Books with author Margaret Read MacDonald

Tough Tug is a brand-new boat. He likes to swirl and twirl—and run and race. He wants everyone to see what he can do. But when he sails to Alaska for the first time, he finds out what being a tug really means…Short rhythmic phrases on each page alternate with narration in Tug’s voice, leading readers through his experiences from splashing into the water for the first time to a daring rescue.

Another great storytelling resource from award-winning author, Margaret Read MacDonald.When Margaret Read MacDonald published her book, Three-Minute Tales in 2004, it received a warm reception from teachers, youth leaders, clergy, and public speakers, all with an insatiable need for positive, pithy stories to fill out brief amounts of presentation time. Now MacDonald is back with more stories that can stretch anywhere from one to five minutes in length, encourage audience participation, and can be adapted for a wide range of settings. These riddles, fables, origin stories, scary stories, trickster tales, and more come from Thailand, the Republic of Georgia, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, Zambia, Hungary, China, Egypt, the Ukraine, India, Russia, Paraguay, and the Mayan, Jewish, native American, Basque, and Africa-American traditions. These multicultural fables encourage fairness, responsibility and trustworthiness. Award-winning author, Margaret Read MacDonald has written multiple storytelling resource books. Five Minute Tales combines public speaking with world folktales and is a great way to get your students and children to participate in the oral tradition of storytelling.

“Elephant! Elephant! Heavy! Heavy! Heavy! Elephant! Elephant! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!” Elephant was shouting and stomping. But could he stomp a hole deep enough to reach water for the thirsty animals? Maybe…maybe not. All the animals tried until tiny Gecko Gecko takes a turn. He is small...but he is determined. And he's not going to give up! Kids will love to chant and stomp along to this Ugandan folktale.

There was once an old woman who hated chores. "Work! Work! Work! How I hate it! Hate it! Hate it!" One day some fairies show up. They . . . clankety-clankety-clankety — clean all the dishes. Swishety-swishety-swishety —sweep the house. Flumpety-flumpety-flumpety — shake out the bedclothes. Clickety-clickety-clickety — work on all the knitting. But then there is nothing left to do. So, they tear everything apart and start again! Clankety-clankety-clankety, swishety-swishety-swishety . . . . The fairies are driving the old woman crazy! How will she get them to leave? Lively watercolor illustrations add to this Celtic retelling by master storyteller Margaret Read MacDonald. An author’s note is also included.

Discussion-provoking stories for conflict resolution.Maybe it's the king who spills honey, and then says it is not his problem - until it causes a war. Or maybe it's some sandpipers and whales who get into a foolish fight that almost destroys their homes. Perhaps it's the man who thinks that a gun makes him strong or the monkeys who follow their leader into water that's too deep. Peace Tales contains more than three dozen folktales and proverbs that illustrate these choices. Always fun to read these stories also prompt us to think about the seemingly minor events that lead to war and the little events that can also lead to peace. Stories from across the globe are accompanied by generous story notes, source information, and suggestions for further reading on the topic of peace. These environmentally-aware stories will teach readers the importance of citizenship, fairness and responsibility. A Booklist review praises, "These inventive tales teach without preaching and offer practical solutions to inevitable conflicts."

The Animals and Birds are getting ready for the big game. Bat wants to WIN WIN WIN--which team will he play on? The Animals look strong and fast, so Bat picks that side. A bat has fur and teeth, after all. But when the Animals fall behind, Bat switches to the Bird team--doesn't a bat have wings? Maybe the Birds will win! Silly Bat learns a lesson about team spirit in this lively story by renowned storyteller Margaret Read MacDonald.

Pickin peas. Land on my knees! sings a pesky rabbit as he merrily eats his way through the pea patch Little Girl has planted. But when Little Girl snatches him up and takes him home to put in a box until pea season is over, the rabbit is soon singing a new tune as he plans his escape. With a nod to Brer Rabbit, Pickin Peas is based on two folktales collected in Alabama and Virginia at the end of the last century. The lively storytelling voice of Margaret Read MacDonald, matched with Pat Cummingss bright, bold pictures, makes this funny battle-of-wits tale perfect to tell out loud, letting everyone share in the fun of chanting its rhymic refrain!

Oh what a pity, what a pity pity pity! With this refrain, the old woman in the vinegar bottle complains until she gets a cottage ... then a row house ... then a mansion ... How far will she move up before she's satisfied? Storyteller and children's librarian Margaret Read MacDonald pairs a whiny old woman with a no-nonsense fairy in a comical tale of ever-expanding greed and its natural result. Nancy Dunaway Fowlkes's expansive India ink and watercolor illustrations capture MacDonald's high-spirited rendering of this old British fairy tale.

“Elephant! Elephant! Heavy! Heavy! Heavy! Elephant! Elephant! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!” Elephant was shouting and stomping. But could he stomp a hole deep enough to reach water for the thirsty animals? Maybe…maybe not. All the animals tried until tiny Gecko Gecko takes a turn. He is small...but he is determined. And he's not going to give up! Kids will love to chant and stomp along to this Ugandan folktale.

Recognized as Notable book for Global SocietyAnyone who teaches, lead, or speaks in public has had the experience of needing to fill short amounts of time in order to hold the audience's attention. The challenge is familiar to Margaret Read MacDonald, who for thirty-five years told stories to preschoolers every week. Here are more than eighty simple, short, pithy tales for many occasions: holidays, museum tours, history or nature walks, public speaking, media appearances, school visits, curriculum boosters. These traditional tales come from China, west Africa, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Syria, Cuba, the Ukraine, India, eastern Europe, and the Jewish, native American, and African-American traditions.