So begins the age-old tale of a kind-hearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity?a beautiful rebozo? shawl. With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. Tomie dePaola?s exquisite paintings, filled with the folk art of Mexico, make this a Cinderella story like no other.

    . . backwards! Before you reach the beginning, you'll meet a temperamental giant, a beleaguered cook, a dragon who's scared of bunny rabbits, an oversized tomato, and an impish figure on a flying pig who just might be the cause of all the madness. It's a conventionally perfect and perfectly unconventional take on the fairy tale -- guaranteed to convert the Grimmest reader to giggles.

    The island is surrounded by a magical force field that keeps the villains and their descendants safely locked up and away from the mainland. Life on the island is dark and dreary. It is a dirty, decrepit place that's been left to rot and forgotten by the world.But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon's eye: the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it...who will it be?Maleficent, Mistress of the Dark: As the self-proclaimed ruler of the isle, Maleficent has no tolerance for anything less than pure evil. She has little time for her subjects, who have still not mastered life without magic. Her only concern is getting off the Isle of the Lost.Mal: At sixteen, Maleficent's daughter is the most talented student at Dragon Hall, best known for her evil schemes. And when she hears about the dragon's eye, Mal thinks this could be her chance to prove herself as the cruelest of them all.Evie: Having been castle-schooled for years, Evil Queen's daughter, Evie, doesn't know the ins and outs of Dragon Hall. But she's a quick study, especially after she falls for one too many of Mal's little tricks.Jay: As the son of Jafar, Jay is a boy of many talents: stealing and lying to name a few. Jay and Mal have been frenemies forever and he's not about to miss out on the hunt for the dragon's eye.Carlos: Cruella de Vil's son may not be bravest, but he's certainly clever. Carlos's inventions may be the missing piece in locating the dragon's eye and ending the banishment for good.Mal soon learns from her mother that the dragon's eye is cursed and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the dragon's eye, these kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.

    Very little. She's brave and bossy, fearless and determined, loving and funny. And like all toddlers she likes everything just so – woe betide anyone and anything that gets in her way!Join Very Little Red Riding Hood on a very important expedition to her Grandmama's for a sleepover.She's got some cakes, she's got red ted, she's got her blanket and she's got her tea set. And NOTHING is going to get in the way of her well-laid plans. Not even a Wolf!Will they all live happily ever after?Find out in Very Little Red Riding Hood's very big adventure.

    Morris Lessmore.You might think you know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, but you might want to think again. In this fairy tale with a twist, it hasn't rained in days and the king has dictated that something must be done; his royal pinky is getting stinky! With a little magic from a wizard, young Jack, paired with his pea pod pal, will find a GIANT reason as to why there's no water left in the kingdom...and prove that size doesn't prevent anyone from doing something BIG.

    The spellbound frog is whisked off to the trolls' castle and the ungrateful lass loses her chance to marry a handsome prince until she creates a happy ending, having atoned for her mistake".--Publishers Weekly. Full color.

    In this telling, our heroine Ruby loves red berries, her red boots and especially the red cloak her grandma made for her. When Ruby puts on her red cloak, she becomes ... SUPER RED RIDING HOOD! Sent by her mother to collect some raspberries from the clearing in the woods, Ruby reminds herself that she isn't frightened by the chill from the darkness, the loud tapping of the woodpecker or the snapping of a twig underfoot, because SUPER RED RIDING HOOD is never scared! But the final test comes when she encounters a towering wolf with a growling tummy. It will take all of Ruby's superhero skills to get him to leave her alone! Author-illustrator Claudia Dávila has crafted an upbeat, modern-day fairy tale sure to delight the pre-reader set. The emotions of the little girl in the red cloak and red boots are the centerpiece of every colorful drawing, and some pages feature more than one scene to speed up the visual action. This is a great read-aloud story full of drama, with a positive message about not judging others too quickly, as well as character education lessons on being generous, brave, compassionate and respectful. It also offers an empowering example to both girls and boys of a strong character standing up for herself against a bully.

    He's round. And he's not wearing any pants.So Pete must be a boulder. Or is he a pigeon? Or a squirrel? Or a cloud?Join Pete in his quest to answer the world's oldest question: Why do I have to wear pants? Wait, that's the second oldest. Born from the one-of-a-kind imagination of Rowboat Watkins, this hilarious book (the asides just beg to be read aloud) about finding out who you are features a satisfying and touching ending that will encourage young readers to be true to themselves as it reminds the adults in their lives to support them no matter what.

    Here is the classic story of Rapunzel, the lovely girl who is raised by a witch and locked up in a tall tower before being rescued by a handsome prince.

    Using traditional reading teaching techniques like alliteration, rhyme, repetition, and short sentences), the text invites young children to read along, while Michael Emberley's lively illustrations enhance the stories' humor and high spirits. Goldilocks, the Little Red Hen, the Three Little Pigs, and many more beloved characters star in these tales-with-a-twist that are perfect for early and reluctant readers, readers' theater, and bedtime fun. A 2005 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts by the Children's Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teacher of English. Also chosen as a 2004 Gryphon Award Honor Book by the Center for Children's Books.

    The smoothly told story contains the familiar details and a happy ending in which Cinderella forgives her stepfamily." - The Horn Book Club -"This satisfying tale never grows old. Koopman's illustrations are jewel-toned and Cinderella herself is attractive as a person and figure." - Yellow Brick Road -

    How would you react if Somebody visited your house while you were gone, especially if the Somebody were a bear?

    . . it inspires so many silly sayings.Let me catch my breath.You take my breath away.I need a breath of fresh air.And how did little white flowers come to be known as Baby's Breath?Breath is a mystery in more ways than one. And this story is all about breath: losing it, trying to find it, even trying to buy it.In the imagination of Paul Briggs, a boy's breath becomes personified, and it zooms away through farm, forest, and sea, returning only when the boy least expects it.

    There must be something more, he thinks. So when he sees a "silver line twinkling in the distance," he decides to find out what it is. He discovers a beautiful stream, but then he gets caught up in the current! Luckily, a mole named Nosey saves him. As they explore, Shredder begins to miss the forest, so he and Nosey return together, and Shredder realizes that all he really needed was a friend.

    But the mysterious wrapped gift has a curious effect--it's making Elmo sneeze! And every time Elmo sneezes, something funny happens. Toddlers will love following along when Elmo's sneezes cause laundry to fall off its line and much more in this Early Step into Reading™ story.