Folk+Tales


 * __ These are some of the folktales from different parts of the world. __**
 * Dee Brown's folktales of the Native American ** - // Brown, Dee Alexander. //

 <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; msoansilanguage: en-us; msoansilanguage: en-us; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastlanguage: en-us; msofareastlanguage: en-us;"> **The dancing kettle and other Japanese folktales** **-**// Uchida, Yoshiko // <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; msoansilanguage: en-us; msoansilanguage: en-us; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastlanguage: en-us; msofareastlanguage: en-us;">
 * Black folktales - **// Lester, Julius //
 * The people could fly : American Black folktales - **// Hamilton, Virginia //
 * Fiesta femenina celebrating women in Mexican folktales - **// Gerson, Mary-Joan //
 * Golden tales : myths, legends, and folktales from Latin America **// - Delacre, Lulu //
 * Horse hooves and chicken feet Mexican folktales **// - Neil Philip //

[|**Mightier than the sword : world folktales for strong boys**] - // Yolen, Jane // <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; msoansilanguage: en-us; msoansilanguage: en-us; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastlanguage: en-us; msofareastlanguage: en-us;"> <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; msoansilanguage: en-us; msoansilanguage: en-us; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastlanguage: en-us; msofareastlanguage: en-us;"> [|**More stories to solve : fifteen folktales from around the world**]  // - Shannon, George. // <span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; msoansilanguage: en-us; msoansilanguage: en-us; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'times new roman'; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msobidilanguage: ar-sa; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'times new roman'; msofareastlanguage: en-us; msofareastlanguage: en-us;">
 * Latin American folktales : stories from Hispanic and Indian traditions **// - John Bierhorst //
 * Little book of Latin American folktales - **// Carmen Diana Dearden //

=__Multicultural Children's Books__=

__**Title: Amazing Grace**__ Illustrator: Caroline Binch Publisher: Dial; 1st edition ISBN: 978-0803710405 Date of Publication: September 2, 1991 Reading Level: Ages 4- 8
 * Author: Mary Hoffman**

Empowered by the strength of her imagination and the love of her mother and Nana, this creative girl constantly adopts roles and identities: Joan of Arc, Anansi the Spider, Hiawatha, Mowgli, Aladdin. When her class plans a presentation of Peter Pan Grace knows she wants to play the part of Peter. Despite the negative thoughts of her classmates she stays strong; Nana, meanwhile, reminds her granddaughter that she can do anything she imagines. When Nana takes Grace to see a famous black ballerina from her home country the determined young girl is inspired, and wins the role of her dreams.

__**Title: If the World Were a Village**__ Illustrator: Shelagh Armstrong Publisher: Kids Can Press ISBN: 978-1550747799 Date of Publication: March 1, 2002 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
 * Author: David J Smith**

To make the idea of a world of 6.2 billion people more understandable, Smith suggests that children imagine the population of the world as a village of just 100 people. That's one person representing 62 million people in the real world. It relates a few consciousness-raising facts about such topics as nationalities, food, language, and religion and makes kids really consider how much they take for granted and the issues they do not even realize.

__**Title: Four Feet, Two Sandals**__ Illustrator: Doug Chayka Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-0-8028-5296-0 Date of Publication: 2007 Website for Publisher: www.eerdmans.com/youngreaders
 * Author: Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed**

Four Feet, Two Sandals is a story about a friendship between two young refugee girls from Pakistan. They are introduced to each other through a pair of sandals. When a relief truck arrives at their camp, they each end up with one sandal. At the end of the story one little girl finds out she has made the list, the list to America. This story captures the journey many refugees experience before arriving in America.

__**Title: Ramadan Moon**__ Illustrator: Shirin Adl Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books ISBN: 978-1845079222 Date of Publication: July 14, 2009 Reading Level: Kindergarten- Grade 4
 * Author: Na’ima B. Robert**

In //Ramadan Moon//, a young girl describes what her family does during Ramadan. She explains about the daytime fasting they do, the prayer in mosques, listening to imams and more. She explains the meaning behind some of the good deeds, kindness and politeness that are emphasized during Ramadan. It is a great book to showcase the celebration of Ramadan.

