New Releases by Margaret Read

Tales of ghosts inhabiting the Pacific Northwest include stories of haunted houses, departed loved ones, and disturbed Native American burial sites

In this British variant of a traditional tale, an ungrateful woman who complains constantly about her house is granted increasingly grandiose wishes by a fairy.

Peace Tales contains more than three dozen folktales and proverbs that illustrate these choices. Always fun to read these stories also prompt us to think about the seemingly minor events that lead to war and the little events that can also lead to peace. Stories from across the globe are accompanied by generous story notes, source information, and suggestions for further reading on the topic of peace.

Offers over eighty short stories from around the globe, including Asia, Mexico, and eastern Europe.

A quick and easy guide to storytelling for parents and grandparents. Includes nineteen easy-to-tell stories and lists of story sources to help find more.

Pick of the Lists, ABA A 2001 Parents'' Choice Picture Book Silver Honor Highly Commended Book–2002 Charlotte Zolotow Award Committee Texas Library Association 2002 2 X 2 Reading List Children''s Literature Choice List 2002 Storytelling World Award-2002 Winner-Stories for Young Listeners 2001 Aesop Accolade, American Folklore Society 2003 Washington Children''s Choice Master List "MacDonald''s retelling of this Limba tale is engineered for storytime success."—School Library Journal starred review Mabela may be the smallest mouse in the village, but her father has taught her to be clever. And this cleverness comes in handy when the cat comes, inviting everyone to join the secret Cat Society. The mice line up, with Mabela at the front and the Cat at the back. They march into the forest, singing the secret Cat song and shouting FO FENG! Only clever Mabela realizes the Cat is up to no good!

Spoiled and vain, Aree cannot decide which of her many silken dresses and lavish jewels to wear to the dance, so she wears them all.

Presents five folktales for young children, including "Snow Bunting''s Lullaby" from Siberia, "Chin Chin Kobokama" from Japan, "The Playground of the Sun and Moon" from Argentina, and "Counting Sheep" from the British Isles.

This book discusses the art of storytelling in a small community of Southern Indiana. Based on audio-taped participant observation in the rural community of Scipio, Indiana, the author presents an analysis of storytelling performances during social events of family and friends. MacDonald discusses performative aspects such as the techniques of the storyteller and stresses the role of the audience during the story event. She also examines several genres of Scipio story, such as fish stories, old codger stories, and practical joking tales. The repertoire and style of one of the community''s master storytellers is analyzed along with the attributes of a master storyteller and the passing on of the storyteller''s role. Scipio Storytelling concludes with a note on the future of this storytelling style in this particular community.

Presents thematically arranged programs featuring songs, books, poems, activities, films, art projects, and craft ideas.

Folktales build bridges to other cultures! Enrich the experience of sharing traditions for your students with this fun, easy, and practical sourcebook. Noted folklorist and storyteller Margaret Read MacDonald presents 20 of her favorite folktales celebrating worldwide holidays. Each is presented in an ethnopoetic format that helps the teller establish the story''s rhythm and construct an exciting, dramatic delivery.

Presents twenty-five variants of the "Tom Thumb" tale from around the world, with notes on each, a unit for classroom study, a bibliography, and suggestions for other related activities.

Instruction on how to tell stories. Includes 12 tales from other countries.

The stories of some 340 holidays from over 150 countries are told, wherever possible, in quotations from books, journals, biographies, and other firsthand accounts by people who actually celebrate the holidays in their own homes. Additional information is furnished by folklorists and anthropologists. Especially strong is the treatment of non-European countries, scantily represented heretofore in the reference literature. Arrangement is according to the Gregorian Calendar, January 1 to December 31 (the introduction explains the origins and organization of this and other calendrical systems). A single index combines ethnic, subject, and geographic entries. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Collection of 20 folktales from around the world with a gentle tone including many that include singing and audience participation.

Suggests programs for preschoolers featuring books about science, the seasons, holidays, the imagination, travel, art, and music.

Designed primarily as a collection of scary fare for adults to tell elementary-age children, the tales may be read and some even told by children. Also contains notes on the stories.