Asian Tales and Tellers

More than 30 stories from the rich Asian cultural panorama illuminate the wisdom and humor of Eastern cultures. In her search for stories, Cathy Spagnoli has slid through Indian rice fields, sipped sake with Japanese epic singers, met with monks in Thailand and Korea, and hiked the Himalayas with Tibetan dancers.

Norman and Brenda

Some people face the world with confidence. They are popular, charismatic, incredibly successful and often beautiful. They achieve these things by sheer determination, talent and cosmetic surgery. They have big houses, big cars and big hair. They have gorgeous children who become even richer and more famous than they are, simply by breathing and being able to tie their own shoelaces. Norman and Brenda are nothing like these people.

Mediopollito: Cuento Tradicional en Espanol e Ingles/Half-Chicken: A Folktale in Spanish and English

Have you ever seen a weather vane? Do you know why there is a little rooster on the top, spinning around to tell us which way the wind is blowing? Here is the answer in this old, old story about a very special chicken. With only one eye, one leg, and one wing, Half-Chicken sets off to see the world. His adventures take him far and wide, until at last he’s carried straight to the top in this lively, humorous retelling, in Spanish and English, of a traditional folktale.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: America Keeps the Memory Alive

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened in Washington D.C., in April 1993. This book walks the reader through the museum, floor by floor. It interweaves the story of the Holocaust with a description of the museum. The book describes the Nazis’ rise to power, the “final solution”, and the aftermath of the Holocaust (1945 to present).

Fisherman and the Turtle

Although this is based on the Grimm Brothers’ The Fisherman and His Wife, the author shifts the setting to Aztec society and reshapes the story so that the fisherman’s good wishes come from a wise old sea turtle. Shortly after he frees the sea turtle from his net, the modest fisherman first asks for four fish–a huge bounty as he usually only catches two–but his wife has other ideas. Her greed forces the fisherman to ask for a stone house and riches and the kingship of the Aztec people. But when she asks to become a god, neither she nor her husband is prepared for how the sea turtle will respond to the wish.

Korean Children’s Favorite Stories

Korean Children’s Favorite Stories is a captivating collection of Korean folk tales that have thrived for generations. Some are unique to Korea, while others echo those told in other countries. Written with wit and pathos, they reveal the follies of people everywhere and expose the human-like qualities of animals and the animal-like qualities of humans.