The Hunterman and the Crocodile
A West African folktale about the Hunterman who runs afoul of Bamba the Crocodile and is helped by Rabbit.
Zomo the Rabbit
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Zomo the rabbit, a trickster from West Africa, wants wisdom. But he must accomplish three apparently impossible tasks before Sky God will give him what he wants. Is he clever enough to do as Sky God asks?
Why the Sky Is So Far Away
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Once the sky was so close that people could reach up and break off pieces of it to eat, but they wasted so much that the sky grew angry. Finally, after a woman broke off a big piece despite the sky's warnings and then tried to hide what she couldn't finish, the sky floated upwards, forcing us to work for our food ever since.
The Magic Gourd
Draught and famine have come to the parched forest. And when a hungry Rabbit rescues Brother Chameleon from a thorny bush, Chameleon repays him tenfold with a magical gourd that always stays filled with food and water. But soon a greedy king steals the gourd to make gold and food for himself. Cleverly, Rabbit recovers his gourd, but still leaves plenty for the King. Surprised by Rabbit's kind act, the king begins to learn the importance of generosity and friendship.
The Hatseller and the Monkeys
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One day, BaMusa sets out for a festival to sell his hats. But when he falls asleep under a mango tree, some mischievous monkeys take them...
Tales of Land of Death: Igbo Folktales
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Beautiful Blackbird
Long ago, Blackbird was voted the most beautiful bird in the forest. The other birds, who were colored red, yellow, blue, and green, were so envious that they begged Blackbird to paint their feathers with a touch of black so they could be beautiful too. Although Black-bird warns them that true beauty comes from within, the other birds persist and soon each is given a ring of black around their neck or a dot of black on their wings -- markings that detail birds to this very day.
Don't Leave an Elephant to Go and Chase a Bird
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Anancy Spiderman trades various items with the people he encounters, until he himself is distracted by a bird and ends up empty-handed.
Some Gold, A Little Ivory: Country Tales from Ghana and the Ivory Coast
The Lion's Whiskers
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In this tale from the Amhara people of Ethiopia, a patient woman uses her experience with a wild lion to win the love of her new stepson.
New Patches for Old: A Turkish Folktale
Hasan needs his new trousers shortened, but neither his wife, mother, nor daughter has time to do it--at first.
The Book of The Thousand Nights and a Night: A Plain and Literal Translation of The Arabian Nights Entertainments
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The Portable Arabian Nights
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Egyptian Mythology
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Suho and the White Horse
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Cricket Boy: A Chinese Tale
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A poor Chinese scholar is invited to match his cricket in a fight against the Emperor's. Then his son accidentally kills the cricket.
The King's Choice
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The lion's courtiers persuade him to try camel's meat but the results are unexpected.
I Am Tama, Lucky Cat
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A stirring tale of friendship based on the legend of the Lucky Cat. Under the shadow of the white-capped mountains of Japan, a white cat with unusual markings arrives at the door of a rundown temple. A kind and gentle monk takes him in and names him Tama, Lucky Cat. Tama watches as his new master teaches Buddha's ways to small gatherings of poor farmers. The monk worries about the people's welfare, ignoring his own empty stomach. One night in a powerful thunderstorm, Tama sees a towering warlord on a white horse. The cat beckons the warrior to him just as a large branch crashes to the ground and lands right where the warlord had previously stood. In gratitude to Tama for saving his life, the warlord lavishes gifts on the temple and makes it his family's place of honor.
Once under the Cherry Blossom Tree
A cherry tree growing from the top of the wicked landlord's head is the beginning of his misfortunes and a better life for the poor villagers.
Folk Tales from Asia for Children Everywhere
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The Fisherman and the Goblet
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A beautiful maiden thinks she loves a fisherman she has never seen, but when she finally meets him she forgets his love is more important than his ugly face.
Tuko and the Birds
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Life was peaceful on the small Philippine island of Luzon. The men fished, the women cooked, the children played games, and the birds sang. Everyone knew it was time for bed when they heard the birds' good-night song. Then Tuko arrived. Tuko, the gecko, bellowed his name five times every time he ate--day or night. Everyone was miserable from lack of sleep. That is, until Haribon the eagle devised a plan to trick Tuko into leaving for good.
Lon Po Po
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Water
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"Did we take more than our due?" Weaving his tale around a Gond fable about water, artist Subash Vyam muses on the history of our relationship to this most primeval of elements.
The Emperor and the Kite
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Largely ignored by her own family, Princess Djeow Seow spends her days playing with a kite made from paper and sticks. But when the Emperor is imprisoned in a high tower, only the Princess can save the day, flying her kite high up into the sky to rescue her father.
Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies
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This collection of tales opens up a magical world far from our customary haunts. Ghost stories, romances, fables, and heroic sagas: the forms are familiar, but the characters we meet surprise us at every turn. For those who know and love the tales of the Grimms and Andersen, the universal themes of fairy tale literature emerge in these classic stories, but with a sophistication that is uniquely Chinese and altogether entrancing.
Asian Mythology
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An authoritative A-Z guide to the mythologies and legends of China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Japanese Mythology
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Discusses the mythology of Japan, its origins in Shintoism and Buddhism, and the gods, spirits, men, and animals that appear in the many legends and stories.
Chinese Mythology
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Discusses the myths and gods of ancient China and their sources.
This page is organized by geographical region and lists just some of the many items you can find in the STCC library. Included are individual stories as well as anthologies, or collections of texts often related by theme, genre, or region. Here you will find everything from fairy tale picture books for children to scholarly texts about mythology. Note that this is NOT a comprehensive list of all fairy tales you can find in the library. Hover your mouse over the
icon for a synopsis of or more information about any of the sources listed here.
General American Folklore
Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America
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In this marvelous collection, David Leeming and Jake Page have gathered together the great myths and legends of America, ranging from the creation stories of the first inhabitants, to the tall-tales of the Western frontier, to the legendary outlaws of the 1920s. Here is a thoroughly engaging chronicle, a book unrivaled in its scope, embracing Big Foot and Windingo, Hiawatha and Uncle Sam, Paul Revere and Billy the Kid, the Iroquois Flying Head and Elvis.
Encyclopedia of American Folklife
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American folklife is steeped in world cultures, or invented as new culture, always evolving, yet often practiced as it was created many years or even centuries ago. This fascinating encyclopedia explores the rich and varied cultural traditions of folklife in America - from barn raisings to the Internet, tattoos, and Zydeco - through expressions that include ritual, custom, crafts, architecture, food, clothing, and art.
A Celebration of American Family Folklore
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American Folklore
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Country Wisdom
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An almanac of rural lore, nature facts, and other "country wisdom" concerning the weather, moon, livestock, medicine, and other topics.
Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles
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The Vanishing Hitchhiker
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The Vanishing Hitchhiker was Professor Brunvand's first popular book on urban legends, and it remains a classic. The culmination of twenty years of collection and research, this book is a must-have for urban legend lovers.
African American Folklore
The People Could Fly
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Retellings of 24 African American folk tales: animal tales, supernatural tales, fanciful and cautionary tales, and slave tales of freedom.
Her Stories
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A collection of 19 folktales about African American women.
Uncle Remus - The Complete Tales
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The Uncle Remus tales, originally written down by Joel Chandler Harris, were first published over a hundred years ago, and serve as the largest collection of African-American folklore.
Read-Aloud African-American Stories
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Emphasizing diversity and the rich variety of source material, Read-Aloud African-American Stories contains true tales and tall tales, distinctly American folk histories and classic African folk stories, as well as short biographies of luminaries, excerpts from the journals of emancipated slaves, and reinterpretations of Bible stories.
Folklore, Memoirs, and Other Writings
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This Library of America volume, with its companion, brings together for the first time all of the best writing of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most significant twentieth-century American writers, in one authoritative set. "Folklore is the arts of the people," Hurston wrote, "before they find out that there is any such thing as art." A pioneer of African-American ethnography who did graduate study in anthropology with the renowned Franz Boas, Hurston devoted herself to preserving the black folk heritage.
Go Gator and Muddy the Water
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Hurston draws upon her interest in folklore, particularly that of Florida. Here is seen the roots of that work, from the tale of the monstrous alligator living in a local lake to her recording of folk songs on her work in children's games and the black church. There are also controversial essays on race and the work of black artists.
Black Culture and Black Consciousness
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Native American Folklore
The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet
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Native American elders will tell you there is as much to see in the night as in the familiar light of day, and here Abenaki storyteller and American Book Award recipient Joseph Bruchac offers twelve unforgettable stories of the living earth seen from the sky.
The Angry Moon
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An Indian girl insults the moon and is held prisoner by him until her friend reaches the sky country to rescue her.
Sedna: An Eskimo Myth
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Spider Woman's Granddaughters: Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women
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Native American scholar, literary critic, poet, and novelist Paula Gunn Allen, who is herself a Laguna Pueblo-Sioux Indian, became increasingly aware in her academic career that the writings of Native Americans, especially women, have been marginalized by the Western literary canon. Allen set out to understand why this was so and, more importantly, to remedy the situation.
American Indian Myths and Legends
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More than 160 tales from eighty tribal groups gives us a rich and lively panorama of the Native American mythic heritage. From across the continent comes tales of creation and love; heroes and war; animals, tricksters, and the end of the world.
A Coyote Reader
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Wily, raunchy, and heroic. A trickster, lecher, and supreme survivor. Such is the magical Coyote, that mythic Native American figure whose various roles are recounted here in a wonderful selection of poetry and stories.
