New Releases by Pleasant DeSpain

Turtle carries the world on her back: this story has been told by different cultures around the world for generations. Like Mother Nature, Turtle is unhurried, wise, and enduring. She walks on land, swims in water, and breathes the air—and so embodies three of the four elements of creation. We have much to learn from Turtle. The eleven stories in this collection come from Africa, India, Japan, Australia, and the Americas. "The Courting of Miss Python" tells how Turtle outwits the brutal King Python; "The Monkey's Liver" explains why Monkey never rides on Turtle's back and why Jellyfish has no spine; and "The Talkative King" tells how a chatty ruler learns from Turtle why it is often wiser to listen than to talk. READING LEVELS: Lexile Level: 760L; Guided Reading: P

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: Turtle loves to dance and play the flute. But her exuberance puts her at risk when her music attracts the attention of a brave hunter who brings her home to make turtle stew. After she is caught, her only hope for escape is the hunter's children ... and her own wit. This folktale, first told by the indigenous people of Brazil, is now told throughout Latin America. Like the people of Latin America, Turtle always seems to survive any challenge by using her courage and wit. Beautiful watercolors radiant with the dense foliage and hardy wildlife of the Amazon rain forest, guides the reader through this timeless adventure story.

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: In this story from China, when a woodcutter finds a magic pot that makes two of everything that he puts inside of it, he thinks all of his troubles have disappeared! Or have his troubles merely doubled?

When a woodcutter finds a pot that magically duplicates anything that is placed inside it, he and his wife are delighted until the wife accidentally falls in.

A collection of short folktales from Mexico, Israel, Poland, and other places, demonstrating wisdom and justice.

Contains nine short folktales about tricksters, featuring selections from Persia, India, Poland, France, and other places.

A collection of short folktales featuring silly characters, nonsensical situations, or general tomfoolery.

A collection of scary folktales from around the world.

Contains a magical collection of folktales from around the world.

Contains a 'catty' collection of folktales from around the world.

A collection of nine hero folktales includes "William Tell" from Switzerland, "The Hero of Budapest" from Hungary, and "Burning the Rice Fields" from Japan.

Contains a collection of folktales from around the world that depicts how various holidays are celebrated.

A collection of nine traditional tales about insects from various parts of the world, including Mexico, Japan, Jamaica, and Fiji.

Thirty-six true, tall, and traditional tales, primarily from the nineteenth century or earlier, selected by a professional storyteller and divided by the region of the United States from which they originated.

In this new millennium, we are faced with a critical question: are we willing to work together to ensure the survival of the planet as well as each other? In his fifth collection of tellable folktales and his third collaboration with illustrator Joe Shlichta DeSpain provides eleven ancient stories that address natural elements such as Sun, Moon, Stars, Ocean, Wind, Fire, Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Insects, Rocks, Trees, and Humans.

A collection of folktales from around the world, selected for their "tellability."

An illustrated collection of traditional tales from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

A collection of 22 folktales from 17 different countries.