Tailypo: A Newfangled Tall Tale

On a farm in the Texas Hill Country, a young boy confronts a strange critter that tries to steal his family’s last meal. A variation on the folktale about a monster that leaves its tail behind in the cabin of an African American boy.

The Bourbon Street Musicians

In this rollicking retelling of “The Bremen Town Musicians,” a creaky old jack mule, a droopy hound dog, a ragged rooster, and a bony cat, all unwanted and no longer loved, set out for Bourbon Street in New Orleans to play bebop and make their fortune. Presently they encounter a band of thieves in a shack by a bayou, and though things don’t turn out quite as expected, they end up mighty fine just the same. A bluesy dialect that begs to be read aloud, vivid imagery, and distinctively comic illustrations infuse the adventures of these four determined friends with the flavor of rural Louisiana and the rhythm of New Orleans jazz. Glossary.

Sparks Fly High

Colonel Lightfoot is never modest, especially when it comes to his dancing or his fine Virginia land. One piece of that land is turning to mud, and the devil himself is rumored to live in that murky mess, for on dark nights sparks fly high. How to put an end to the devil’s mischief? Why, a dance contest with the fiery fiend himself. The colonel bristles with confidence, but the devil is equally sure of himself, until, recognizing his own false pride in the devil’s boasts, the colonel discovers the perfect way to outsmart him.  Witty, expressive illustrations aglow with color bring to life a Colonial American tale that sizzles and snaps with humor and folk wisdom.

Sindbad’s Secret

Sindbad the Sailor has escaped death many times and is planning to live the rest of his life on dry land. But the sea beckons, and he sets out for one final adventure. As he sails from a beautiful far-off land where people drink scented tea, a storm destroys the ship. Sindbad finds refuge on an island, but it holds little safety for him. Ivory traders make him their slave. It seems that he will live out his days in servitude. But the power of love, and his compassion for a baby elephant, give him the strength he needs for survival. His voyage offers him the answer to life’s greatest secret, and finally he can rest. Ludmila Zeman has retold these beloved adventures from the Thousand and One Nights in her gorgeous trilogy, Sindbad, Sindbad in the Land of the Giants, and Sindbad’s Secret, incorporating design details and maps that place the stories into their historical context.