Books published by publisher August House, 2008

This trickster monkey from Africa will teach readers the importance of sharing and trustworthiness. The Clever Monkey is a classic folktale from West Africa told by Rob Cleveland. One day two greedy jungle cats discover a large piece of cheese. They want to share the piece of cheese but cannot decide how they can divide it fairly. A very clever little monkey loves cheese as well and when he sees the two cats arguing over the cheese, he uses this opportunity to trick the jungle cats into allowing him to eat practically all of the cheese. Unfortunately for the two cats, they never realize that they were completely tricked by a very clever monkey. This story comes from Africa. Variants of it ban be found among Brer Rabbit tales, with Brer Rabbit in the role of the monkey and Brer Fox in the role of the lion. There is a similar story in Native American folklore entitled, "How Rabbit Fooled Wolf." Rob Cleveland is storyteller-in-residence at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia and is the author of several Story Cove books.

Beginning with some of the earliest he heard as a lap-child, Donald Davis recounts Little Red Hen, Jack and Jill, and The House that Jack Built, a Walking Game. Also includes Davis's own retelling of Jack and the Animals, which is published as a picture book in our August House LittleFolk line. Continuing in a traditional theme, the recording features stories about Jack and a narrative on making molasses with Grandmother that leads into the final story, The Lady in a Syrup Can. Grandma ....

Turtle loves to dance and play the flute. But her exuberance puts her at risk when her music attracts the attention of a hunter who brings her home for turtle stew. After she is caught, her only hope for escape is the hunter's children ... and her own wit. This folktale, first told by the indigenous people of Brazil, is now told throughout Latin America. The versions are as different as the cultures that contain them, but all of them celebrate Turtle, who carries the world and its wisdom on her back. Like the people of Latin America, Turtle always seems to survive through courage and wit. In watercolors radiant with foliage and wildlife, David Boston guides the reader through the dense and fertile Amazon rain forest. READING LEVELS: Lexile Level: 570L; Guided Reading: K

A little bit of generosity goes a long way. This timeless story from India is about a poor boy's dream of having his own drum. His mother is very poor and cannot afford to buy her son the one thing in the world that he really wants. The poor boy's dream takes him on one of the most unlikely journeys and ultimately leads to attaining his dream. The folktale begins with his mother bringing home a magical stick that was given to her by a strange, little old man. The boy takes the stick with him on his journey and along the way he finds people in need of help. He offers them what little he has and they of course repay him with whatever they have in return. By the end of the story, his series of good deeds leads him to a traditional wedding ceremony where he saves the wedding day for the bride and groom when he presents them with a horse. In return, for his good deed, he receives a drum like the one he was dreaming of at the beginning of the story. This magical Indian story about a poor boy and his drum will teach readers the importance of caring, fairness and responsibility.

A foolish lion and a clever monkey provide laughs and lessons in this African folktale. Our friend the very clever monkey is up to his old tricks in this humorous African folktale. The Clever Monkey Rides Again, as told by Rob Cleveland, takes place long ago in the African jungle where a terrible bully lion roamed. The lion played all sorts of mean tricks and childish pranks on all of the animals. They were too afraid of the lion to stand up to his bullying. That is, until our friend the clever monkey hears the nuisance and starts to laugh. He uses his trickery to embarrass the lion and his humiliation leads him to run away, never to return to that part of the jungle again. Readers will learn the importance of courage and resourcefulness, while also learning about the consequences of bullying. This story comes from Africa. Variants of it can be found among Brer Rabbit tales, with Brer Rabbit in the role of the monkey and Brer Fox in the role of the lion. There is a similar story in Native American folklore entitled, "How Rabbit Fooled Wolf." Rob Cleveland is storyteller-in-residence at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia and is the author of several Story Cove books.

It was the forty-second year she had taught fourth grade, and the A's through GR's were thinking that Miss Daisy had probably seen her better days. A mouse entered the classroom through an open door while the frail figure of a teacher stood before her desk on the first day of school. Her new class thought they were about to see the old woman wither or worse. What followed, however, convinced them that this would not be an ordinary year in elementary school.

This classic fable from Russia tells the story of two frog sisters with completely different personalities. One frog is known for being adventurous and impulsive, while the other one is lazy and cautious. A Tale of Two Frogs, written by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss, tells the story of how the two frog sisters literally get in over their heads when they fall into a pail of milk and are trapped. They fall into a precarious predicament and must find a way to save themselves. The lazy and cautious frog practically gives up right away while the adventurous and impulsive frog never gives up. In the end they manage to put their noodles together and persevere. These brave frogs inspire readers to be resourceful and courageous.

Why does the sun go up in the morning and down at night? The Archer and the Sun is an ancient story from China. It tells the legend of a time when there were many suns in the sky and it was miserably hot. The people got together to come up with a solution to make their living conditions more hospitable. They decided to call upon the best archer in the land to come and shoot down all of the suns except for one. As a result, the remaining sun naturally became afraid of the archer and hid behind a mountain, leaving the world cold and dark. Then the people had to devise a plan to get the sun to come back from hiding and after several failed attempts, they found a solution. This Chinese folktale will teach readers about the importance of citizenship, resourcefulness and sharing. This story ends with a section of facts about the Archer and the Sun, exploring Chinese traditions and myths such as why roosters crow in the morning and what the year of the rooster means as well as general "did you know" facts.Rob Cleveland is storyteller-in-residence at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also an actor and comedian who can be seen in the films Drumline and That Darn Cat.

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? Acclaimed 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 classic British fairy tale.

Legends of outlaw loot, pirate hoards, buried mines, and Santa Anna's pack-train gold. Contains 31 legends from the Lone Star State. As they relate to the lost fortunes of Native Americans, French pirates, Spanish explorers, and Mexican, German and Scotch-Irish settlers, these tales are products of the people of Texas: their experiences, adventures, and exploration

Based on published research, fiction and interviews, this work offers a diverting overview of the popular cultural baggagethat Italian immigrants brought to America. -Publishers WeeklyItalian-Americans compose one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States. Though they have often been portrayed in fiction and film, many of these images are based on stereotypes not borne out among the immigrant and assimilated population. Italian-American Folklore draws its material directly from Americans of Italian descent in both urban and rural communities. The result is a book that, while strongly anchored in scholarship, is readable, entertaining, and illuminating. Chapters on folk speech, superstitions, folk medicine, games, and more tell of customs common to Italian-Americans. But the authors have also taken pains to stress the importance of regional ties, detailing how customs vary among the Italian provinces, and how those differences have traveled to Italian-American communities as well. This collection of Italian folktales will teach readers the importance of caring, resourcefulness and respect.