In the village of Baddbaddpur, the people like to tell tales, “so tall that if you put them one on top of the other, they would reach the stars.” Pandurang is so dour that he can make milk turn sour. One day he coughs up a feather. As the story of Pandurang’s feather is passed from one person to another it grows and grows and grows until it can hardly be recognized. And that’s when the story weaves its magic on the ill-tempered Pandurang. An international version of “broken telephone” this is a funny cautionary tale about the nature of rumors.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Christmas with the Rural Mail
A gentle poem describing the journey of a mail sleigh through rural Nova Scotia at Christmastime, delivering packages and parcels to children. The poem is carefully crafted to fit Maud Lewis’s colorful paintings, and the mail sleigh passes children skiing and tobogganing, oxen and Clydesdale horses pulling heavy loads, and the train station, among other classic rural winter scenes.
Drummer Hoff
A cumulative folk song in which seven soldiers build a magnificent cannon, but Drummer Hoff fires it off.
Madeline
Madeline, smallest and naughtiest of the twelve little charges of Miss Clavel, wakes up one night with an attack of appendicitis.
The Man Who Walked Between The Towers
A lyrical evocation of Philippe Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers.
Make Way for Ducklings
After raising her ducklings on a secluded island, Mrs. Mallard leads them to the Boston Public Garden to eat peanuts.
The Funny Little Woman
While chasing a dumpling, a little lady is captured by wicked creatures from whom she escapes with the means of becoming the richest woman in Japan.
The Snowy Day
The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.
Madeline’s Rescue
A hound rescues a schoolgirl from the Seine, becomes a beloved school pet, is chased away by the trustees, and returns with a surprise.
Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes
A collection of nursery rhymes in English and Chinese, some originating from each tradition, interspersed with facts about Chinese culture and traditions.