Worldwide Stories

Drawing from African, Asian and European folklore “Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child: A Worldwide Jack and the Beanstalk Story” retells the classic fairy tale in a single narrative through multiple world cultures. The story of a child confronting a man-eating giant or witch is told the world over. These heroes go by many names and might be normal in size or no bigger than a thumb. Though they're often scorned for being the youngest and smallest, they're well-armed with cleverness and courage. Award-winner Paul Fleischman and illustrator Julie Paschkis combine elements of this story from different traditions-“Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Tom Thumb”, “Kihuo”, “Vasilisa”-to create one narrative, one complete picture of a small boy's triumph.

In this companion to “Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal”, award winner Paul Fleischman and Julie Paschkis turn to the universal story of creation. In the beginning there was only darkness... There was fire and ice... There was a single drop of milk. Combining elements of the creation story from different traditions, this narrative weaves together one complete picture of how the world began. “First Light, First Life” is a celebration of the many and varied peoples of the earth, of their commonalities and their differences. It is a celebration of life.