From the comic opening of a piece of uncarved wood already endowed with a personality all its own, to the drama of the final moment when Pinocchio rejoices over his transformation into a flesh-and-blood boy, this is a work of irresistible charm. Full-color illustrations.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Cinderella
Living happily with her mother and father, Cinderella finds her life beginning to unravel with the death of her mother and her father’s remarriage, in a beautifully illustrated retelling of the traditional tale set against the romantic backdrop of Venice.
Three Perfect Peaches: A French Folktale
The king offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to the young man who can produce three perfect peaches.
The Sleeping Beauty
Enraged at not being invited to the princess’ christening, the thirteenth fairy casts a spell that dooms the princess to sleep for one hundred years.
Three Sacks of Truth
With the aid of a perfect peach, a silver fife, and his own resources, Petit Jean outwits a dishonest king and wins the hand of a princess.
Aesop’s Fox
One summer morning, Fox awakens and begins his search for food. His travels take him to a vineyard, where the unreachable grapes are probably sour, and to a conversation with Rooster and Crow, during which flattery first fails but then succeeds. Fox meets–among others–foolish Donkey, wise Boar, vain Leopard, and shrewd Lion. With each meeting, Fox gains wisdom–until at the end of the day, falling asleep in the hollow of a tree, he says, “Time fixes everything.” And so it does.
Aesop’s Fables
In this elegantly designed volume, more than sixty of Aesop’s timeless fables have been carefully selected, humorously retold, and brought gloriously to life by four-time Caldecott Honor-winner Jerry Pinkney. Included are the Shepherd Boy and The Wolf, the Lion and the Mouse, the Tortoise and the Hare, plus many other characters—and morals—that have inspired countless readers for centuries. With more than fifty magnificent full-color illustrations, this handsome edition is a must for every bookshelf.
Stick Man
Stick Man lives in the family tree With his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three. But one day, Stick Man is carried off by a mischievous dog who wants to play fetch! Things go from bad to worse as Stick Man is carried farther and farther away from home. Lonely and lost, Stick Man desperately wants to get home to be with his family for Christmas. And when he helps Santa Claus out of a bind, he finds the perfect ticket home!
Hercules
Journey back to ancient Greece and meet the greatest hero who ever lived-Hercules! With eleven difficult tasks behind him, he now must face the last and most terrifying. To bring back the three-headed monster dog, Cerberus, Hercules must enter the Underworld-where the dead go-and come back alive!
One Potato, Two Potato
Mr. and Mrs. O’Grady are so poor they have just one of everything to share – one potato a day, one chair, one blanket full of holes, and one gold coin for a rainy day. After digging up the last potato in their patch, Mr. O’Grady comes upon a big black object. It’s a pot – no ordinary pot, for what they soon discover is that whatever goes into it comes out doubled! Suddenly the O’Gradys aren’t destitute anymore. But what they really long for is one friend apiece. Can the magic pot give them that?