Books

Farmyard Jamboree: Spanish Edition

Fat Cat: Korean Edition

A new take on an old folktale. Bat wants to play on the winning side in the big game. So he plays first with the animals...then with the birds...then with...until he learns an important lesson. Eugenia Nobati's illustrations capture the movement of the fast-paced game in beautifully sweeping movement.

I developed these programs for use at the Bothell Public Library where I have been a Children's Librarian since 1979. All were presented to groups of 2 ½-5 year olds with their parents, and to a group of 4-6 year olds. My aim was to choose a book I think the children should not miss, then build my theme around that book, adding other titles, songs or singing games, fingerplays or poetry, and ending with a very simple craft. Some programs include dance, rhythm instruments, creative drama, sharing of fine short cinema, and other activities. Sale: $5.00 plus shipping. Copies available from Margaret Read MacDonald.

More programs from my Bothell Library experiences. See Bookplay for description. Both books strongly advise the involvement of the adult caregiver in these programs. This doubles the learning which takes place. The adult learns too!Sale: $5.00 plus shipping. Copies available from Margaret Read MacDonald.

Originally titled "The Snot-Nose Little Boy", this is the tale of a poor flower seller who is offered a gift from the Dragon King who lives beneath the sea...a little boy with a snotty nose. Every time the child blows his nose...the poor man's wish is granted! What should he wish for? A palace...treasure...? When is enough enough...?

Forty tales retold by Brazilian storytellers. Plus background about Brazil, games, and recipes.

A big big frog and a little little mosquito! Who eats who? In this chanting sequence of big to little you find out!

This tale collection was drawn together to provide multi-cultural tales which could be used during programs celebrating various world holidays. Some of the stories refer to a holiday. In most cases though, these are simply enjoyable stories from the culture which can be shared in a festival atmosphere. I include possible activities to help celebrate. It is always best to discover a member of the culture whose holiday you wish to honor and get their advice when planning your event. Holidays included here are: Chinese New Year; Japanese Girl's Day; Cinco de Mayo; Carnival; No Ruz; Easter; May Day; Chinese Dragon Boat Races; Japanese Boy's Day; Norwegian Mid-Summer Night; Scottish Highland Games; Chinese Autumn Festival; West African Yam Festival; Diwali; Hmong New Year; Christmas; Kwanzaa; St. Sylvester's Day, France. Tales to accompany celebrations: "Little Rooster and the Heavenly Dragon" (China); "Benizara and Kakezara"(Japan); "Todo o Nada" (Texas); "Poule and Roach"(Louisiana); "Five Threads" (Iraq); "Pumpkin Child" (Iran); "Old Woman in a Pumpkin Shell" (Iran); "Escargot on his Way to Dijon" (France); "Forget-Me-Not" (European); "The Small Yellow Dragon" (China); "Snot Nose Boy"(Japan); "Nail Soup" (Norway); "Finger Lock" (Scotland); "Clever Daughter-in-Law" (China); "Stinky Spirits" (Igbo, Nigeria); "Sparrow"s Luck!"(India); "Yao Jour"(Hmong); "Silver Pine Cones" (England); "Papa God and the Pintards" (Haiti); "Going to Cevi"res" (France).

Bahasa Indonesia edition of Earth Care

Bahasa Indonesia edition of Peace Tales

French edition of Peace Tales. Color illustrations.

Voice and instrument story duets, some gentle, some rollicking. MacDonald tells, Scholtz plays autoharp and dulcimer. A much livelier selection than the bedtime tape, Tuck-Me-In Tales. Includes: "Grandfather Bear" (Eiven, Siberia); Pickin' Peas (Alabama); "Elk and Wren"(Makah); "Cockroach Party" (Louisiana); "Ms. Cricket Looks for a Husband" (Palestine Arab); "Ms. Cricket Gets Married" (Palestine Arab); "Teeny Weeny Bop" (Australia). Live Music Recordings, 2901 26th St., Bellingham, WA 98225.

Bi-lingual edition of Conejito. English and Bahasa Indonesia.

Conejito is a perky little rabbit dancing up the hill to his Tía Monica’s house. Zorro, Tigre, and Léon try to bar his way, but dancing Conejito and his Tía Monica are a match for them

Bi-lingual. Chinese translation by Ng Kok Keong.In this Sungai tale, a python wants to marry a girl.

