Books in Round the World Folk Tales series

Welcome the second book in the Folktales of the World series! Engaging, inspirational, and above all entertaining, these legends come from Native American peoples across the U.S. Richly illustrated with original art, they capture a wide range of belief systems and wisdom from the Cherokee, Cheyenne, Hopi, Lenape, Maidu, Seminole, Seneca, and other tribes. The beautifully retold tales, all with informative introductions, range from creation myths to animal fables to stirring accounts of bravery and sacrifice. Find out how stories first came to be, and how the People came to the upper world. Meet Rabbit, the clever and irresistible Creek trickster. See how the buffalo saved the Lakota people, and why the Pawnee continue to do the Bear Dance to this very day.Stefano Vitale’s art showcases a stunning array of animal figures, masks, totems, and Navajo-style rug patterns, all done in nature’s palette of brilliant turquoises, earth browns, shimmering sun-yellow, vivid fire-orange, and the deep blues of a dark night.

The stories we hear in childhood—usually from parents and grandparents, teachers and caregivers—teach us the values, faith, culture, and traditions of those we love most. They nourish our sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. That’s what this brand-new series aims to achieve, and it is our hope that children and their families will explore these wonderful tales together. Each book, filled with evocative artwork and a cast of unforgettable characters, will bring a little magic into a child’s world.The first volume, The Hungry Clothes & Other Jewish Folktales, presents a diverse selection of Ashkenazi and Sephardic fairytales, legends, parables, fables, tall tales, trickster and fool tales, and supernatural and mystical stories. They include The Pots of Honey, which teaches the importance of both justice and forgiveness; The Boy Who Prayed with the Alphabet, about an unlearned boy who finds a unique way to express his love for God; and The Wise Daughter Who Solves Riddles, one of the most beloved stories in the Jewish tradition.

For millennia, Somalia has been crossed and recrossed by camel caravans of merchants, bringing with them stories such as "The Good Prince," in which a kindhearted prince conquers the evil magic of a beautiful sorceress, and "The Ogress and the Snake," a Somali Hansel and Gretel story about five little girls, abandoned in the desert, who take refuge in the house of a man-eating ogress. Elizabeth Laird heard many of these tales in Jigjiga, the capital of Ethiopia's Somali region. She gathers together the finest of them in The Ogress and the Snake and Other Stories from Somalia. The stories abound with colorful characters — Deya Ali, the greedy trickster fox; Kabaalaf the shopkeeper, crooked as a jug-handle, who meets his match in the slippery Hirsi; and the miraculous (and bodyless) Head, whose magic powers conjure up a talking camel and bring him a princess. These and the other magical tales in this delightful collection are the perfect introduction to a fascinating and little-known country.

Storytelling is one of Ireland’s oldest and grandest traditions, and these vivid tales of far-off days will introduce young readers to the country’s irresistible folklore. Here are brave warriors with superhuman skills, monster dogs with blazing eyes, fairy folk and leprechauns, and the magical land of Tir na nÓg. Author Batt Burns grew up with these beloved characters and legends, and he captures all their enchanting language and flights of fancy. Exquisite art by Igor Oleynikov enhances every tale. Contents include:· The King with Horse’s Ears· The Greedy Barber· Oisín in the Land of the Ever Young· Back from the Fairies· Paying the Rent· A Clever Leprechaun· The Lost Island of Lonesome Seals· And many more!