The adventures of various nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters are retold in backward sequence with each tale interrelated to the other. Includes Goldilocks, Jack and the beanstalk, Jack and Jill, the frog prince, Cinderella, and the gingerbread man.
Perhaps the most beloved of all Japanese folk tales is the story of Momotaro, the boy born from a peach. Momotaro’s expedition to the Land of the Demons, accompanied by his faithful companions, the Dog, the Monkey, and the Pheasant, is filled with fun and excitement for all young readers. One of five of the best-loved stories from Kodansha’s Children’s Classics series, printed in a smaller format with the original Japanese beside the English translation – and all with the same illustrations.
In a tale from the Ainu people of Japan, an elder is awakened one night by a fox who charges that the tribe is taking more than their fair share of salmon from the river.
An old bamboo cutter finds a tiny child in the hollow of a bamboo stalk. Thus begins the beloved story of the Moon Princess, whose unearthly beauty brings her fame and would-be husbands from throughout the land, but whose destiny shines far off in the sky. The delicate color and detail of Kancho Oda’s illustrations, painted over half a century ago, create a mood of charm and mystery, admirably accompanied by the lilting verse of writer, translator, and lyricist Ralph F. McCarthy.
In this Chinese version of the classic fairy tale, a mother leaves her three children home alone while she goes to visit their grandmother. When the children are visited by a wolf, pretending to be their Po Po, or granny, they let him in the house, but ultimately are not fooled by his deep voice and hairy face. Combining ancient Chinese panel art techniques with a contemporary palette of watercolors and pastels, this story brings lessons about strangers, trust, and courage to a new generation.
This version of the Cinderella story, in which a young girl overcomes the wickedness of her stepsister and stepmother to become the bride of a prince, is based on ancient Chinese manuscripts written 1000 years before the earliest European version.
“This slim book offers high visual interest along with concise introductions to an important body of myths. . . . Full-page and vignette illustrations in traditional style with strong ink lines emphasize vitality and movement. Chen’s evocative and richly colored paintings add value to this compact edition.”-“School Library Journal”
Long ago the people of China lived, worked, and fought under the protection of guardian spirits that took on the appearance of animals, but the children grew tired of war and created a new spirit to protect all the people and bring peace.
To settle an inheritance dispute between two brothers, King Solomon tells a tale of how Jerusalem came to be founded.
Beastly is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form.