LittleFolk
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The Uglified Ducky
A Maynard Moose Tale
by Willy Claflin
Part of the LittleFolk series
You may think you know the classic story of the Ugly Duckling, but think again. In the capable hands of his alter ego Maynard Moose, renowned storyteller Willy Claflin takes us on a wacky journey where this Uglified Ducky, a hapless young moose, "blunders away" from his home, is mistaken for a baby duck, and endures endless humiliation as he tries to learn to waddle, quack, swim, and fly. Eventually, he finds his true "fambly," who helps him discover his own beauty. In his fractured "Moose" English, translated in the glossary at front, Maynard relays a surprisingly tender story that echoes the original tale's theme of the struggle to belong and discover your true self. The Uglified Ducky's quest is playfully but sympathetically interpreted in James Stimson's luminous, droll gouache illustrations.
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(3)
The Great Smelly, Slobbery, Small-Tooth Dog
A Folktale from Great Britain
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Part of the LittleFolk series
When a rich man is rescued from thieves by a smelly, slobbery dog, the man offers the dog any treasure is his house as a reward. The treasure that the dog chooses is the rich man's daughter. With great sadness, the daughter honors her father's promise and goes to live with the dog. Over time, a friendship grows between the girl and the dog, but she still misses her father. In this tale from Great Britain, award winning author, Margaret Read MacDonald puts a new spin on the classic story, "Beauty and the Beast", reminding us all that appearances can be deceiving and that compassion can be powerful.
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(7)
Spicy Hot Colors
Colores Picantes
by Sherry Shahan
Part of the LittleFolk series
Colors explode off the page in this energetic, jazzy picture book introducing readers to colors in both English and Spanish. In a style brimming with rhythm and syncopation, author Sherry Shahan introduces nine colors by interweaving images and dance steps. Ecuadoran artist Paula Barragán's illustrations capture the rhythm and vivacity of the text.
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(17)
Big Quiet House
by Heather Forest
Part of the LittleFolk series
This story opens with "There once was a man whose house was very small," and it continues, "It was cluttered with things from wall to wall." With a tiny, cluttered house, giggling children, and a snoring wife, the poor man can't get a good night's sleep. If only, he thinks, I had a big quiet house! He throws off his covers and goes to visit the wise old woman at the edge of the village. Surely she can help him solve his problem. And she does, but not without giving him some very unusual advice. "Bring a chicken into your house," she suggests. And when that doesn't work, she has him add a goat, a horse, a cow, and even a sheep. The ending of the story proves, as so many ancient folktales do, that quite often, nonsense makes the best sense of all. Susan Greenstein's bold illustrations-white pencil on black surface with watercolor - carry the reader through the warm interiors and peaceful nights of the shtetls of Eastern Europe.
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(0)
Guess Again!
Riddle Poems
by Lillian Morrison
Part of the LittleFolk series
This lyrical picture book of 20 clever riddles challenges young readers to use their imagination to solve the word and picture puzzles.
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(7)
The Girl Who Wore Too Much
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Part of the LittleFolk series
In this timeless tale from Thailand, A girl cannot decide which of her many silken dresses and lavish jewels to wear to the dance, so she wears them all. Her foolish decision, teaches her a valuable lesson.
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(8)
Dancing Turtle
A Folktale from Brazil
by Pleasant DeSpain
Part of the LittleFolk series
Turtle loves to dance and play the flute. But her exuberance puts her at risk when her music attracts the attention of a brave hunter who brings her home to make turtle stew. After she is caught, her only hope for escape is the hunter's children ... and her own wit. This folktale, first told by the indigenous people of Brazil, is now told throughout Latin America. Like the people of Latin America, Turtle always seems to survive any challenge by using her courage and wit. Beautiful watercolors radiant with the dense foliage and hardy wildlife of the Amazon rain forest, guides the reader through this timeless adventure story.
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(12)
Rapunzel and the Seven Dwarfs
A Maynard Moose Tale
by Willy Claflin
Part of the LittleFolk series
Only Maynard Moose could dream up this hilarious story that mashes up three fractured fairy tales by combining the stories of Rapunzel's golden locks with Sleeping Beauty along with Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs to create a bizarre adventure story.
