachers, and parents, who return, generation after generation, to learn about the danger of having such an honorable name as Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.