Europe

Materials from Europe

Aesop’s Fables

fablesBrad 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.

The Hobyahs

Forest goblins called the Hobyahs come creeping in the dead of night toward a little girl and the old man and woman with whom she lives, but the Hobyahs are in for a surprise.

Tollins: Explosive Tales For Children

These are the first three stories of the Tollins. Yes, they do have wings, but no, they aren’t fairies. Tollins are a lot less fragile than fairies. In fact, the word fragile can’t really be used about them at all. They are about as fragile as a house of brick. In “How to Blow Up Tollins” a fireworks factory comes to the village of Chorleywood and the Tollins find themselves being used as industrial supplies. Being blasted into the night sky or spun round on a Catherine wheel is nowhere near a much fun as it sounds. It’s up to one young Tollin to save his people from becoming an ingredient. In “Sparkler and the Purple Death” our hero look execution in the face. Luckily, the executioner’s mask in backwards. Finally, in “Windbags and Dark Tollins” Tollin society faces a threat from the Dorset countryside, which, again, is much more frightening and nail-bitingly dramatic than it actually sounds.

Papa Gatto: An Italian Fairy Tale

The feline advisor to the prince, Papa Gatto, learns not to judge by appearances when he hires the beautiful but neglectful Sophia to take care of his kittens. Sophia’s plain but loving stepsister Beatrice proves herself a more worthy caretaker.

The First Marathon: The Legend of Pheidippides

Twenty-five hundred years ago, in ancient Greece, a small band of Greek soldiers faced the mighty Persian army on the plain of Marathon. A runner named Pheidippides ran to neighboring Sparta, one hundred forty miles away, to ask for the Spartans’ aid. Afterwards he sped back to the battle, where he helped defeat the enemy. Then the weary runner did his duty yet once more; he ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver the miraculous news of the Greek victory. The legend of brave Pheidippides has inspired the running of marathons worldwide.

The Twelve Wild Geese

The Celtic myth recounts the story of a brave princess who risks everything to rescue her twelve brothers from their magical enchantment.

The Adventures of Polo

Equipped with a backpack full of supplies, Polo sets off on a little boat–and on a series of delightful adventures that take him across (and under) the ocean, to an island and a frozen iceberg, to space and home again, with a world of magical encounters along the way. Polo’s journey is packed with incident and expression.

Atalanta’s Race: A Greek Myth

atalantaIn ancient Greece, the gods control every life, from peasant to King. When newborn Princess Atalanta is left to die on a mountainside because her father wanted a son, the gods send a bear to care for her. Adopted by a woodsman, she grows into a great hunter and athlete, and is eventually reunited with her father, the King. But as she gets older, Atalanta has no use for the gods and gives them no credit. When she must run the most important race of her life, on which her future happiness rides, the gods intercede once more–and Atalanta learns they will not be ignored forever.