"Trae un apéndice con textos literarios en ingles. Para destacar el trabajo conjunto de autora, traductora (Paula Martín), y editores, que buscó dar prioridad al contenido por sobre la traducción literal."

When I flew over Borneo and saw the forest in flames, I knew my next book must be a sequel to Peace Tales. It won't do us much good to learn how to live in peace, if we don't have any air to breathe or water to drink. It was easy to find these tales. Most tribal groups tell cautionary stories designed to teach the importance of caring for their environment. The book contains 41 stories and 41 proverbs. 53 cultures are represented. The book is an excellent source for telling or reading aloud. Many of the tales include audience-participation, several are short enough to read in a minute or less. All should provoke thought

Norwegian edition of A Hen, a Chick, and a String Guitar. With CD sung in Norwegian.

Swedish edition of A Hen, a Chick and a String Guitar. With CD sung in Swedish.

US paperback edition of A Hen, a Chick and a String Guitar.

Farmyard Jamboree: Chinese Edition

Voice and auto-harp/dulcimer duets. Lively, playful fare. Fun to expand into singing, dancing, creative drama. Includes the picture book stories, Fat Cat (Denmark) [Listen to sample] and Mabela the Clever (Limba, Sierra Leone), as well as several stories from Shake-it-up Tales: "Little Old Woman Who Hated Housework" (Scotland); "Conejito" (Panama); "Little Boy Frog and Little Boy Snake"(Ekoi); "Miera, Miera, Meow" (France) and "Telesik" (Ukraine).

When mouse bakes 36 pies, cat eats them all, alarming mouse, "Cat, you sure are FAT!" Cat clomps off meowing. "Oh I'm Meow Meow Fat! 'Cause I'm a hungry, hungry cat!" Cat eats a wash lady, a company of soldiers, and the king on his elephant. Then he returns to eat his housemate, the mouse. Mouse, of course cuts their way out and sews up his greedy friend, who now reforms. "Oh I'm Meow Meow FLAT! 'Cause I'm an empty, empty cat!" After that cat always leaves something for mouse. And whenever folks meet cat they are careful to speak with respect. "Cat, you sure are fa...fantastic!" Or as one 4th grader called out... "Hey, that was a put up! Wasn't it?" Paschkis's painting of this fat fat cat is a show stopper!

A surprising variant of this French folktale. Our Feisty sasses the prince and leaves him on his backside in the mud. Do they marry? The tale doesn't say. With this take-charge Cinderella it is hard to tell.

More short tales for the busy teller and teacher. A companion book to Three Minute Tales. Some equally short, some longer...up to five minutes max.

A encyclopedia of world holidays and festivals.

Tales from the Arabian Peninsula, retold by Margaret Read MacDonald. Tales from Saudi Arabia retold by Nadia Jameel Taibah

The Mennonite Central Committee asked if they could make a video of some of the stories from Peace Tales. They chose to use the stories, "Strength," "Two Foxes," and "The Argument Sticks." Zimbabwean teller Lora Chiorah-Dye's performance of "Strength" is amazing. The video can be ordered from the Mennonite Central Committee, who will also loan a copy for the price of return postage. www.mcc.org

The Mennonite's created a second video, Folktales of Peace II, which includes the stories: "A Blind Man Catches a Bird" (Ndebele); "Slops" (Wales); and "The War Between the Sandpipers and the Whales" (Marshall Islands). The video can be ordered from the Mennonite Central Committee, who will also loan a copy for the price of return postage. www.mcc.org

Desde los vientos de Manguito: Cuentos folklóricos de Cuba, en inglés y español. Playful folktales from Cuba, many with singing refrains. Tales from both Hispanic and Afro-Cuban traditions. Retold by Cuban storyteller, Elvia Pérez. Translated by Argentine teller Paula Martín. Texts in both English and Spanish. Great intro to Cuban folklore, plus some really fun-to-tell stories here!

Bi-lingual edition of The Girl Who Wore too Much. English and Bahasa Indonesia.

I was asked by folklorist Bill McNeil to compile this book for a ghost stories series he was editing. I did not at all believed in ghosts when I started. After completing this research, well... I'm not so sure. These are short accounts of actual ghost sightings in the Pacific Northwest. They are not retold for the storyteller. I provide a detailed motif-index to these tales based on the Stith Thompson Motif-Index of Folk-Literature.