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(9)
Holy Mole! A Folktale from Mexico
by Caroline McAlister
Part of the LittleFolk series
Carlos is working in the kitchen of the Mexican monastery when the cook enters the room in a panic. The Spanish Viceroy is on his way for a surprise visit and will arrive by noon, expecting dinner. What will the brothers feed this important ambassador to the king? Carlos tries to stay out of the way as lunch is hastily prepared, but his curiosity gets the best of him. His eagerness results in a moment of crisis, followed by what the brothers can only assume is a miracle. This story, inspired by the Mexican folk tradition, explains the origins of molé, the popular national dish that combines chocolate with turkey, spices, and nuts. Stefan Czernecki's amusing, angular illustrations capture the chaos in the kitchen as well as the folk tradition behind the tale.
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(8)
When Turtle Grew Feathers
A Tale from the Choctaw Nation
by Tim Tingle
Part of the LittleFolk series
In this Choctaw variant of Aesop's fable "The Tortoise and the Hare," master storyteller Tim Tingle reveals some unexpected twists and expands the cast to include a wild turkey, a colony of ants, and a cheering squad of Little Bitty Turtles as well. When Rabbit boastfully challenges Turtle to a race, he gets his comeuppance and Turtle gets a little assist from his winged friend, Turkey. In the process, we learn why Turtle's shell is cracked and why you never see Rabbit racing Turtle today. The bold and vibrant illustrations capture not only the grasslands of the High Plains but also the demeanor of its animal inhabitants and the humor of the tale.
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Conejito
A Folktale from Panama
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Part of the LittleFolk series
In this action packed folktale from Panama, a clever little rabbit and his Tía Mónica find ways to outwit a fox, a tiger, and a lion, all of whom want to eat him for lunch.
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(10)
Contest Between the Sun and the Wind
An Aesop's Fable
by Heather Forest
Part of the LittleFolk series
Based on a fable from Aesop, the Sun and the Wind test their strength by seeing which of them can cause a man to remove his coat, demonstrating the value of using gentle persuasion rather than brute force as a means of achieving a goal.
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Cool Cats Counting
by Sherry Shahan
Part of the LittleFolk series
A splashy, colorful, rhythmic illustration of numbers 1-10 in both English and Spanish.
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(4)
The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday
An Appalachian Folktale
by Donald Davis
Part of the LittleFolk series
In this award-winning home-grown version of "The Three Little Pigs," the villain is, naturally, a fox - the Appalachian red fox, who any local hunter will tell you is a worthy and cunning opponent. Davis's storytelling skills make full use of the tale's inherent repetition, capturing the mountain rhythms, homestead setting, and rural wisdom of the Appalachians. The bright watercolors depict a clever fox and capture the eastern mountain terrain that has shaped this unique version of a well-known tale.
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Little Red Hen
An Old Fable
by Heather Forest
Part of the LittleFolk series
A little Red Hen lived in a house, with a frisky dog, a cat, and a mouse. So begins this fresh look at a beloved old fable. The little Red Hen's frisky housemates-Dog, Cat, and Mouse-would rather play than settle down to daily chores such as planting, cutting, and grinding wheat. But when the wheat is used to make a delicious cake, the little creatures are more than happy to help eat it! Heather Forest's rhythmic retelling captures the chaos of daily living and celebrates the spirit of teamwork inherent in the tale. Susan Gaber's whimsical illustrations transport the reader to a cozy cottage where the little Red Hen helps others learn how to help her even if it is more effort than doing the work herself.
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The Ghost Catcher
by Martha Hamilton
Part of the LittleFolk series
This story is a retelling of a traditional Bengali tale in which a kind and generous Indian barber, pressed by his father and then his wife to earn more money, cleverly persuades a ghost to bring him riches.
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Go to Sleep, Gecko! A Balinese Folktale
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Part of the LittleFolk series
Gecko may be small, but he has a giant-sized problem. Every night he is awakened by the fireflies outside his window. And when Gecko doesn't get his rest, he gets a little grumpy. So he goes to Elephant, the head of the village, to complain. His request that the fireflies stop working at night sets off a comical chain of problems for everyone in the village and complicates everyone's life. Through this cumulative tale from the Balinese tradition, Gecko learns that his well-being depends on that of the entire village and he finally goes to sleep, a little wiser.
