Tells how several animals failed in their efforts to steal fire for the Hopis, but eventually Vulture succeeded.
The Fire Stealers
Folklore and Fairy Tales
The Mouse Couple
A mouse couple, in search of the mightiest husband for their daughter, approach the sun, the clouds, the wind, and a butte, before the unexpected victor finally appears.
The Magic Hummingbird: A Hopi Folktale
Malotki & Lacapa, who previously collaborated on THE MOUSE COUPLE, bring this magical HOPI FOLKTALE to life, telling how two children left behind in the drought stricken village of Oraibi, through their creativity & playfulness, influence Muy’ingwa, the god of fertility, to return the land to fruitfulness. EKKEHART MALOTKI, professor of languages at Northern Arizona University, has spent many years working on the preservation of the Hopi language & culture. MICHAEL LACAPA has previously illustrated four children’s books, three of which he also authored. Of APACHE, HOPI & TEWA descent, he has gained inspiration from traditional storytellers & the traditional designs & patterns found in SOUTHWEST basketry & pottery. His illustrations for THE MAGIC HUMMINGBIRD convey the range of experience typical of life in the Hopi mesas, from the dullness of the parched earth to the brilliance of the multicolored corn & the magical hummingbird who delivers the children’s prayers for renewal. THE MAGIC HUMMINGBIRD $15.95 (cloth) plus $3,00 s/h. Order from Kiva Publishing, 102 E. Water St., Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505/820-7413).
Ma’ii and Cousin Horned Toad
A lazy, conniving coyote takes advantage of his animal cousins until a horned toad teaches him a lesson he never forgets. A Navajo folktale.
La Llorona / The Weeping Woman
La Llorona (yoh-RROH-nah), now available for the first time in a full-color paperback, is the ghost story to end all ghost stories and truly the most popular cuento of Hispanic America. This story of the weeping woman appears at first to be only a frightening tale filled with mysterious events which cause children to sit wide-eyed. Yet it’s the simple, universal wisdom at the core of the story that finally works its magic into their hearts. Joe Hayes is best known for his bilingual tellings of stories from the American Southwest. La Llorona is one of his favorite stories.
El Cucuy: A Bogeyman Cuento (English And Spanish)
So, you’ve been in trouble. Your -parents tell you they’re calling the bogeyman. You laugh. There’s no such thing!
Then—you hear a sharp knock. Standing at the door is the oldest man you have ever seen. It’s el Cucuy (coo-COO-ee)! With that big red ear, he hears everything!
In this cautionary tale, storyteller Joe Hayes tells about two girls who didn’t believe in el Cucuy until he snatched them up. Of course, the story has a happy ending.
The Busy Beaver
The busy but careless beaver spends his days following random impulses, rarely thinking things through and leaving in his wake a devastated forest filled with stumps, half-nibbled trees and injured, homeless animals. But then one day the beaver finds himself on the wrong side of a falling tree, which as it turns out, is just the thing to knock some sense into him. After reflecting on his behavior, he decides to make some changes. Soon, the now wiser and gentler beaver is getting down to the business of making things right, much to the delighted surprise of his forest friends.
The Mermaid of Warsaw
Enchanting, wicked and often very funny, Poland’s folk tales are one of the great treasures of Central Europe. Crowned by the story of The Mermaid of Warsaw, the eight colourful tales in this collection include Skarbnik’s Second Breakfast, set deep in the Wieliczka salt mines, The Turnip-Counter from Karkonosze and The Copper Coin of Wineta, alongside stories from Poznan and the Polish lakes.
Moon Rope: Un Lazo a la Luna
An adaptation of the Peruvian folktale in which Fox and Mole try to climb to the moon on a rope woven of grass.
Monkey: A Trickster Tale from India
Monkey is hungry for the delicious mangoes on the island in the river, but he can’t swim! How will he get there? Crocodile offers to carry Monkey across the water on his back, so Monkey hops aboard. Trouble is, Crocodile is hungry, too—for Monkey! Will clever Monkey come up with a way to get the mangoes and escape Crocodile’s sharp teeth? Master storyteller and artist Gerald McDermott brings the vibrant colors of India to his telling of this classic trickster tale, which has plenty of cleverness and a sprinkling of mischief.