Aree is so proud of all the dresses and jewels her parents have lavished on her. She decides to wear all of her fancy clothes to the dance. She collapses en route and learns her lesson. Based on a story said to be true from N.E. Thailand. The Thai language text for the story runs across the bottom of each page in an attractive border design.

In this tale from the Acoli people of Uganda, tiny Gecko is the one who stomps and stomps to reach water when the other animals have all given up. Audiences love stomping along with him: "Gecko! Gecko! Heavy heavy heavy! Gecko! Gecko! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!"

Japanese translation of Five Minute Tales.

In this rhythmic and touching British variant of Beauty and the Beast, a Great Smelly, Slobbery, Small-Tooth Dog carries Girl off, bounding over hedges and fields to his castle.

Inspired by a Chilean folktale, this rollicking chant-along tale is a delight for young children. "Grandma gave me a clucking white hen. Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! ... One day that hen gave me a chick! I had a hen. And I had a chick. Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay! Ay! How I loved my two little pets." As the animals arrive two by two, the story adds them up...ending with 16 pets! Thus a counting/adding book, a baby animal names book, and a just plain fun to chant story. Includes a CD composed, sung and played on guitar by Bob King. US paperback edition is re-issued under title Farmyard Jamboree

Jouha counts ten donkeys, but riding along he realizes that now he has only nine! Listeners get to help count...in Arabic...each time Jouha mounts and dismounts to... "Count again, Jouha!" Retelling of a Saudi folktale from co-author Nadiah Taibah’s aunt Salha. Arabic numerals run across bottom of page, along with English pronunciation and Arabic script for numbers. Don’t worry about pronunciation of the Arabic numbers. Your guesstimate will automatically be close.

Folktales from many regions of the Indonesian archipelago. Researched and retold by Indonesian teller Murti Bunanta. With photographs.

Finnish edition of A Hen, a Chick, and a String Guitar. With CD sung in Finnish.

Translation of: A Parent's Guide to Storytelling

36 tales from around the world on themes of kindness to others.

Wajuppa Tossa and Kongdeuane Nettavong have collected Lao folktales from Laos and from Isaan, the Lao-cultural area of Northeastern Thailand. Editing and folklore notes by MacDonald.

Tuck Me In Tales: Indonesian Edition

The King steals Little Rooster's diamond button. But Little Rooster has a magic stomach! Fire, water, and bees cannot daunt our spunky hero! A Margaret Read MacDonald storytime favorite comes to life in full color in Will Terry's imagination.

Iconographic DVD of picture book Little Rooster's Diamond Button. Read by author. Includes also interviews with author.

One of my storytelling classes drove me nuts by saying that they could not tell any of the stories I suggested because they were either too violent or too amoral. I created this book for that class. I suppose you can find a tad of amorality and violence even in some of these. They are folktales after all. But mostly I find these gentle, pleasing tales to tell. With a good bit of high fun thrown in, and several sing-along slots. Contains: "The Snow Bunting"s Lullaby" (Siberia); "Look Back and See" (Tanzania); "Kanji-Jo, the Nestlings" (Mende); "Domingo Siete" (Argentina); "Turkey Girl" (Zu"i); "Little Cricket"s Marriage" (Palestinian Arab); "Please All, Please None" (Aesop); "Why Koala Has No Tail" (Australia); "Katchi Katchi Blue Jay" (Nisqually); "Strawberries of the Little Men" (England); "Elk and Wren" (Makah); "Bear Child" (Baffin Island); "Two Women Hunt for Ground Squirrels" (Tanaina Athabaskan); "Quail Song" (Cahuilla); "Grandfather Bear is Hungry" (Eiven, Siberia); "Tiny Mouse Goes Traveliing" (Khanti); "Singing Turtle" (Japanese); "Teeny Weeny Bop" (Australia); "Penny and a Half" (Chile)

A cautionary tale from the Limba of Sierra Leone. Mabela's father teaches her cleverness. So when the cat attempts to initiate the mice into his "secret society" she is alert and saves the day. But not before a lot of fun marching and singing on the part of all. Children love shouting out the "FO FENG!" each time the cat pounces. Somehow I think this little tale might save lives. I remember being charged by an out of control car one day when I was eight. I escaped the car's wheels only because I had my ears and eyes open and...as Mabela learned...MOVED FAST!

