Great Tales for StorytellingLike this list

23 items

• Raaga's Song

  a Diwali Story

  Chhabria, Navina,

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  Vocalist Raaga has always dreamed of singing at the palace's annual Royal Diwali mela. But having been teased "for being too dark and too young," she freezes each time she tries to audition. Her grandfather compares her efforts with tales of Lord…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Three Little Guinea Pigs

  Perl, Erica S.,

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  A retelling of The Three Little Pigs featuring adorable guinea pigs trying to outwit a fox.

• Lion and Mouse

  Buitrago, Jairo,

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  A modern update on the classic fable finds a captured mouse successfully begging for mercy from a good-natured lion who is unexpectedly rescued by the mouse from a hunter's trap, in a lavishly illustrated celebration of negotiation, acceptance and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How Raven Got His Crooked Nose

  An Alaskan Dena'ina Fable

  Atwater, Barbara J.,

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  Chulyen, a trickster raven, loses his nose in an embarrassing incident, but vows to get it back. With the help of magic powers, Chulyen devises a caper to retrieve his missing nose, and learns an important lesson along the way.

• Tiger Soup

  An Anansi Story From Jamaica

  Temple, Frances

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  This tale of Anansi the trickster spider comes from Jamaica. In this story, Anansi tries to find away to trick Tiger away from the pot of delicious coconut mango soup he has been making. Once Anasi has slurped down the soup, how will he evade the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Medio Pollito (Half-Chick)

  A Mexican Folktale

  Stjohn, Amanda

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  A chicken with only half a body travels to find adventure and finds his true purpose as a weather vane.

• Nian, The Chinese New Year Dragon

  Loh-Hagan, Virginia

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  An illustrated retelling for young readers of the Chinese folktale about a dragon that threatens a village each spring and Mei, the young girl who is destined to defeat him.

• The Crow and the Peacock

  Fernihough, Jo (Johanna),

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  Crow sets out to find the happiest bird alive. Perhaps his search will help him discover the real secret to happiness.

• The Wild Swans

  Also Includes The Nightingale

  Andersen, H. C. (Hans Christian), 1805-1875

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  A princess' wicked stepmother turns her eleven brothers into swans and banishes the princess from the castle.

• Stone Soup

  An Old Tale

  Brown, Marcia

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  When three hungry soldiers come to a town where all the food has been hidden, they set out to make soup of water and stones, and all the town enjoys a feast.

• Beautiful Blackbird

  Bryan, Ashley

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  In a story of the Ila people, the colorful birds of Africa ask Blackbird, whom they think is the most beautiful of birds, to decorate them with some of his "blackening brew."

• Too Many Fairies

  a Celtic Tale

  MacDonald, Margaret Read, 1940-

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  In this Scottish fairytale an old woman complains about having too much work to do. Soon four fairies appear at her door to do her household chores, but then she starts complaining about how much noise the fairies make. A visit to the village elder…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Something From Nothing

  Gilman, Phoebe

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  In this lively adaptation of a folk tale, Gilman creates a close-knit Jewish community in which nothing goes to waste. The wonderful baby blanket Grandpa made for Joseph has begun to wear out. When Grandpa takes a look at it, he finds "just enough…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Gifts of Wali Dad

  a Tale of India and Pakistan

  Shepard, Aaron

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  In this Indian/Pakistani folktale Wali Dad, an impoverished grass-cutter, finds himself wound in a twisted tale in which he learns that gifts can be a mixed blessing.

• Anansi and the Talking Melon

  Kimmel, Eric A.

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  Trapped inside one of Elephant's melons after eating too much, Anansi speaks to Elephant who is convinced he has grown a talking melon.

• Abiyoyo

  Based on a South African Lullaby and Folk Story

  Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014

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  In this remake of the popular South African Folktale, folk singer Pete Seeger puts his spin on this story about a father and son duo’s search for redemption. After being banned from their village, the two find a way to make the village monster…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza

  Sturges, Philemon

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  In this remake of the classic folktale “The Little Red Hen”, Red Hen and her buddies set out to make the perfect tasty treat. There’s only one problem – everyone wants to eat pizza, but nobody wants to actually make pizza!

• The Princess and the Pea

  Isadora, Rachel

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  Author/illustrator Rachel Isadora takes the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale to Africa. A poor young woman, claiming to be a princess, must prove her claim to a skeptical king and queen.

• Cinderella and a Mouse Called Fred

  Hopkinson, Deborah,

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  This fresh, hilarious retelling of Cinderella—told by the mouse who will become Cinderella's coach horse—has a girl-power ending.

• The Three Billy Goats Gruff

  Barnett, Mac

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  When the three Billy Goats Gruff decide to clip clop clip clop across the bridge, the troll is already imagining all the scrumptious ways to fill his belly. But what if the troll is about to underestimate those seemingly sweet goats and bite off…Read moreRead more of this annotation