Brad Sneed brings his zany and creative talents to the world of Aesop. In his signature style of tricky perspectives, amusing exaggerations, and rich, delicate watercolors, his animal characters are beautifully realistic and yet humorously human, as they mimic a wide range of human feelings . . . and foibles. The stories of Aesop have been told and retold over the centuries; in his lively adaptation Brad Sneed updates the language and infuses these fifteen stories with a sense of humor that children will enthusiastically enjoy. And once again, as in his popular alphabet book Picture a Letter, Brad has included a wordless bonus for sharp-eyed readers of all ages-a sixteenth tale told only in pictures is hidden somewhere between the covers.
Folklore and Fairy Tales
Hansel and Gretel
This book provides young readers with a new twist on a classic tale as Hansel and Gretel accidentally come across Glut Annie Stout and realize they must find a way to escape from her dangerous home in order to return to their father and his health food store.
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
The classic tale of a fairy’s curse a sleeping princess and a daring rescuer is retold and illustrated by Carol Heyer.
The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm
A dejected soldier makes a pact with the devil in this haunting, ultimately hopeful fairy tale. When a person gives up hope, is he still human? Such is the story of a soldier who has lost everything to war: his childhood home, his family and friends, his youth, and his innocence. Enter that sly opportunist, the devil, who wraps the soldier in the armor of a dead bear’s skin, fills its pockets with gold, and makes a dangerous and horrible wager.
Birds of a Feather and Other Aesop’s Fables
An illustrated retelling in verse of ten fables by Aesop, including “The Laborer and the Nightingale,” “The Frogs Choose a King,” and “The Horse and the Donkey.”
Three Perfect Peaches: A French Folktale
The king offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to the young man who can produce three perfect peaches.
The Three Silly Girls Grubb
In this revision of the familiar tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” three sisters manage to outwit Ugly-Boy Bobby who spends his time under the bridge they must cross on their way to school.
Puss in Boots
A clever cat wins his master a fortune and the hand of a princess.
A Pot o’ Gold: A Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, and (of Course) Blarney
A collection of stories, folklore, poetry, and songs from Ireland.
One Potato, Two Potato
Mr. and Mrs. O’Grady are so poor they have just one of everything to share – one potato a day, one chair, one blanket full of holes, and one gold coin for a rainy day. After digging up the last potato in their patch, Mr. O’Grady comes upon a big black object. It’s a pot – no ordinary pot, for what they soon discover is that whatever goes into it comes out doubled! Suddenly the O’Gradys aren’t destitute anymore. But what they really long for is one friend apiece. Can the magic pot give them that?