Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

Two shepherds are watching their sheep when one falls asleep and a butterfly flies out of his mouth! The other shepherd follows the butterfly's journey, and tells the sleeping man what happened when he wakes up. Learn about perspective in this Irish folk tale.

In Tehuantepec the Zapotec people used to get along, but discontent grew between the people in the north, the south, and the middle. Learn if a visit from the goddess Tangu Yuh can bring the Zapotecs together and why they make clay figures for New Year's Day.

The Little Red Hen finds a grain of wheat. She wants to plant it, but Dab the duck, Tib the cat, and Tod the fox won't help her. They won't help her cut it, or thresh it, or mill it. But what about eating it? This English tale teaches the value of lending a hand.

In this Aztec creation story, the goddess Tlaltecuhtli is always hungry. She cries day and night, and the other gods cannot sleep. Can Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca, the most powerful gods, help Tlaltecuhtli satisfy her hunger?