Why the Spider Has Long Legs (Folk Tales From Around the World)


Charlotte Guillain - 2014
    In it, Anansi the spider learns that you usually have to work to get the things that you want, and that it is never a good idea to be too greedy!

The First Blade of Sweetgrass


Suzanne Greenlaw - 2021
    This sweet, authentic story from a Maliseet mother and her Passamaquoddy husband includes backmatter about traditional basket making and a Wabanaki glossary.

Mr. Kent's Wall of Wonders (a magical short story for 8-12 year olds) (Troubled Tweens Short Stories)


D.D. Roy - 2013
    Kent dreads the inventory of his enchanted objects. While he loves playing with the hula hoop that can turn back time and the jump rope that makes you invisible, the item in Cabinet 11 always escapes, and this time, it will be during school hours! It will take the teamwork of the Troubled Tweens to help Mr. Kent get the magical mayhem returned to its cabinet in his colorful Wall of Wonders.This 4000-word story from the world of the Troubled Tweens is the perfect introduction to D.D. Roy's book series that begins with Jinnie Wishmaker and continues with Marcus Mender._________________________About the AuthorD.D. Roy is the author of the Troubled Tweens series for readers 8-12 years old. Her first novel, Jinnie Wishmaker, was released in 2011. She has published numerous short stories in literary magazines, and Dust Bunnies: Secret Agents, her iPad/iPhone story book for children, will be released by Polycot Labs in 2012.

Knots on a Counting Rope


Bill Martin Jr. - 1987
    In this poignant story, the counting rope is a metaphor for the passage of time and for a boy's emerging confidence in facing his blindness.

Farm Anatomy: Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life


Julia Rothman - 2011
    Dissecting everything from tractors and pigs to fences, hay bales, crop rotation patterns, and farm tools, Rothman gives a richly entertaining tour of the quirky details of country life. From the shapes of squash varieties to the parts of a goat; from how a barn is constructed to what makes up a beehive, every corner of the barnyard is uncovered and celebrated. A perfect gift for gardeners, locavores, homesteaders, and country-living enthusiasts alike.

The Education of Little Tree


Forrest Carter - 1976
    Little Tree as his grandparents call him is shown how to hunt and survive in the mountains, to respect nature in the Cherokee Way, taking only what is needed, leaving the rest for nature to run its course. Little Tree also learns the often callous ways of white businessmen and tax collectors, and how Granpa, in hilarious vignettes, scares them away from his illegal attempts to enter the cash economy. Granma teaches Little Tree the joys of reading and education. But when Little Tree is taken away by whites for schooling, we learn of the cruelty meted out to Indian children in an attempt to assimilate them and of Little Tree's perception of the Anglo world and how it differs from the Cherokee Way. A classic of its era, and an enduring book for all ages, The Education of Little Tree has now been redesigned for this twenty-fifth anniversary edition.

Coyote Tales


Thomas King - 2017
    Freshly illustrated and reissued as an early chapter book, these stories are perfect for newly independent readers.In Coyote Sings to the Moon, Coyote is at first the cause of misfortune. In those days, when the moon was much brighter and closer to the earth, Old Woman and the animals would sing to her each night. Coyote attempts to join them, but his voice is so terrible they beg him to stop. He is crushed and lashes out — who needs Moon anyway? Furious, Moon dives into a pond, plunging the world into darkness. But clever Old Woman comes up with a plan to send Moon back up into the sky and, thanks to Coyote, there she stays.In Coyote’s New Suit, mischievous Raven wreaks havoc when she suggests that Coyote’s toasty brown suit is not the finest in the forest, thus prompting him to steal suits belonging to all the other animals. Meanwhile, Raven tells the other animals to borrow clothes from the humans’ camp. When Coyote finds that his closet is too full, Raven slyly suggests he hold a yard sale, then sends the human beings (in their underwear) and the animals (in their ill-fitting human clothes) along for the fun. A hilarious illustration of the consequences of wanting more than we need.

Sleeping Beauty and Other Classic Fairy Tales


Charles Perrault - 1991
    

The Legend of the Lady Slipper


Margi Preus - 1999
    Illustrated with paintings as graceful and delicate as the lady slipper itself, this unforgettable retelling shows how a child's lost slippers became one of nature's most lovely spring flowers.

The Boy who Spoke to the Earth


Chris Burkard - 2015
    Join the Earth and the boy in this epic tale as you experience your own journey to happiness. You may learn together what it means to stand still for just a moment and find joy every step of the way.