Award winning iconographic DVD of picture book.

Korean edition of Peace Tales

Folktales presented in tandem by MacDonald and Sueyoshi on tour in Japan. Presented here with storytelling advice by Masako Sueyoshi, who translated and shaped the tales for Japanese audiences.

Old Woman in the Vinegar Bottle: Indonesian Edition

For this retelling of a favorite British folktale, I stress the fairy's traveling rhyme and the old woman's complaining, "Oh what a pity! What a pity, pity PITY!" Children will love to chant it with you.

Sweet Appalachian variant of the British tale of the old woman whose pig won't go over the stye. This pig won't cross a bridge, but a caring cat and a moonlit-filled world make all well in the end. After much jogging along and singing, of course.

Folktales in Spanish and English texts.

Easy introduction to storytelling for the parent, grandparent, or other novice. Several easy-to-learn stories, hints on telling. Also useful as a guide for children learning to tell stories. Contains: "The Three Bears"; "The Little Red Hen"; "The Gingerbread Man"; "The Beehive"; "Foxie's Hole"; "The Parrot With the Key to Rome"; "The Lost Mitten"; "The Squeaky Door"; "Ms. Mouse Needs a Friend"; "A Dark and Stormy Night"; "A Silly Question"; "The Bird Catcher"; "Cheese and Crackers"; "Strongest One of All"; "Let"s Go on a Bear Hunt"; "The Stork"; "The Dark, Dark House"; "The Coffin"; "The Big-Mouth Frog"; "Grandpa and the Blacksnake"; "The Rat in the Cream Jar".

Bi-lingual Chinese (Mandarin)/ English edition of The Parent's Guide to Storytelling. Published by East & West Book Co., a textbook publisher in Taiwan. Includes two CD's of author reading the stories in English.

A rousty croc wreaks havoc in the village when Zuva promises he can come to her party. Never make a promise you cannot keep!

Finding tales for this collection was not easy. It seems that humans spend much more time talking about ways to trick others...ways to defeat the enemy...ways to win the gold... Not so many stories are told about how to get along with one's neighbors. 37 stories are included here, with 37 matching proverbs. 41 cultures are represented. You will find delightful audience-participation tales to share, thoughtful quiet pieces, and many short tales which take less than a minute to tell. Some are retold in my usual tellable style. Some are reprinted from the work of other authors.

I read this delightful folktale in an 1897 issue of WORKMAN, a journal of African-American affairs. It was collected in Calhoun, Alabama. Little Girl plants a garden of peas, but Mr. Rabbit eats her crop. She catches him, but he offers to dance for her and soon escapes. It is the delightful singing refrain and Pat Cumming's bright and close-up illustrations which make this book such a hit with kids. And with that sassy rabbit peering out from the book jacket, it jumps right off the shelf into their hands.

My family started singing rounds at the dinner table one night and soon ran out of fodder. So I rounded up some more, then went to Winnie Jaeger's house to ask for help with transcription. She ran into her closet and pulled out a whole mountain of round collections, some from her youth in Germany. Later we tested the book out with a round sing at the home of Winnie and author Mary Whittington. What fun!The book contains 80 singable rounds. Since Winnie is honorary vice-president of the American Recorder Society, she made sure the rounds are good for recorder part-playing too.

Examination of the storying which took place during two New Year's Eve parties in Scipio, Indiana. And examination of the communities master teller, Spiv Helt. Attention to performance style and the part the audience plays in these events.

Detailed and thoroughly documented history of the families who settled this small village. Documents village life through the 1920's. Family name index. Available from author.

The title says it all. Lively stories with lots of participation possibilities. Includes: "Terrible Nung Guama" (China); "Miera Miera Meow!" (France); "Bâtis! Bâtis!" (France); "Telesik" (Ukraine); "Conejito" (Panama); "Pickin' Peas" (Alabama); "Fari Mbam" (Wolof); "Big Man Drum" (China); "Girl Who Wore Too Much" (Pu-Thai); "Buchettino" (Italy); "Rich Man Seeks a Daughter-in-law" (Thailand); "Hare Who Married a Princess" (Fon, Benin); "Little Old Woman Who Hated Housework" (Scotland); "What a Wonderful Life" (Jewish); "Elephants and the Bees" (Thailand); "Little Boy Frog and Little Boy Snake" (Ekoi); "Pán Kotsky" (Ukraine); "Nanny Goat and Her Two Little Kids" (France); "Baby Rattlesnake" (Pawnee); "Tom Thumb's Wedding" (Italy).