__**Title: The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq**__ Illustrator: Jeanette Winter Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books ISBN: 978-0152054458 Date of Publication: January 1, 2005 Reading Level: Ages 4-8 War overcomes the city of Basra, a port city in Iraq. Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian of Basra's Central Library is worried the books will be destroyed. When she requests permission to move the books to a place where they will be safe, the governor denies her request. Worried, Alia does want she can to save the books. Every night Alia secretly takes home as many of the library's books as she can fit in her car. When bombs hit the city, buildings are damaged and fires start. When everyone else abandons the library, Alia seeks help from friends and neighbors of the library to save the library's books. With the help of Anis Muhammad, who owns the restaurant next to the library, his brothers, and others, thousands of books are carried to the seven-foot wall that separates the library and the restaurant, passed over the wall and hidden in the restaurant. Although shortly thereafter, the library is destroyed by fire, 30,000 of the Basra Central Library's books have been saved by the heroic efforts of the librarian of Basra and her helpers.
 * Author: Jeanette Winter**

__**Title: Colors of Japan**__ Illustrator: Helen Byers Publisher: Carolrhoda Books ISBN: 978-1575052151 Date of Publication: September 1997 Reading Level: Ages 4-8
 * Author: Holly Littlefield**

//Colors of Japan// is a fun and interactive book. Each color is given in Japanese, along with the proper pronunciation so that the words are said properly. The significance of the color in Japan is then explained. This text would be great in helping students understand and appreciate other cultures. Students will also feel a connection if their country is being represented in the text. The book can open many avenues of discussion regarding culture, tradition, and language. Other texts include:


 * //Colors of Australia//**
 * //Colors of China//**
 * //Colors of France//**
 * //Colors of Germany//**
 * //Colors of Ghana//**
 * //Colors of India//**
 * //Colors of Israel//**
 * //Colors of Kenya//**
 * //Colors of Mexico//**
 * //Colors of the Navajo//**
 * //Colors of Russia//**

__**Title: I Love My Hair**__ Illustrator: E.B. Lewis Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-0316523752 Date of Publication: September 1, 2001 Reading Level: Ages 4-8 This book is about a young African American girl who does not like her hair. She does not like the way it looks or feels. Her mother helps her to realize that her hair is beautiful. This book is a great book about self-acceptance and loving yourself for who you are.
 * Author: Natasha Anastasia Tarpley**

__**Title: //The Color of Home//**__ Illustrator: Karin Littlewood Publisher: Phyllis Fogelman Books, New York ISBN: 9780803728417 Date of Publication: 2002 Reading Level: Preschool
 * Author: Mary Hoffman**

The Color of Home is a beautiful story of a boy named Hassan who moves to the United States all the way from Somalia. While he is there is finds it tiring to learn new English words, but gets by when he hears his name, hello, or bathroom. One day his teacher gives them an assignment to paint a picture that means something to them. Hassan understands why he painted the picture he didn’t, but his teacher doesn’t. This story talks about what life can be like for refugees coming from different countries and how hard it can be to understand each other when you speak different languages.

__**Title: //People//**__ Illustrator: Peter Spier Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-0385244695 Date of Publication: April 1, 1988 Reading Level: Ages 4-8
 * Author: Peter Spier**

The main theme of the book is the diversity in the world. The book starts with capturing characteristics that are different from person to person, before it goes over to an international level, explaining customs, languages, and traditions throughout the world. The book does a good job explaining that we are all different, and that we should embrace diversity instead of rejecting it. It has the potential to make every student feel special because it puts an emphasis on that every individual is unique, valuable and different from any other person on the planet. This book would be perfect to read with a small group of students since it has many illustrations, and with a small group there is room to discuss illustrations and get students explain about their own culture. Students could also copy this book, and make their own book about their cultural background.

