Four of Aesop’s fables are combined in this tale about three animal friends who outsmart a tricky fox.
cleverness
The Musicians of Bremen: A Tale From Germany
A tongue-in-cheek retelling of a favorite folktale follows the adventures of Donkey, Dog, Cat, and Rooster, four worn-out farm animals who seek their fortunes as musicians and find a comfortable robber’s den in the woods.
Hansel and Gretel
A retelling of the well-known tale in which two children lost in the woods find their way home despite an encounter with a wicked witch who wants to eat them.
Monkey: A Trickster Tale from India
Monkey is hungry for the delicious mangoes on the island in the river, but he can’t swim! How will he get there? Crocodile offers to carry Monkey across the water on his back, so Monkey hops aboard. Trouble is, Crocodile is hungry, too—for Monkey! Will clever Monkey come up with a way to get the mangoes and escape Crocodile’s sharp teeth? Master storyteller and artist Gerald McDermott brings the vibrant colors of India to his telling of this classic trickster tale, which has plenty of cleverness and a sprinkling of mischief.
Goha: The Wise Fool
A collection of fourteen tales about the folk hero Nasreddin Hoca, also known as Goha, a man with a reputation for being able to answer difficult questions in a clever way.
Clever Beatrice: An Upper Peninsula Conte
A small, but clever young girl outwits a rich giant and wins all his gold.
Callie Ann and Mistah Bear
A bear disguised as a fine, handsome man comes courting Callie Ann’s widowed mother and Callie Ann must outwit the bear to prevent her mother from marrying it.
Tucker Pfeffercorn
A retelling of the classic Rumpelstiltskin tale with a Southern setting.
The King and the Tortoise
The king challenges the animals in his kingdom to prove their wisdom by making him a robe of smoke, but only the tortoise is able to satisfy him.
Sungura and Leopard: A Swahili Trickster Tale
A small but clever hare and a fierce leopard agree to share a house, but as the hare’s family grows, he realizes that he must find a way to get rid of his bad-tempered neighbor.