Follow the Drinking Gourd


Jeanette Winter - 1988
    in full color. "Winter's story begins with a peg-leg sailor who aids slaves on their escape on the Underground Railroad. While working for plantation owners, Peg Leg Joe teaches the slaves a song about the drinking gourd (the Big Dipper). A couple, their son, and two others make their escape by following the song's directions. Rich paintings interpret the strong story in a clean, primitive style enhanced by bold colors. The rhythmic compositions have an energetic presence that's compelling. A fine rendering of history in picturebook format."--(starred) Booklist.

Once a Mouse...


Marcia Brown - 1961
    But the proud tiger must suffer the consequences when he becomes ungrateful and forgets his humble origins. Marcia Brown’s magical woodcuts bring this Indian fable to life with the mastery that won her a second Caldecott Medal.

Little Red


Bethan Woollvin - 2015
    The wolf is hungry, and Red Riding Hood looks tasty, so he hatches a dastardly plan, gobbles up Grandma and lies in wait. So far, so familiar. But this Little Red Riding Hood is not easily fooled, and this big bad wolf better watch his back. In this defiant interpretation of the traditional tale, the cheeky, brave little girl seizes control of her own story (and the wolf gets rather more than he bargained for).

Nate the Great


Marjorie Weinman Sharmat - 1972
    She wants Nate to help her find it. Nate the Great must get all the facts, ask the right questions, and narrow the list of suspects so he can solve the mystery.

Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess


Richard Platt - 1999
    Eleven-year-old Toby’s vivid diary entries offer an insider’s view of day-to-day castle life, including tips on etiquette (where do you spit at a feast?) and exciting descriptions of hunting, jousting, and harvesting. Complete with glossary, index, and detailed endnotes, this is a rich look at medieval life that informs as much as it entertains.

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.

The Hunterman and the Crocodile


Baba Wagué Diakité - 1997
    A hunterman and a crocodile take turns being captive and captor in a humorous folktale that teaches the importance of living in harmony with nature and is illustrated with ceramic-tile paintings.

Why The Sky Is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale


Mary-Joan Gerson - 1974
    The sky was once so close to the Earth that people cut parts of it to eat, but their waste and greed caused the sky to move far away.

The Bunyans


Audrey Wood - 1996
    As they frolic through early America, their footprints and adventures carve out infamous sites from the Rocky Mountains and Niagara Falls to Yellowstone's "Old Faithful!" Full color.

A Year Full of Stories: 52 Classic Stories From All Around the World


Angela McAllister - 2016
    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)

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China


Ai-Ling Louie - 1982
    "Executed with chromatic splendor--a unique combination of brilliance and restraint".--The Horn Book. Full-color illustrations.

Tales from Silver Lands


Charles J. Finger - 1924
    In them an assortment of animals, magical creatures, witches, giants, and children struggle for a life in which good overcomes evil. These fast-moving and adventuresome fantasies provide insight into the values and culture of native South American peoples. They stress the importance of close relationships, hard work, bravery, gentleness, and beauty, and contain colorful explanations of natural phenomena.A tale of three tails --The magic dog --The calabash man --Na-Ha the fighter --The humming-bird and the flower --The magic ball --El Enano --The hero twins --The four hundred --The killing of Cabrakan --The tale of the gentle folk --The tale that cost a dollar --The magic knot --The bad wishers --The hungry old witch --The wonderful mirror --The tale of the lazy people --Rairu and the star maiden --The cat and the dream man (less)

Squids Will be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables


Jon Scieszka - 1998
    A general moral offered by the book is, "If you are planning to write fables, don't forget to change people's names and avoid places with high cliffs".

Beautiful Blackbird


Ashley Bryan - 2003
    The other birds, who were colored red, yellow, blue, and green, were so envious that they begged Blackbird to paint their feathers with a touch of black so they could be beautiful too. Although Blackbird warns them that true beauty comes from within, the other birds persist and soon each is given a ring of black around their neck or a dot of black on their wings -- markings that detail birds to this very day. Coretta Scott King Award-winner Ashley Bryan's adaptation of a tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia resonates both with rhythm and the tale's universal meanings -- appreciating one's heritage and discovering the beauty within. His cut-paper artwork is a joy.

John Henry: An American Legend


Ezra Jack Keats - 1965
    in full color. The Caldecott Medalist's powerful classic is now reissued in a handsome paperback edition, as well as a library edition.