Sent by her mother to the edge of the Niger to gather rushes for the Ceremony of Beginnings, Nsia encounters many distractions, until the ancestors’ spirits guide her on her way to becoming a wise little woman.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
A Pipkin Of Pepper
While making pumpkin soup, three friends discover they have no salt and go to the city to buy some, but Duck stops to look at a pepper shop, then fears he will never see his friends again.
Chibi: A True Story From Japan
When a wild duck decides to make her nesting place in the Mitsui Office Park in downtown Tokyo, a news photographer becomes the duck’s devoted protector.
More Russian Picture Tales
Retells ten traditional folk tales about the animals and peasants of the Russian countryside.
Marushka’s Egg
Nine-year-old Marushka is sucked into a magic egg, where she is forced to be housekeeper to the witch Baba Yaga.
I Live in Tokyo
Seven-year-old Mimiko introduces her family and describes their activities on special days throughout the year.
Lizzie Nonsense: A Story Of Pioneer Days
Her mother calls it nonsense when Lizzie pretends that their house is pretty or that a bath is the sea, but it turns out that imagination runs in the family.
The Changeling
A farmer’s wife becomes the foster mother of a troll’s child and her humanistic treatment of the changeling eventually secures the return of her own son.
The Moon Was At A Fiesta
Jealous of the sun, the moon decides to create her own fiesta and celebrates a bit too much.
Beatrice’s Goat
More than anything, Beatrice longs to be a schoolgirl. But in her small African village, only children who can afford uniforms and books can go to school. Beatrice knows that with six children to care for, her family is much too poor. But then Beatrice receives a wonderful gift from some people far away — a goat! Fat and sleek as a ripe mango, Mugisa (which means “luck”) gives milk that Beatrice can sell. With Mugisa’s help, it looks as if Beatrice’s dream may come true after all. Based on a true story about the work of Project Heifer.