An unlucky twelve-year-old Norwegian boy named Odd leads the Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin in an attempt to outwit evil Frost Giants who have taken over Asgard.
Folklore and Fairy Tales
The Snow Country Prince
Encouraged by the words of the Snow Country Prince, Mariko and Kazuo nurse an injured swan back to health during the long winter.
Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
Eight tales chosen by the illustrator, winner of the 1990 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for lifetime achievement in the field of illustration for children.
‘A’ama Nui Guardian Warrior Chief of Lalakea
‘A’ama Nui is the first book in a new architectural book series for children published by Mo’o Studios. ‘A’ama Nui is the tale of a legendary crab who protects the ponds of Lalakea. However, there is more to this tale…alongside the story of ‘A’ama Nui, the book’s author (WCIT Architecture) describes how the tale inspires the architectural design of an actual home – one that will reside along the shores of Lalakea, watching over it, like the legend of ‘A’ama Nui.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume VI, Issue 3
Cinderelephant
A lonely elephant mistreated by her warthog cousins charms Prince Trunky with the help of a furry godmouse.
Tug-of-War
Hare, Hippopotamus, and Elephant all live together in the forest. But often, when Hippopotamus and Elephant have nothing better to do, they tease Hare and say horrid things to him. When Hare finally gets fed up with them, he conceives a plan: he will challenge each of the massive creatures to a tug-of-war competition. On either side of the trees, Elephant and Hippopotamus pull and tug all through the night, incredulous that Hare could be so strong!
My Grandmother’s Stories: A Collection of Jewish Folk Tales
These are stories within stories: the narrator remembers herself as a young child hearing them from her grandmother, as they cooked, hung up laundry, prepared for the Sabbath, or cleaned house for Passover. This framing of the stories emphasizes their continuing pleasure across generations; and customs, idioms, traditions, even recipes that the Jews brought with them from Eastern Europe are an unobtrusive part of the telling.
Traditional Russian Fairy Tales
Traditional Russian Fairy Tales Reflected In The Laquer Miniatures Of Palekh, Fedoskin And Kholui.
The Twelve Clever Brothers And Other Fools
Fourteen traditional folktales from the different peoples of Russia featuring both clever and silly fools.
The Tiny Boy And Other Tales From Indonesia
Eight tales about heroes and sacrifice, love and family — all rooted in a land that is both challenging and abundant. Some of the stories strike a familiar chord. There is the tiny child, no bigger than a thumb, who outwits a giant; the poor farmer who cannot feed his children and leaves them abandoned in the forest; the princess who breaks an enchantment and releases a prince. Yet the tales are filled with the unexpected, too, as humans, monsters and the natural world transform and intersect.
A princess who is pursued by two kings from neighboring kingdoms sacrifices herself to keep peace in the land, and is transformed into a sea creature that will provide nourishment for all her people. A crying baby, ignored by his mother, turns into a bird, teaching villagers a valuable lesson. A jealous concubine poisons the king’s son so her own child can inherit the kingdom, only to find her son going off to search for his half-brother, never to return. A man traps the sun to stop it from setting, so that his family and fellow villagers will have enough time to gather food.
The stories are exceptionally relevant today, as they draw our attention to the value of the odd and the small, the preciousness of children and our natural resources, the need to not take our food for granted.
Gathered from oral sources and old collections written in Dutch and indigenous languages, these folktales are simply and evocatively told, accompanied by startling and vibrant images by Indonesian artist Hardiyono.