After a witch places a curse on them, a childless couple lives in fear for many years before coming to understand that the curse is really a blessing in disguise.
Curse in Reverse
Europe
Materials from Europe
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
When the Czar proclaims that he will marry his daughter to the man who brings him a flying ship, the Fool of the World sets out to try his luck.
The Mitten
When a little boy loses a mitten in the snow, a passing squirrel finds it’s the perfect place to warm his icy toes. So he sqeezes inside. But he’s not the only animal with that idea. How many animals can fit inside a little boy’s mitten?
Peter and the Wolf
This book retells the orchestral fairy tale in which a boy ignores his grandfather’s warnings and captures a wolf with the help of a bird, a duck, and a cat.
One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes
To honor her father’s promise, a beautiful young girl agrees to become the slave of a witch and her two daughters, enduring their cruelty with the help of her talking pet goat.
Baba Yaga
The witch Baba Yaga uses a trick to capture a young man, but he cleverly avoids being eaten.
Baba Yaga and the Little Girl
When she is sent by her cruel stepmother to the fearsome Baba Yaga, a clever young girl uses kindness to make her escape.
Nabeel’s New Pants: An Eid Tale
Ramadan has come to an end. the fast is over, and tomorrow the celebration of Eid will begin. Nabeel decides to buy each of his family members something special to wear for the holiday. But while he’s choosing, the shopkeeper persuades him also to buy a gift for himself–a pair of new pants that are too long! Nabeel asks his wife to help hem them, but she’s too busy cooking biryana. He asks his mother and his daughter, too, but no one has the time; everyone is too busy preparing for the festivities.
The Hungry Coat
After being forced to change to a fancy new coat to attend a party, Nasrettin Hoca tries to feed his dinner to the coat, reasoning that it was the coat that was the invited guest.
Voyage to the Pharos
A young boy in ancient times embarks on an adventurous sea voyage to Alexandria, Egypt, home of the famous Pharos Lighthouse.