One morning a young boy wakes up to find that Dad is gone. And in this affecting tale from acclaimed picture book artist Anthony Browne, nothing seems quite right after that. When Mom sends the boy to deliver a cake to Grandma, he decides to cut through the forest, a route he’s been warned not to take. Soon he’s off on a strange, dreamlike journey full of fairy-tale allusions – a personification of a child’s anxiety as reflected in the surreal illustrations of Anthony Browne. It’s a haunting place where nothing is quite what it seems, until the boy – and the reader – are deeply relieved to arrive at a warm, welcoming homecoming.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
The Goatherd and the Shepherdess
On an ancient Greek island, an abandoned boy and girl were raised by two old farm couples. Daphnis peacefully tended his goats, and Chloe quietly cared for her sheep–until romance, pirates and destiny all intervened.
Cinderella
So goes the pronouncement of Cinderella’s fairy godmother as the ragged maiden, now magically transformed into a ravishing beauty, climbs into her magnificent coach and sets off for the prince’s ball.
Billy Beg and His Bull
With magical gifts from the bull his mother had given him, the son of an Irish king manages to prove his bravery and win a princess as his wife.
The Trojan Horse
A retelling of the famous Greek myth follows Helen, the beautiful wife of King Menelaus of Greece, as she falls in love with Paris, the son of the King of Troy, and flees with him to Troy, an act that begins the Trojan War.
The Stone Dancers
Loving the tales of her ancestors, who built a castle in the remote French mountains, Anise listens while her grandfather describes how their relatives were mistaken for dancing stones when seen by distant herdsmen.
Sleeping Beauty
When the king and queen throw a banquet in honor of the birth of their daughter, they invite all of the fairies, but one, Skura, who attends the feast, seeking revenge. She curses the baby, but her evil intentions are undone by the good fairy who instead promises years of sleep.
Not Last Night But the Night Before
A little boy’s unexpected guests look oddly familiar in this fanciful ode to birthdays — and big imaginations.NOT LAST NIGHT BUT THE NIGHT BEFORE,THREE BLACK CATS CAME KNOCKING AT THE DOOR.And before you know it, the man in the moon is knocking, followed by three little pigs, Little Bo-peep, Miss Muffet, and many more visitors, all in a rush. But where are they going so willy-nilly, gifts in hand? Colin McNaughton’s energetic rhymes, whimsically illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark, transform one child’s quiet night into a celebration full of beloved fairy-tale characters.
A Pot o’ Gold: A Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, and (of Course) Blarney
A collection of stories, folklore, poetry, and songs from Ireland.
Sleeping Beauty
Amidst light, shadow, and magic emerge the drama of a king’s decision, an angry thirteenth fairy, a prince undaunted by a wall of brambles, and a lovely princess, fast asleep. For at that moment, a thicket of briars grew tall and wide around her court and castle, enveloping it with mystery. A legend began to spread.