Books published by publisher August House, 2008

The children who populate these classic stories are heroes and heroines of timeless tales. Their unpredictable antics confound evil and treachery at every turn and leave listeners of generation after generation transfixed and uplifted. A forced marriage. A dangerous job. A horrible assignment. "Character-building experiences," we quip. And that's the truth. Painful as the truth may be, we cannot achieve our potential without facing force, danger, and horror head-on. Even as our children glibly chime, "The truth shall set you free," we adults know that the truth is not easily discerned or wisdom easily won. These six stories remind adults and, through entertaining drama, teach our children that critical lesson. What Bobby Norfolk does with the material makes it so much more than an exercise in wisdom literature. Listening to this collection, one has the sense of being in the presence of a master performer of the oral tradition. Bobby Norfolk's dynamic pacing, the range of his incredible voice, and his mastery of the story material itself, make this new recording an important and satisfying addition to your storytelling or folklore shelf. For Ages Six to Adult

Everybody loves scary stories, and nobody loves them more than children. Storytellers Richard and Judy Dockery Young gathered these stories from the most discerning of critics: the children themselves. These are the tales kids tell most often and most often ask to be told. The stories in this multicultural collection come from the Ozark Mountains and the desert Southwest, from Native Americans and Hawaiians, and from American immigrants from such faraway places as Japan and Laos. The nine stories in this collection for older children include: "Wylie and the Hairy Man", "She's Got Me", "Blood Red Cedar", "Married to a Ghost", "Old Raw Head", "Ghost of Vengeance", "The Ki'in Spirits", "The Tiger's Eyes," and "Spirit of Fire." For Grades 4-6

Winner of Parents' Choice Award & Bank Street College: Best Children's Books of the Year Two hungry travelers arrive at a village expecting to find a household that will share a bit of food, as has been the custom along their journey. To their surprise, villager after villager refuses to share, each one closing the door with a bang. As they sit to rest beside a well, one of the travelers observes that if the townspeople have no food to share, they must be "in greater need than we are." With that, the travelers demonstrate their special recipe for a magical soup, using a stone as a starter. All they need is a carrot, which a young girl volunteers. Not to be outdone, another villager contributes a potato, and the soup grows as others bring corn, celery, and other vegetables and seasonings. In this cumulative retelling of an ancient and widely circulated legend, author Heather Forest shows us that when each person makes a small contribution, “the collective impact can be huge.” Susan Gaber's paintings portray the optimism and timelessness of a story that celebrates teamwork and generosity. This story about community teaches readers the importance of sharing, generosity and vegetables!August House Publishers offer an of Stone Soup as well as !

Remember the Monster Stick? The greatest and most dangerous fishing-rod ever? What about Buck, who simply "ain't no ordinary dog"? Anyone who has seen the Lepp boys perform or read their book The Monster Stick will never forget them. In this recording, we revisit West Virginia with Bil Lepp as he tells some of the stories that made his brother, Paul, and himself repeat winners of the West Virginia State Liars Contest. In an age when "tall tales" are thought of as an ancient art form, these stories are right up to date. And Bil tells them with such deadpan sincerity that you just can't help but believe in things that aren't physically possible.

Donald Davis was born into a southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories. He grew up listening to his father and his Uncle Frank tell stories of their boyhood, all the while taking in the details of his own childhood experience. These stories of growing up in Appalachia in the 1950s are funny and true, nostalgic and bittersweet. The characters are memorable: Miss Martha Anne Butler, "the last surviving member of a failed Southern family", whose grocery deliveries always included two pints of gin; the Reverend N.N. Upchurch, old Preacher No-No, whose nickname "pretty well summed up his opinion on most subjects"; and Aunt Laura, who knew to listen for the crack of dawn. Our narrator faces the trials of growing up with humor, hope, and (usually) good grace. He saves Blue Horse Notebook Paper coupons to buy the world's heaviest coaster bike, engages in games of "Daring Miss Butler", taunts the shadowy Terrell Tubbs with his buddies, and uses the resources of his electronics class to invent a keyless ignition for Red McElroy's Ford pickup. The sweet and painful memories are all here, told in a storyteller's voice.

Grandma's house was a magical place, and in this vivid memoir, Donald Davis makes it possible for each of us to go back to our own grandma's kitchen, clutter room, living room, and to that immeasurable bed that seemed to swallow us whole. This selection also contains a traditional story Davis learned from his grandmother, one handed down through his family from generations who once lived in Scotland before coming to the Appalachian mountains, about the time that fortune-seeker named Jack made the king mad. For Adults and Young Adults.

Expanding upon the four-line nursery rhyme, storyteller David Novak spins an epic tale as young Itsy prepares to attempt what no spider has done before: scale the water spout. A nervous Mother Bitsy prepares her little Itsy as nourishing lunch; a fly salad sandwich, a bag of grasshopper chips, and a bottle of fresh-squeezed moth juice (100% natural). The result is an epic on a child's scale, in which determination, concentration, and grit are championed. "It's a good story to learn when we're young," says Novak, "because, well, we face a lot of water spouts when we're growing up." You'll also hear: "A Glass of Water", "Mon-Daw-Minth", "Jack", "The Snake's Disguise", and "Betsy and Jason." For Ages Pre-K to Grade Three

When storyteller David Novak asked a young girl what she wanted for dinner, the answer he got was "Cookies!" That girl didn't get cookies for dinner, but she did get a story. Now we all can share David Novak's story about the little girl who always wanted to eat cookies. It's a story with a lesson, as most stories are, but mostly, it's a story that's fun and memorable. Throughout this collection, listeners will be gently reminded that new stories are often old stories warmed up. For Ages Four to 10

In this Choctaw variant of Aesop's fable "The Tortoise and the Hare", storyteller Tim Tingle reveals some unexpected twists and expands the cast to include a wild turkey, a colony of ants, and a cheering squad of Little Bitty Turtles.When Rabbit boastfully challenges Turtle to a race, he gets his comeuppance...and Turtle gets a little assist from his winged friend, Turkey. In the process, we learn why Turtle's shell is cracked and why you never see Rabbit racing Turtle today.Illustrator Stacey Schuett's bold and vibrant illustrations capture not only the grasslands of the High Plains but also the demeanor of its animal inhabitants and the humor of the tale.

In folktales, the trickster can be the wise one or the fool, the one who fools or the one who is fooled. That is why children of all ages enjoy hearing these tales. The psychology of childhood is pretty much the same everywhere, giving these enjoyable stories universal appeal. In these four tales, told in Spanish and English, the trickster takes animal form: a monkey, an opossum, a dog, and a rabbit. Storyteller Olga Loya has selected these stories from her book, Momentos Magicos/Magic Moments, winner of the Aesop Accolade Award and the Americas Commendation. For Ages Seven to Adult

Traditional values abound in these hilarious stories from Appalachia: friendship, family, orderliness, humor, and delight in an especially inventive practical joke. In "Rainy Weather", a hound dog with more heart than sense wins everyone's admiration. "Uncle Frank Learns to Speak Polish" finds Davis' famous Uncle Frank making the most of a little foreign language. And, in "Uncle Frank Clean Up the Post Office", cleanliness is next to godliness, and it's also next to hilarity.