Gladesmen: Gator Hunters, Moonshiners, and Skiffers


Glen Simmons - 1998
    . . should have strong, immediate interest for the ecologists engaged in efforts to restore the Everglades."--William B. Robertson, research biologist for Everglades National ParkFrom the book--Pa built our house out of rough lumber that they got from Frazier’s sawmill . . . a one-room house about 16 to 18 feet long and 12 feet wide. We all slept on cots and sat on boxes or a trunk. The kitchen was in the corner, and Ma cooked on a four-hole stove, which cost six dollars. Me and my middle brother, Alvin, sat on a trunk to eat at the table. That trunk had some long cracks in it. My brother knew just how to move so the crack would pinch . . . .Years before the Park was established, when all the land and marsh seemed to belong to me, we would help ourselves to whatever we could see or trade for survival. Mostly we would sell gator and otter hides. . . . On this particular trip, after grunting awhile at the gator hole, I gave up and made tracks to the camp since I wanted to return by dark. . . . I was lying under my skeeter bar with a small tarp stretched between two cabbage palms. About midnight, I heard the dried cabbage fronds breaking in the path toward my camp. The night was pitch black . . .Few people today can claim a living memory of Florida's frontier Everglades. Glen Simmons, who has hunted alligators, camped on hammock-covered islands, and poled his skiff through the mangrove swamps of the glades since the 1920s, is one who can. Together with Laura Ogden, he tells the story of backcountry life in the southern Everglades from his youth until the establishment of the Everglades National Park in 1947. During the economic bust of the late ‘20s, when many natives turned to the land to survive, Simmons began accompanying older local men into Everglades backcountry, the inhospitable prairie of soft muck and mosquitoes, of outlaws and moonshiners, that rings the southern part of the state. As Simmons recalls life in this community with humor and nostalgia, he also documents the forgotten lifestyles of south Florida gladesmen. By necessity, they understood the natural features of the Everglades ecosystem. They observed the seasonal fluctuations of wildlife, fire, and water levels. Their knowledge of the mostly unmapped labyrinth of grassy water enabled them to serve as guides for visiting naturalists and scientists. Simmons reconstructs this world, providing not only fascinating stories of individual personalities, places, and events, but an account that is accurate, both scientifically and historically, of one of the least known and longest surviving portions of the American frontier.Glen Simmons has lived in the south Florida Everglades since his birth in 1916 in Homestead. In 1995 he was awarded a State of Florida Heritage Award for his unique contribution to Florida's history and folk culture. He has demonstrated and taught glades skiff building for the Florida Department of State, Bureau of Folklife, and the South Florida Historical Society; his boats are on permanent display at the Florida Folklife Museum in White Springs, Florida, and at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Miami.Laura Ogden, also born in Homestead and a life-long friend of Glen Simmons, is assistant professor of anthropology at Florida International University.

Superbunny and the Peas of Doom


Neil McFarlane - 2014
     It was dark down there, but someone placed a carrot in your hand and said, "Eat it." You took a bite and said, "Ow!" "Eat the carrot, not your hand," said the voice. You ate the carrot, the lights came on, and that's when all the trouble started... *********************************************************** A "read aloud" bedtime story for parents to read to/with kids aged 5 to 11. The star of the story is "you" (i.e. your child) and the story contains lots of humour to appeal to both children and adults alike. Scroll up and grab a copy - it's FREE!

I Wish I Had a Dinosaur


V. Moua - 2016
    Once again, the little red bird has another great idea. This time, he absolutely knows what would make a great pet—a dinosaur! The bird also does a great job at convincing the reader why a particular dinosaur would make the perfect pet. So read along as you and your child will enjoy the adventures and wild imagination of this quirky bird! I Wish I Had a Dinosaur is a book that any child will love, especially at bedtime. Read this children's book FREE as part of your PRIME or Kindle Unlimited membership

Benny's Boogers: A Silly Rhyming Children's Picture Book


Xavier Finkley - 2011
    This is a fun rhyming picture book that is great to read with your child if he or she has a cold or the flu. Even if they are not under the weather, any 1 to 5 year old will thoroughly enjoy reading along with Benny's Boogers.

Tree Spirited Woman


Colleen Baldrica - 2006
    Written as a narrative, Tree Spirited Woman takes you through one woman's intimate transformation from the death of her maternal grandmother to the establishment of a new and guiding friendship with a wise and mystical woman. With Tree Spirited Woman as her guide, she learns to ?let go and trust? in love, personal relationships, and, ultimately, death. Tree Spirited Woman will provide each reader with an abundant opportunity to grow alongside the book's main character. Simple philosophies for living flow through each of the chapters. This is a book that can be read and reread, with deeper understanding and personal awakening culled from each visit to its pages.