Eleven Nature Tales

Provides a collection of nature tales and folktales from all over the world, in an anthology designed to inspire young readers to appreciate nature and work toward saving the planet. Reprint.

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.

"It's not just Murakami but also the shadow of Borges that hovers over this mesmerizing book... [and] one may detect a slight bow to the American macabre of E.A. Poe. Ogawa stands on the shoulders of giants, as another saying goes. But this collection may linger in your mind -- it does in mine -- as a delicious, perplexing, absorbing and somehow singular experience." -- Alan Cheuse, NPR Sinister forces collide---and unite a host of desperate characters---in this eerie cycle of interwoven tales from Yoko Ogawa, the critically acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor. An aspiring writer moves into a new apartment and discovers that her landlady has murdered her husband. Elsewhere, an accomplished surgeon is approached by a cabaret singer, whose beautiful appearance belies the grotesque condition of her heart. And while the surgeon's jealous lover vows to kill him, a violent envy also stirs in the soul of a lonely craftsman. Desire meets with impulse and erupts, attracting the attention of the surgeon's neighbor---who is drawn to a decaying residence that is now home to instruments of human torture. Murderers and mourners, mothers and children, lovers and innocent bystanders---their fates converge in an ominous and darkly beautiful web. Yoko Ogawa's Revenge is a master class in the macabre that will haunt you to the last page. An NPR Best Book of 2013

This first paperback edition of the seminal work by the Swiss scholar Max Lüthi will be welcomed by folklorists for its informative survey of the various ways in which fairytales and related genres (local legends and saints' lives) may be read. "Lüthi's lucid and intelligent book is refreshingly welcome." —Sewanee Review

If you love animal stories or like turtles, then this collection of eleven turtle stories is for you. 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. READING LEVELS: Lexile Level: 760L; Guided Reading: P

More than 30 stories from the rich Asian cultural panorama illuminate the wisdom and humor of Eastern cultures. In her search for stories, Cathy Spagnoli has slid through Indian rice fields, sipped sake with Japanese epic singers, met with monks in Thailand and Korea, and hiked the Himalayas with Tibetan dancers.

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

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