Nobody Asked the Pea

Expands upon the classic tale of the princess and the pea as seen through the eyes of the prince, the princess, the king and queen, various servants, a mouse, and even the rather vain pea, itself.

Desmond and the Very Mean Word

When Desmond takes his new bicycle out for a ride through his neighborhood, his pride and joy turn to hurt and anger when a group of boys shout a very mean word at him. He first responds by shouting an insult, but soon discovers that fighting back with mean words doesn’t make him feel any better. With the help of kindly Father Trevor, Desmond comes to understand his conflicted feelings and see that all people deserve compassion, whether or not they say they are sorry. Brought to vivid life in A. G. Ford’s energetic illustrations, this heartfelt, relatable story conveys timeless wisdom about how to handle bullying and angry feelings, while seeing the good in everyone.

The Market Bowl

In this tale from Cameroon, Yoyo has to make amends when she offends Brother Coin, the Great Spirit of the Market, by asking too high a price for her bitterleaf stew. Includes a recipe for a version of bitterleaf stew.

Rabbit’s Snow Dance

A hip and hilarious fable perfect for wintertime

Rabbit loves the winter. He knows a dance, using a traditional Iroquois drum and song, to make it snow–even in springtime! The other animals of the forest don’t want early snow, but Rabbit doesn’t listen to them. Instead, he sings and dances until more and more snow falls. But how much snow is too much, and will Rabbit know when to stop?

This stylish and oh-so-funny story is a modern take on a traditional Native American fable from master storytellers Joseph and James Bruchac.

The Man Who Dreamed of Elk-Dogs

The story of how horses first appeared to the tribes of the American Plains. In his final collection of “stories from the tipi,” Goble features a collection of 23 traditional stories from the Blackfoot, Lakota, Assiniboin, Pawnee, and Cheyenne nations. This book features a foreword by Lauren “Candy” Waukau-Villagomez, an educator and author of works on the oral traditions and storytelling of the North American tribes.

The Table That Ran Away to the Woods

The Table That Ran Away to the Woods tells the story of a writing desk that one day “grabbed two pairs of shoes / ran downstairs, and took flight,” escaping into the countryside with its owners in barefoot pursuit. This is the first time the tale—first published in a Polish newspaper in 1940 and re-created in this exquisite collaged version in 1963—has been made available to an English-speaking audience.