Based on African-American folktales told in the South during the plantation era, a collection of stories originally gathered by journalist Martha Young pays tribute to the human spirit in the face of terrible hardship.
A humorous retelling of an Appalachian folktale about a preacher who chokes on a chicken bone.
Explains superstitions about such topics as love and marriage, money, ailments, travel, the weather, and death.
Retells in verse the tale of the extraordinary cowboy who was raised by coyotes, married Sluefoot Sue, and rode the wild rapscallion mustang stallion named Widowmaker.
A superstitious schoolmaster, in love with a wealthy farmer’s daughter, has a terrifying encounter with a headless horseman.
Colonel Lightfoot is never modest, especially when it comes to his dancing or his fine Virginia land. One piece of that land is turning to mud, and the devil himself is rumored to live in that murky mess, for on dark nights sparks fly high. How to put an end to the devil’s mischief? Why, a dance contest with the fiery fiend himself. The colonel bristles with confidence, but the devil is equally sure of himself, until, recognizing his own false pride in the devil’s boasts, the colonel discovers the perfect way to outsmart him. Witty, expressive illustrations aglow with color bring to life a Colonial American tale that sizzles and snaps with humor and folk wisdom.
Recounts the wild adventures of Davy Crockett, including his tangles with a wrestling bear, eagles that wish to pull out his hair, and an alligator he rides up Niagara Falls.
Retells the life of the legendary African American hero who raced against a steam drill to cut through a mountain.
An adaptation, set in the American South, of an old Japanese folktale in which a powerful wrestler who hopes to win the Emperor’s Wrestling Match encounters three exceptionally strong women who train him for success.
Fifteen original fables, including “Sour Crepes,” “Fox in Chicken Feathers,” and “The Dressy Wolf.”