__**Title: Grandfather’s Journey**__ Illustrator: Allen Say Publisher: Sandpiper ISBN: 978-0547076805 Date of Publication: October 27, 2008 Reading Level: Ages 4-8
 * Author: Allen Say**

This is a children’s book telling the story of a young Japanese man moving to America told from his grandfather’s perspective. Moving to America causes homesickness for the grandfather, so he moves back to Japan, but in Japan he realizes he misses America. The grandson takes the same journey to America and has the same experience: “the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other” (31). The book portrays the issue of homesickness and immigrants will relate to the story, and understand what it feels like to leave ones home country. The book also portrays the issue of culture differences.

__**Title: // The Return of the Buffaloes: A Plains Indian Story about Famine and Renewal of the Earth //**__
Illustrator: Paul Goble Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books ISBN: 978-0792265542 Date of Publication: August 1, 2002 Reading Level: Ages 4-8
 * Author: Paul Goble**

This retells another tale about the mysterious woman whose people are the buffalo. In this Lakota myth, spring arrives, but the buffalo do not return. The hunters come back empty-handed from each search, until two young brothers go out and find Buffalo Woman, who promises to send her people to the plains again. The buffalo herds soon thunder around the tepees of the hungry people, who give thanks to the mysterious woman.

__**Title: //Mystic Horse//**__ Illustrator: Paul Goble Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 978-0060298135 Date of Publication: April 1, 2003 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
 * Author: Paul Goble**

As the story opens, a poor boy and his grandmother struggle to keep up on foot as the rest of the tribe moves from place to place on horseback. One day, the boy finds a starving, limping horse and nurses him back to health, ignoring the jeers of others who insist he is wasting his time. In return, the animal gives him speed and cunning to spur his people on in battle. The boy, however, ignores the steed's final instructions and is devastated when the beloved animal dies as a result of his heedlessness. Later, he is forgiven and the stallion returns from the spirit world to reward his former benefactor with a herd of wild horses.

__**Title: // The Legend Of the White Buffalo Woman //**__
// Illustrator: Paul Goble // // Publisher: //National Geographic Children's Books ISBN: 978-0792265528 Date of Publication: August 1, 2002 Reading Level: Ages 4-8
 * // Author: Paul Goble //**

He describes a great flood, which killed almost all life on the earth, and relates how the nation came to be born again from the union of a woman of the earth and an eagle of the sky. He then explains how the people came upon hard and frightening times and tells of the arrival of the powerful White Buffalo Woman, who gave the Lakota people the Sacred Calf Pipe, a gift of the Great Spirit.

** Author: Ann Tompert **

 * Illustrator: Robert Andrew Parker **
 * Publisher: **Dragonfly Books
 * ISBN: **978-0517885581
 * Date of Publication: **August 12, 1997
 * Reading Level: **Baby-Preschool

"Grandfather Tang's Story" is a wonderful Chinese Multicultural Folk Tale story. This book can be used to introduce Math geoshapes using tangrams as well as Science lessons to discuss animals and life cycles. This book is about 2 fox fairies that compete with each other by transforming themselves into various animals until a hunter's arrow reminds them of their true friendship. This book also details the loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter as they share the story under the shade of an old tree. and culminates in a tangram of an old man and a girl likewise resting.

__**Title: The Mitten**__ Illustrator: Jan Brett Publisher: Putnam Juvenile ISBN: 978-0399252969 Date of Publication: October 5, 2009 Reading Level: Ages 4- 8
 * Author: Jan Brett**

Baba, Nicki's grandmother, knits pure white mittens for him, even though she is afraid that he will lose them in the snow. Sure enough, the first time Nicki is out, he drops one and some animals promptly move into its snug wool interior. First comes a mole, then a rabbit, a hedgehog, an owl, a badger, a fox, a bear and, finally, a mouse. That mouse tickles the bear's nose and he sneezes, dislodging all of the animals at once. Nicki finds his mitten, and takes it home, but Baba is left to wonder about how it became so enormously stretched out.