Retells a Chinese folktale in which a clever and kindly cricket is responsible for designing the tower buildings for Beijing’s “Forbidden City.”
Asia
Materials from Asia
Beautiful Warrior: Legend Of The Nun’s Kung Fu
The story of two unlikely kung fu masters, who became legendary women warriors, and how their skill in martial arts saves them both.
The Lost Scrolls: Fire (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
If you are reading this, you have uncovered one of the four hidden scrolls I have compiled about the world of Avatar. This scroll contains sacred information about the Fire Nation — stories, legends, and facts that I have found so far about this nation — its history and culture and tales of its past and present.
Katara describes how Aang outwits and defeats the dreaded Admiral Zhao and the Fire Navy, Aang tells how he comes to accept his destiny, and Prince Zuko recalls the time he once captured — and lost — the Avatar. The scroll also contains information about leaders of the Fire Nation, Firebending techniques, the spirit world, and much more.
Keep this scroll safe, and share it only with those you trust.
Beware, for there are many who wish to expose its secrets…
The Wise Washerman: A Folktale From Burma
When the king asks him to wash a gray elephant white, a clever washerman outwits his jealous neighbor and proves the value of hard work and intelligence.
Little Inchkin
In feudal Japan, little Inchkin, though only a few inches tall, becomes an honored Samurai swordsman.
The Crystal Heart: A Vietnamese Legend
Mi Nuong, the sheltered and privileged daughter of a mandarin comes to understand the consequences of her naive, yet cruel, words to a fisherman. By the author of The Sea King’s Daughter.
Demi’s Dragons and Fantastic Creatures
Presents, in rhymed text and illustrations (some of them on fold-out pages), a gallery of dragons and other mythical creatures.
The Lost Scrolls: Water (Avatar)
If you are reading this, you have uncovered one of the four hidden scrolls I have compiled about the world of Avatar. This scroll contains all of the knowledge that I have gathered so far about the Water Tribes — their history and culture and the great tales of their past and present. Katara recounts her discovery of the Avatar in the iceberg, Sokka remembers his childhood upon seeing their father’s old friend, and Aang tells of his lessons with the Waterbending master in the North. The scroll also contains information about Waterbending moves, Healers, Water tribe traditions, and much more. Keep this scroll safe, and share it only with those you trust. Beware, for there are many who wish to expose its secrets…
Bamboo Hats And A Rice Cake
Wishing to have good fortune in the new year, an old man tries to trade his wife’s kimono for rice cakes. Characters from the Japanese alphabet are incorporated into the text.
Hiroshima And The Atomic Bomb (World War II 50th Anniversary Series)
Describes the events surrounding the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the devastating destruction of these cities, and the eventual Japanese surrender and end of World War II.