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Stone Soup
by Heather Forest
Part of the LittleFolk series
Two hungry travelers arrive at a village expecting to find a household that will share a bit of food, as has been the custom along their journey. To their surprise, villager after villager refuses to share, each one closing the door with a bang. As they sit to rest beside a well, one of the travelers observes that if the townspeople have no food to share, they must be "in greater need than we are." With that, the travelers demonstrate their special recipe for a magical soup, using a stone as a starter. All they need is a carrot, which a young girl volunteers. Not to be outdone, another villager contributes a potato, and the soup grows as others bring corn, celery, and other vegetables and seasonings. In this cumulative retelling of an ancient and widely circulated legend, author Heather Forest shows us that when each person makes a small contribution, "the collective impact can be huge." Susan Gaber's paintings portray the optimism and timelessness of a story that celebrates teamwork and generosity.
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The First Music
by Dylan Pritchett
Part of the LittleFolk series
When the animals get together in the jungle, they discover that the noise that they have been making is indeed music. Celebrated author and master storyteller, Dylan Pritchett weaves a tale that helps us discover that we all have music inside just waiting to come out when the time is right. This original award winning story is based on the model of traditional African folktales.
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Billy Brown and the Belly Button Beastie
by Bobby Norfolk
Part of the LittleFolk series
Every night when Billy Brown's mother puts him to bed, she tells him to keep his covers on his bed but he ignores her advice, then the belly button monster steals his belly button and the fun begins.
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Fat Cat
A Danish Folktale
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Part of the LittleFolk series
Have you ever heard the saying, "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach"? Well, Cat's stomach is bigger than a lot of things. He is always hungry, and living with culinary-inclined Mouse, who makes thirty-five pies in one day, just makes it worse. Fat Cat swallows everything in sight, including the washlady and her washtub, a troop of soldiers and their swords, even a king and his elephant! But when Cat swallows Mouse and her sewing basket, that's the last straw. Tiny Mouse cuts to the heart of the situation, taking an upside-down world and turning it right-side-up again. Greedy Cat learns his lesson and turns "fat" into "fancy," "fabulous," and "fantastic." Margaret Read MacDonald's infectious energy combines with Julie Paschkis's folk-inspired gouache paintings to create a new retelling of a favorite comic cumulative tale.
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Surf War! A Folktale from the Marshall Islands
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Part of the LittleFolk series
Sandpiper finds her daily stroll on the beach interrupted by Whale, who boasts that he is ruler of the sea. Sandpiper responds with equal bravado, asserting her rights to the sand and seawater. Soon the rivals are calling in their cousins, and the beach and sea are filled with shorebirds and sea mammals of every stripe. The standoff grows ominous as Whale leads his cousins in an assault on the beach, eating the sand from under the birds. Sandpiper retaliates by ordering her cousins to drink up the ocean. Soon the landscape is filled with fish, crabs, and sea creatures gasping for survival. How will this end? The outcome of this timely yet timeless nature tale suggests that we are all connected in the ecological chain.
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Baker's Dozen
by Heather Forest
Part of the LittleFolk series
The baker, Van Amsterdam becomes known in Colonial America for baking his St. Nicholas cookies but his greed drives him to become stingy in his business. When an old woman buys a dozen cookies from him and expects to receive 13, he withholds the last one. Unfortunately, his business goes downhill until the day she returns for 12 more cookies. But this time he gives her an extra measure and the custom of offering a "baker's dozen" or 13 items spreads throughout the colonies.
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Pickin' Peas
by Margaret Read MacDonald
Part of the LittleFolk series
A clever, singing rabbit eats his way through the pea patch until Little Girl snatches him up and he is soon singing a new tune as he plans his escape. With a nod to Brer Rabbit, Pickin Peas is adapted from two folktales collected in Alabama and Virginia. The lively storytelling voice of award-winning author Margaret Read MacDonald, combined with Pat Cummings' bright, bold contemporary illustrations, makes this timeless battle-of-wits an instant classic.
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