New Releases by Robert D. San Souci

When a benevolent king and his daughter, Princess Marie, find their peaceful kingdom threatened by an enormous, evil, seven-headed bird, the brave princess offers herself as the bird''s hostage in order to prevent the entire kingdom from being thrust into eternal darkness. As soon as Soliday, a kindhearted, hardworking, and generous youth hears about the princess''s sacrifice, he vows to kill the Bird of Darkness and save Marie. His identical twin brother -- the jealous, lazy, and dishonest Salacotta -- accompanies Soliday on the dangerous journey, but doesn''t lift a finger in order to rescue the princess or slay the monstrous bird. And the second Salacotta sees his chance to claim that he was the one who freed the princess, he does just that. Will Soliday be able to convince everyone that he is indeed who he says? Will his brother admit his treachery? Will Soliday ever be able to trust his twin again? This timeless and resonant folktale about the forces of good and evil and the redemptive power of brotherly love is the perfect story for the ages.

Storyteller say, This happened oncet upon a time, on a little island off the coast of South Carolina. A girl named Sukey lived with her ma and new step-pa. Sukey called her step-pa "Mister Hard-Times." Every day, while he watched, she hoed the weeds in the garden and every day, she sang: Mister Hard-Times, Since you come My ma don''t like me, My work never done. But one morning, when her step-pa wasn''t looking, Sukey ran away to her secret hiding place by the sea and unwittingly called up Mama Jo, a beautiful black mermaid. The adventures that followed changed her life forever. In this dream-woven story, artfully retold by Robert D. San Souci from an American folktale, a poor girl finds her wishes answered not by treasure, or the sea''s magic, but by goodness and love.

Princess Rosamond isn''t your typical princess. She prefers good books to good looks and keeps both the royal accounts and the castle drawbridge in working order. When her greedy stepmother and stepsister scheme to spend the royal treasury and her father, the king, falls ill, Rosamond must set out in search of the one thing that can cure him—the healing waters found in the magical well at the end of the world. In the spirit of The Talking Eggs, award-winning author Robert San Souci has once again created a feisty heroine whose generosity and courage save the day combined with Rebecca Walsh''s vibrant paintings. This is an adventure story that readers will turn to again and again.

How foolish could six Cajuns on the bayou possibly be? Down in Louisiana bayou country, six friends--Jules, Jacques, Jean, Ti-Paul, Philippe, and Pierre-love to go out fishing on their pirogues. But these fellows are very foolish indeed. It isn''t long before one silly misunderstanding after another results in a hilarious and ridiculous Cajun-flavored folktale that will delight readers young and old. An alternate version of the traditional Seven Foolish Fishermen, this story contains Cajun words and phrases, expressive and bright illustrations, and irresistible good humor.

Scare-master Robert San Souci serves up ten chilling tales about untraditional haunted houses: a mansion full of pirate treasure, a ghost trapped in a mysterious dollhouse, a boy whose vacation house comes complete with people-eating spiders, and many more. But beware because not all of the protagonists in these stories get out alive.

Provides a collection of scary traditional tales from all over the world.

Make story time a little spookier with this Halloween-themed collection of ghost stories, spooky shorts, and frightening folktales from all over the world! “No one travels these roads after dark. Those who are found the next day, if they are still alive, will have gone mad.” Chills and thrills to make your flesh crawl with fear! Turn the lights down low and grab your favorite reading chair. But first, you’d better check behind you. . . . Ghosts, monsters, murders, and madmen! These thirty stories have been collected for your reading displeasure from all over the globe, and represent the world’s best scary stories and frightening folktales, featuring famous authors such as Washington Irving and the Brothers Grimm. Welcome to a chilling world of hair-raising tales!

As water pours over the wheel of a busy sawmill in Virginia, a stranger tells Old Sam, the owner, that he wants to learn the trade. Old Sam is happy to take on a hired hand, and Young Sam, his son, is glad to have someone to boss around. One day, as the New Hand stacks the sweet-smelling boards, an old farmer complains about a misery in his back. The New Hand offers to fix him up and in private mixes a handful of sawdust and a touch of magic, with unexpected results. The farmer is not only cured, he¿s young again! But when conniving Young Sam tries to do the same, he finds himself in big trouble. Can the New Hand set things right? A New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year.

A collection of thirteen diverse scary short stories for young readers, including fantasy, science fiction, and ghost tales.

With some help from a group of field mice, an odd-looking doll--named Zigzag for his crooked mouth--searches for a child to love him.