Fat Cat: Indonesian Edition

Malaysia, situated in the heart of southeast Asia, is home to more than twenty million people, who belong to a number of diverse cultural groups, including the Malay, Dusun, Iban, Penan, Sungai, Dyak, and others. Until now, few tales from Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore have made their way into print in English. Renowned folklorist Margaret Read MacDonald has worked with archival material as well as with local storytellers to collect traditional tales from these people, including 15 tales from the ethnic peoples of Borneo. Organized broadly by region, and then by specific groups and themes, this book offers more than 50 tales, including animal tales, stories of magic, trickster tales, humorous stories, place legends and more. Like other titles in the World Folklore Series, it also includes general information about the geography, peoples, and history of Malaysia and surrounding areas; as well as proverbs, songs and games, color photos, and notes on the stories. All levels. CONTENTS: Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: The Countries from Which These Stories Come Part 2: Tales of the Malay People Part 3: Tales from the Ethnic Peoples of Borneo Part 4: Proverbs and Pantun Part 5: Malay Children's Songs and Games Appendix A: Notes on Tale Sources and Motifs Appendix B: More Books to Read Appendix C: Sources Consulted Glossary Index

Every spring parents come into my library desperate for a book of skits. They have been put in charge of skit night at 5th grade eco-camp. Finally I decided to just write one for them. I asked every kid I met what skits they recalled from camp. When I reached 101, I sent in the manuscript. These skits are the folklore of kids. They pass them from person to person as the kids move from camp to camp. I give outlines for 101 camp skits. The kids in your group will easily improv a performance from this.

An old couple discover they have been pouring their slops onto the home of a neighbor fairy couple. Suddenly they see things through their neighbor's eyes, and discover a better way to handle their garbage. Illustrator Yvonne Davis adds many Welsh elements to the book, including a Welsh corgie which the fairy man rides away on the back cover. Her research revealed that the white spot on the corgie's back is believed to be a saddle for the fairies.

French/Swiss edition of Earth Care. Color illustrations.

A lively retelling from Puerto Rican folklore. Grandma tucks dog, cat, pig, and horse into bed with little boy but he is still afraid of the squeaky door.

Especially tellable tales... selected from the Libraries Unlimited World Folklore series. Two tales each from Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Cuba, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hmong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Kurdish, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Siberia, South America, Thailand, Ukraine. Activities to accompany the tales are included.

The eleven years spent compiling this index were a part of my folklore Ph.D work. The book indexes 556 folktale collections and 389 folktale picture books. The book is arranged according to the Stith Thompson motif-index classification used by folklorists. But most users simply look up their tale under the title or subject index. It's a fun book to browse. For example under R221 Heroine's threefold flight from ball you find 36 variations on the Cinderella theme, from 25 different cultures. A search of the Subject index under "Moon" presents you with 101 tales. These are arranged alphabetically by highlighted keyword to help you find just the right tale more quickly.

Our supplement to The Storyteller's Sourcebook covers the years 1983-1999. This supplement indexes 210 folktale collections and 790 picture books! No wonder publishers keep telling me the market is already glutted with folktale picture books! Brian Sturm, of the University of North Carolina Library School, co-authored this edition and did all the database crunching! Thank him when you see him, so he will want to do it again.

Basic advice on how to find, learn, and perform folktales. Plus twelve ready-to-tell stories. Includes stories that work with pre-school, elementary, and junior high. Many bibliographies to lead to more sources. An excellent first book for the serious storytelling student. Includes: "Turtle of Koka" (Ki-Mbundu, Angola); "Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle" (Wales); "Puchika Churika (Selkup, Siberia); "Marsh Hawk" (Athabaskan); "Gecko" (Lango/Acoli); "Kudu Break!" (Basotho); What Are Their Names!" (Ki-Mbundu/Angola); "Ko Kóngole" (Nkundo, Zaire); "Ningun" (Nigeria); "Yonjwa Seeks a Bride" (Ndundo, Zaire).

