United States

Rainbow Crow (Dragonfly Books)

Illus. in full color. This story of how the Rainbow Crow lost his sweet voice and brilliant colors by bringing the gift of fire to the other woodland animals is "a Native American legend that will be a fine read-aloud because of the smooth text and songs with repetitive chants. The illustrations, done in a primitive style, create a true sense of the Pennsylvania Lenape Indians and their winters."--School Library Journal.  

Rabbit Ears Treasury of Tall Tales: Volume One: Davy Crockett, Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan (Rabbit Ears)

The Rabbit Ears Treasury of American Tall Tales features the larger-than-life characters of America's favorite folk stories--read by your favorite stars and featuring original music by some of today's greatest artists.

Davy Crockett
Read by Nicolas Cage
Original Music by David Bromberg
Follow the escapades of America's ultimate backwoods hero as he travels the frontier in his trademark coonskin cap in search of adventure and brags his way into history at the Battle of the Alamo.

Rip Van Winkle
Read by Anjelica Huston
Original Music by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
This Washington Irving classic tells the story of likeable but lazy Rip Van Winkle, who shared a strange brew with some mysterious strangers and fell into a deep sleep for 20 years. He discovers when he finally wakes that things are considerably different than he remembers, providing a cautionary tale about making the most of life.

Johnny Appleseed
Read by Garrison Keillor
Original Music by Mark O'Connor
Here is the touching tale of the good-natured naturalist who traveled through the Ohio Valley in the early 1800s planting apple orchards, making friends, and spreading goodwill. Walk the miles with this barefoot explorer who never met an apple pie he didn't like.

Paul Bunyan
Read by Jonathan Winters
Original Music by Leo Kottke with Duck Baker
The larger-than-life lumberjack swaggers through the forests of North America with his faithful companion, Babe the Blue Ox, by his side. Hear about the pancake griddle that's over an acre wide and the truly tall tale of how the Great Lakes and Grand Canyon were created.

Abiyoyo

No one wants to hear the little boy play his ukelele anymore...Clink, clunk, clonk. And no one wants to watch his father make things disappear...Zoop! Zoop!

Until the day the fearsome giant Abiyoyo suddenly appears in town, and all the townspeople run for their lives and the lives of their children! Nothing can stop the terrible giant Abiyoyo, nothing, that is, except the enchanting sound of the ukelele and the mysterious power of the magic wand.

Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time

“Pecos Bill had the strangest and most exciting experience any boy ever had. He became a member of a pack of wild Coyotes, and until he was a grown man, believed that his name was Cropear, and that he was a full-blooded Coyote. Later he discovered that he was a human being and very shortly thereafter became the greatest cowboy of all time. This is how it all came about.”

A Newbery Honor book in 1938, James Bowman’s PECOS BILL is the perfect introduction to a great American comic hero and to the delights of the American tall tale. Jolted off the back of his westward-bound pioneer family’s covered wagon, four-year-old Bill is left in the dust by his eighteen wawling and brawling siblings and never-suspecting mom and dad. Raised by coyotes as one of their own, Bill retains a natural innocence while developing a host of supernatural powers. When he finds out that he is a man, not a coyote, and returns to confront the often inhuman human world, those powers will come in handy. Bill never uses them maliciously, always for good, or simply to amaze and amuse.
James Bowman was a fine folklorist and an outstanding storyteller and he relates Pecos Bill’s wild deeds in a plainspoken voice that highlights their wonderful swagger and charm. With lively color and black-and-white illustrations by Laura Bannon, Bowman’s PECOS BILL remakes bedrock American myth into a novel full of high adventure, outrageous fantasy, laughter, and sheer fun.

The Enchanted Moccasins and Other Native American Legends

Raccoon's Last Race

Long ago, Azban the Raccoon loved to race on his long legs. He was the fastest of all the animals, but he was also the most conceited. When the other animals grew tired of his attitude, Azban chose Big Rock as his next opponent. But, busy taunting instead of running, Azban tripped . . . and Big Rock flattened him--splat! Only the ants would help stretch Azban out again--as long as he promised to be their friend. Did Azban keep this promise? Is the raccoon still the fastest of all the animals?
In this lively, funny romp, the team that created How Chipmunk Got His Stripes and Turtle's Race with Beaver once again captures the fun and energy of traditional Native American stories. This time, they have chosen an Abenaki tale that warns against arrogance and honors the importance of keeping your promises.

Spirits Dark and Light: Supernatural Tales from the Five Civilized Tribes

The term Five Civilized Tribes is the name commonly given to the five major tribes of the southeastern part of the United States: the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles. These tribes came into contact with Europeans early in American history and adapted quickly to new conditions. In the Native American tradition, there is a strong connection between the spirit world and the natural world. What happens in one has a definite impact on the other. In this collection, Native American storyteller Tim Tingle draws from the rich heritage of the Five Civilized Tribes, and brings tales from the spirit world into our world.

One-Hundred-and-One African-American Read-Aloud Stories

The newest volume in the popular Read-Aloud series, this engaging collection features the best African-American short stories and excerpts to read to children in under ten minutes. The diverse tales, selected for their rich histories, spiritual writings and adventurous characters, offer the perfect bed-time--or any other time--activities for parents, grandparents, siblings or babysitters. The book includes 50 beautiful drawings that capture the spirit of these tales, legends, lore and fables. The narratives are faithful adaptations of the oral and written stories passed down through the centuries. They include Langston Hughes, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington and Paula Fox.

The Star People: A Lakota Story

A grandmother's love is forever

In this mystical story of remembrance and tradition, Sister Girl and her brother, Young Wolf, wander far from their village and face great danger, including stampeding animals and a wall of fire. The children barely save themselves, and as night approaches, they find themselves alone in the barren and unforgiving wilderness. How will they find home? As the stars shine brightly, the spirit of their grandmother, Elk Tooth Woman, appears to guide them: "The Star People are always with you. Look up, and you will see me among the stars."

S. D. Nelson's compelling illustrations, inspired by the ledger-book style of the Plains Indians, capture the beauty of humans and nature existing as one.

The Curse of the Raven Mocker

Adanta's sick father has left their Smoky Mountain cottage to find a healing lake mentioned in the lore of the Cherokee. She and her mother, Charlotte, soon have a visitor: James, who Adanta secretly distrusts and calls "the Lean One." When James ensnares and bewitches Charlotte, and takes her from the cabin, Adanta has no choice: she must go into the wilderness, to Adantis, the secret home of the Hidden People deep in the mountains. She must summon up the courage to save her entire family . . . alone.