Edgar Rice Burroughs'' story of the boy raised by apes is now accessible to a new generation of young readers in this exciting picture book. Tarzan, whose name means white skin,Ó is adopted by a tribe of apes, but as he grows older, he begins to realize that he is not like the others. When he explores the abandoned cabin of his dead parents, he discovers that he is something called human,Ó a species that uses reason & intelligence. These special human qualities give him the power he needs to become ruler of the apes. But at the same time, he knows that he cannot always be among them; he must leave to follow his destiny as a man. Dramatically illustrated with vivid scratchboard paintings by Michael McCurdy.

Finding Me

THIRTEEN ORIGINAL TALES TO CHLL AND THRILL.

A collection of thirty short and spooky tales from the folklore of Russia, Virginia, Ireland, Canada, and other areas of the world.

The White Cat helps the youngest prince win his father''s throne.

Meet the fascinating women of American Folklore and Legend in this award-winning collection! Have you heard of the Star Maiden, Old Sally Cato, or Sweet Betsey from Pike? Everyone knows about Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Davy Crockett, But have you heard of these larger-than-life women? From Bess Call, who wrestles any and all challengers, to Molly Cottontail, who can outwit any critter iin the woods, to Hekeke, who slays a giant singlehandedly, here are fifteen funny, stormy, and always entertaining tall tales of legendary American women. They''re as difference as can be, but still cut from the same cloth. "An impressive and gratifying collection that''s a cut above other such compilations."--School Library Journal Winner of the Aesop Prize

A rhyming retelling of the story of a young woman who finds her prince at a Halloween ball despite the efforts of her wicked stepmother. The main characters are skeletons.

An Irish adventure in time for St. Patrick''s Day! When a ship arrives in the harbor, Margaret seizes the chance to see the world. But the adventure brings danger, and soon she must face a sea serpent, a giant, and a sorceress who wants to make Margaret a pawn in a plan of her own. It takes a magic ring, an enchanted sword--and the discovery that she is as brave as any man--to bring Margaret and her true love safely home. Full color.

To protect his life, Arthur, son of King Uther, was hidden from the court when still a baby. Growing up in Sir Ector''s household, Arthur knew nothing of his noble birth. Then one day at a tournament, he forgot to bring a sword for his brother, Kay. Looking for a replacement, Arthur saw a strange sword plunged into a stone. From the moment he released the famous sword he assumed his destiny as the rightful King of England. But there were still battles to be fought, and with Merlin''s help and the famous Excalibur at his side, Arthur established a reign of nobility, justice, and wisdom whose fame has lasted to the present day.

A retelling of a twelth-century tale in which a young woman falls in love with a merman and determines to marry him despite their separate worlds.

Recounts the coming of the Pilgrims to America, with illustrations by N.C. Wyeth.

Thirty hair-raising stories from around the world fill this spooky collection with delicious shivers and spine-tingling chills. Sit down and meet "The Vampire Cat," "The Draug" and "The Rolling Head"; or take a stroll with "The Thing in the Woods." You''ll find favorites such as "The Golden Arm" and startling new stories such as "Knock...Knock...Knock," vividly told with plenty of ghastly details and spooky endings. There''s something here for everyone who likes a good shudder...but be prepared for goose bumps! Twenty delightfully creepy illustrations by Katherine Coville and Jacqueline Rogers highlight this companion to Robert San Souci''s first collection of scary stories, Short & Shivery.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived with an old man and woman and their five faithful dogs in a tiny house at the edge of a forest. Deep in the forest lived goblins called Hobyahs, plotting their mischief. Who would save the people in the tiny house when the Hobyahs came creeping out of the woods in the dead of night?

A spellbinding Native American version of the well-loved Cinderella story, this title is by the award-winning author and illustrator team of many popular books for young readers, including "The Legend of Scarface" and "Song of Sedna", also based on Native American folklore. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Presents the life of Guinevere from her girlhood to her betrothal to King Arthur.

When a Japanese woodcutter breaks his promise and describes his encounter with a terrifying snow woman, he loses his wife and must make a dangerous journey to win her back.

Here''s a story in the best American folk tradition. It combines a ghost, a hidden treasure, and an appealing young character who sets out to make his fortune, and does so by courage, kindness and the sort of innocence that invariably succeeds in folk literature. Thomas is the youngest of seven children. His parents work from sunup to sundown on their little back-country farm, but earn barely enough to keep food on the table. Thomas goes out into the world to help remedy the situation and, along the way, shows kindness to a stranger. The stranger rewards him by leading him to a house in which a treasure is hidden, but guarded by a fearsome ghost. Through San Souci''s gently scary words and Pinkney''s wonderfully atmospheric illustrations, Thomas outwits the ghost and wins the day -- and the treasure.