Folk Myths

Mary Pope Osborne retells thrilling stories from Homer's Odyssey, one of the greatest epics of all time.

A pig flying through marshmallow clouds to a marzipan moon? A camel pirouetting through the desert? Where can a listener find such marvelous things but in a fable? In this collection, short, original fables with fresh, unexpected morals poke subtle fun at human foibles through the antics of animals.

A beautiful girl with extraordinarily long golden hair is imprisoned in a lonely tower by a witch.

Tristan Strong, just back from a victorious but exhausting adventure in Alke, the land of African American folk heroes and African gods, is suffering from PTSD. But there's no rest for the weary when his grandmother is abducted by a mysterious villain out for revenge. Tristan must return to Alke - and reunite with his loud-mouthed sidekick, Gum Baby - in order to rescue Nana and stop the culprit from creating further devastation.

Mary Pope Osborne retells thrilling stories from Homer's Odyssey, one of the greatest epics of all time.

Charming and thoughtful stories where even the smallest animals prove that cleverness can conquer danger.

Beauty is sailing the ocean when pirates attack and her dad is thrown overboard. Just as he sinks beneath the waves, something horrible rises - a kraken! Without hesitation, Beauty makes a deal to become the giant squid's prisoner if it rescues her dad. But as Beauty explores the island she's now marooned on, the girl discovers secret treasure that may hold the key to saving herself...and the sea beast.

The classic story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Snow White is exiled by the wicked queen to the forest where she encounters and lives with the seven dwarfs. The queen is jealous of Snow White's beauty and gives her a poison apple that puts Snow White to sleep. Eventually a handsome prince finds Snow White and breaks the spell.

Taran, the assistant pig-keeper who wants to be a hero, goes questing for knowledge of his parentage, hoping that his journey will ennoble him in the eyes of Eilonwy, the princess with the red-gold hair. Accompanied by several loyal friends, Taran begins his search when three wily enchantresses of the Marshes of Morva send him to consult the Mirror of Llunet for the answers he is seeking, cryptically promising that "the finding takes no more than the looking".

Quillan is a territory on the verge of destruction. The people have lost control of their own future and must struggle simply to survive. The only chance they have of finding a better life is by playing the Quillan Games. Hosted by a strange pair of game masters, Veego and LaBerge, the games are a mix of sport and combat.

Zane Obispo spends every day exploring the sleeping volcano in his backyard. "The Beast", as he calls it, is the one place where he can escape other kids, who make fun of him because he has a limp and walks with a cane. After a plane crashes into The Beast, a mysterious girl named Brooks shows up at Zane's doorstep, insisting that they meet at the volcano, where she will reveal a terrible secret. Zane agrees. Brooks tells him that the volcano is actually a centuries-old prison for the Mayan god of death, whose destiny is directly tied to Zane's.

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal - return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health - Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger.

Big as a mountain and stronger than a grizzly bear, Paul Bunyan was the greatest lumberjack ever to swagger through the North American forests. All the larger-than-life characters in Paul's supporting cast are here, including Babe the Blue Ox, eating her ton of grain a day, and Hotbiscuit Sally, with her acre-and-a-half griddle. The outrageous adventures of this quintessential American hero represent the very best in the proud tradition of American storytelling.

Many years ago, the storytellers say, the great King Arthur brought justice to England with the help of his gallant Knights of the Round Table. Sir Lancelot the Great: Of these worthy knights, there was never one so fearless, so chivalrous, so honorable, so…shiny as the dashing Sir Lancelot. Sir Givret the Short: Poor Givret: His size makes him so easy to overlook. But there’s more to knighthood than height. Sir Gawain the True The knights didn’t always act quite as gallantly as a true knight should. Even King Arthur’s nephew....

A poor miller with a beautiful daughter had an audience with the king. In order to appear important, the miller told the king that he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold. The king was impressed by this talent and asked for the girl to come to him. When the girl was brought to him he led her into a room full of straw, gave her a spinning wheel and spindle, and told her that if all the straw was not spun into gold by morning, she will die....

Revisit the tale of Rapunzel. The princess in the tower longs for friends—and she finds one, in the shape of a curious prince. Will the princess get her happily ever after, or grow old at the top of the tower?

Goldilocks is sent to "Fear Camp" to help her deal with the aftermath of the Bear Incident. While there, she meets some other fairy tale characters, including Hansel and Gretel.

The teacher Patrick Healy traveled around the world, talked with people in different places, and collected around 500 myths, legends, and folktales and their several alternative versions. His opinion and comments (directly or indirectly) are inevitable. This is the ninth volume of his work, 33 Native American Myths, in his words. He retold the stories with his own opinion and approach to them.

World Tales of Wisdom and Wonder is a collection of folktales told in a weave of poetry, prose, original melody, and guitar. Drawn from cultures around the globe, these colorful tales offer a leap into fantasy and some homespun wisdom passed down through the oral tradition.

This time, the magic mirror (with a little help from the magical fairy, Maryrose) sends Abby and Jonah into the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. And they have a task: Find the enchanted ruby and bring it back to help Maryrose. But to do so, Abby and Jonah must follow the 12 sisters from their palace to the secret spot where they go dancing. Abby and Jonah will have to learn some moves of their own - and dancing isn't easy when you don't know the steps!