A Japanese translation of The Storyteller's Start-up Book

Folktale from the Marshall Islands. Sandpiper and Whale argue about who owns the beach. Each calls in relatives to help claim the island for themselves. At last, as they are destroying the bay, they realize they should share. Useful for discussions of ecology and peaceful resolution.

Suggestions for using storytelling in the classroom across the curriculum. With 20 easy-to-tell stories to try. A perfect start-up book for teachers wanting to bring the joy of story into the lives of their students.

Rackety tale of the Teeny Weeny Bop's excursions to town to buy a pet. Good hamster...but where can she keep him? Chant along home with her and find out!

Working with or without a native speaker, a storyteller can touch the minds and hearts of all listeners-even those with little or no English language skills. Here a group of expert storytellers share a variety of tips and techniques that help bridge the language gap; along with sample stories that librarians, teachers, and professional storytellers can easily incorporate into their repertoires. Four basic techniques for bilingual telling are explored: summarizing, line-by-line translation, tandem telling, and inserted phrases. In addition, contributors discuss such topics as the translator's role, using story in language instruction, presenting tellers of other languages, traveling and giving workshops abroad, and more. CONTENTS: Introduction Chapter 1: Telling Through Translation Chapter 2: Line-by-Line Translation Chapter 3: Tandem Telling Chapter 4: More than Words: Storytelling Without Translation Chapter 5: One Teller, One Story, Two Languages Chapter 6: On the Translator's Role Chapter 7: Performing in a Second Language Chapter 8: Story in Language Instruction Chapter 9: Presenting Tellers of Other Languages Chapter 10: Presenting Workshops Abroad Chapter 11: Translation in a Signed Language Chapter 12: Cultural Considerations Chapter 13: A Language of No Words Chapter 14: Tellers Travel

Interviews with ten traditional storytellers. Includes: Won-Ldy Paye (Liberian); Makia Malo (Hawaii); Curtis DuPuis (Chehalis); Vi Hilbert (Upper Skagit); Lela Kiana Oman (Eskimo); Roberto Carlos Ramos (Brazilian); Pra Inta Kaweewong (Thai) ; Léonard Sam (New Caledonia); Peter Pippim (Ghana); Rinjing Dorje (Tibet).

Includes: "Lung Ta, the Calm Woodcutter"; "The Liars Compete"; "The Marvelous Canning Factory"; "The Liars Contest of the King"; "Drinking with Yommaban, the King of the Dead"; "Sri Thanonchai and the King"; "Sri Thanonchai and the Two Moons"; "Sri Thanonchai's Special Dishes"; "Why the Bear Has a Short Tail"; "Tiger Seeks Wisdom"; "The Elephants and the Bees"; "Power and Wisdom"; "The Deer Buddha"; "Seven Stars"; "The Honest Woodcutter"; "The Thieving Crow"; "Who Is Best?"; "The Pious Son-in-Law"; "He Who Thinks He is first is Unwise": "Plenty"; "The Good Boy"; "Medicine to Revive the Dead"; "When Death Comes"; "If It Belongs to Us, It Will Come to Us"; "Muang Laplae: the Land of Fantasy"; "Mouse Island and Cat Island"; "Kaeo, the Horse-face Girl"; "Chet Huat Chet Hai (Seven Pot, Seven Jar)"; "The Twin Stars"; "Songkran: A Thai New Year Story"; "The Daughters of Thao Kabinlaphrom and Their Attributes".

The voice of author Supaporn Vathanaprida relates several stories from her book. Thai music by Siam Sangit ensemble, performed by Su's husband and friends, leads into the stories.

77 short stories. Some as brief as 15 seconds! Great for sharing in those times when you need a quick story. These tales are gleaned from the world's folklore. Already they have proved their usefulness to tellers. They are a favorite of my storytelling students and are fun to use as easy teaching tales. Quite possible to expand some of the meatier tales into much longer stories too, if you desire.

Bi-lingual Chinese (Mandarin/English edition of Three Minute Tales. Slightly rewritten for ESL uses. Published by East & West Book Co., a textbook publisher in Taiwan. Includes two CD's of author reading the stories in English.

Japanese edition of Three Minute Tales

Bi-lingual edition of Go to Sleep Gecko! English/Bahasa Indonesia. Trans. By Dina Simarmata-Tuasum. Jakarta: PT BPK Gunung Mulia, 2011.

Korean edition of Mabela the Clever.

23 stories of thumblings from many cultures. Suggested activities for a unit on thumblings. Some of the stories are fun to tell, others designed to read aloud. Good for cross-cultural folktale comparison.

A Little Old Woman really HATES housework. But when fairies arrive to lend a hand she is worse off than ever. Rollicking sweeping, cleaning fun! A Scottish folktale illustrated by Scottish artist Susan Mitchell.

Little Tough Tug takes his first long haul to Alaska and saves a friend tug in distress. Lively chanting text chugs tug along his way.

Over 100 essays from folklore scholars around the world discuss the uses of storytelling in contemporary societies.

Five stories of bedtime. "Snow Bunting's Lullaby" (Eiven, Siberia): Kutkha the raven steals Mother Snow Bunting's lullaby and Baby won't stop crying. Be sure to encourage the children to sing quietly along with you on the lullaby. "Kanji-Jo, the Nestlings" (Mende, Liberia): Five abandoned babies leave their nest and search for their mother. Let the children chant with the chicks and sing along. "You're not our MOTHER! Our mother sings like THIS." The mother had been stolen away by the hunter, but escapes in time for a happy ending. "Chin Chin Kobakama" (Japan): Lazy Mariko just pokes her toothpicks in cracks in her tatami floor each night, instead of discarding them properly. She is awakened and terrorized by miniature samurai who emerge to use the toothpicks for swordfights. Her father discovers what is drawing them to her room. She cleans up her mess and they never return. "The Playground of the Sun and the Moon"(Aruacano, Argentina & Chile): Sun chases moon for her silver ring. "Counting Sheep" (British Isles): an endless story designed to drive children mad so they will stop asking for more stories. "One sheep jumped over the fence...baaa." "Another sheep jumped over the fence...baaa..."

Little Pot runs home full of honey and jewels until her Momma realizes she is pilfering these things. When the King catches her she gets her comeuppance.

A favorite of beginning storytellers. Easy-to-learn stories that never fail. Plus tips on learning tales and bibliographies to help find more. Includes: "Whale of a Tale" (Eskimo); "Coyote's Crying Song" (Hopi); "Coyote's Rain Song" (Navaho); "Little Crab and His Magic Eyes" (Taulipang, Brazil); "Groundhog Dance" (Cherokee); "Old One-Eye" (Appalachian); "Parley Garfield and the Frogs" (Indiana); "Gunny Wolf" (American South); "How to Break a Bad Habit" (W. Africa); "Sody Sallyrytus" (Appalachian); "Turkey Tale" (original, based on American folk); "Jack and the Robbers" (Appalachian); "Roly Poly Rice Ball" (Japan); "Udala Tree" (Igbo); "The Rabbit and the Well" (American South); "Hic! Hic! Hic!" (Turkey); "Mr. Fox" (England); "Punia and the King of the Sharks" (Hawaii); "The Magic Fox" (Japan). H.W. Wilson edition out of print. New paperback only edition from American Library Association now available.

Some very scary, some quite mild, some really gross. All easy-to-tell. Includes: "Little Buttercup" (Norway); "Wee Little Tyke" (England); "Looking for Home" (England); "Wicked John and the Devil"(Appalachian); "The Great Red Cat"(Scotland); "The Wizard Clip" (West Virginia); "The Tinker and the Ghost"(Spain); "The Conjure Wives"(Appalachia); "Sop Doll"(Appalachia); "The Hobyahs" (Australia); "Old Ben" (Appalachia); "Sam'l" (England); "Cat with the Beckoning Paw"(Japan); "Totanguak"(Eskimo); "Red Silk Handkerchief" (England); "Strange Visitor"(England); "Who Lives in the Skull?" (Russia); "Let's Go on a Ghost Hunt" (American); "Tale of a Black Cat" (American); "Witches' Brew" (US).

Japanese edition of When the Lights Go Out: 20 Scary Tales to Tell. Ethereal illustrations for each tale.

Bess is kind to bear, mountain lion, and boar, washes foxes at well. Foxes with that gold fall from her mouth, diamonds from her nose. Unkind Tess kicks animals, mistreats foxes. Toads from mouth, corn from nose. Bess sings happily en route, Tess chants grumpily. A lively Kentucky version of the traditional "Toads and Diamonds" motif.