Wizards and Wampum: Legends of the Iroquois
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Tall Tales
Pecos Bill and Slue-Foot Sue
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Pecos Bill is perhaps the greatest cowboy in American folk tales. Raised by coyotes, Bill used a snake as a lasso, and once roped a tornado. Readers can learn about these and other of Bill's legendary exploits.
Paul Bunyan and His Big Blue Ox
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Paul Bunyan was a legendary lumberjack whose exploits with his companion Babe, the Big Blue Ox, helped form the western half of the United States. Some of his most famous tall tales are collected in this book.
Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett
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On the day she is born this amazing baby proudly announces she can out-talk, out-grin, out-scream, out-swim, and out-run any baby in Kentucky. Within a few years Sally is off to the frontier, where she stuns a hungry grizzly bear, makes a lasso out of six rattlesnakes, and is more than a match for the mighty Mike Fink. And when Sally Ann rescues Davy Crockett from a pair of ferocious eagles, even her hornet's-nest bonnet and skunk perfume don't stop him from proposing marriage.
Mike Fink
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Mike Fink was king of the keelboatmen -- the strongest, rowdiest bunch of fellows ever to work on the Mississippi. Mike was a whole lot more than a keelboater -- yes, sir! He was a crack shot and the best grizzly and gator wrestler on the river. They don't make 'em like Mike these days, now do they?
The Legend of Strap Buckner
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When pride gets the better of Strap Buckner, a man known throughout Texas for his prodigious strength, he rashly challenges the devil to a contest.
Swamp Angel
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Working in an American primitive style animated by the humor and storytelling genius for which he is renowned, Caldecott Winner artist Paul O. Zelinsky puts oils to cherry and maple for this tall-tale competition between a Tennessee woods-woman extraordinaire and a hungry, fearsome bear.
How Night Came from the Sea
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A Brazilian story with African roots, this book tells how an ancient African sea goddess brought the gift of night to the land of daylight. This story evokes the beauty, rather than the terror, of the night, and is also about finding peace and hope in a new land.
Tales Our Abuelitas Told
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A sly fox, a bird of a thousand colors, a magical set of bagpipes, and an audacious young girl...A mixture of popular tales and literary lore, this anthology celebrates Hispanic culture and its many roots -- Indigenous, African, Arab, Hebrew, and Spanish.
Juan Bobo
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Mama puts Juan Bobo to work whenever he is having a good time. But he always finds a way to make work fun -- like using baskets instead of buckets to carry water, or sprinkling the pig with Mama's favorite perfume.
La Serpiente y el Dolor de Muelas
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An old witch who lives in a cave in a volcano with a fiery snake uses her wits to keep the serpent from destroying her village.
Fairy Tales from Bohemia
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The Sultan's Bath
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When the gardener is imprisoned for stealing the sultan's bath water for a secret garden, he devises a solution agreeable to everyone.
Count Silvernose
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The two younger daughters of an old washerwoman are lovely, foolish, and useless, while the oldest is homely, clever, and strong. When the two younger sisters disappear and are reported dead, Assunta resolves to discover the truth and rescue her sisters.
The Mitten
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When Nicki drops his white mitten in the snow, he goes on without realizing that it is missing. One by one, woodland animals find it and crawl in; first, a curious mole, then a rabbit, a badger and others, each one larger than the last. Finally, a big brown bear is followed in by a tiny brown mouse and what happens next makes for a wonderfully funny climax. As the story of the animals in the mitten unfolds, the reader can see Nicki in the boarders of each page, walking through the woods unaware of what is going on. Once again Jan Brett has created a dramatic and beautiful picture book in her distinctive style. She brings the animals to life with warmth and humor, and her illustrations are full of visual delights and details faithful to the Ukrainian tradition from which the story comes.
Even the Devil Is Afraid of a Shrew
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Audun and His Bear
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Blue and Green Wonders
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Clever Tom and the Leprechaun: An Old Irish Story
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In this Irish folktale, Tom captures a leprechaun and thinks his fortune is made.
Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Sweden
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Favorite Fairy Tales Told in England
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Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Czechoslovakia
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Five fairy tales from Czechoslovakia include Kuratko the Terrible and The Twelve Months.
Yiddish Folktales
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Filled with princesses and witches, dybbuks and wonder-working rebbes, the two hundred tales that make up this delightful compendium were gathered during the 1920s and 1930s by ethnographers in the small towns and villages of Eastern Europe. Collected from people of all walks of life, they include parables and allegories about life, luck, and wisdom; tales of magic and wonder; poignant encounters between rabbis and their disciples; and stories whose only purpose is to entertain. Long after the culture that produced them tragically disappeared, these enchanting Yiddish folktales continue to work their magic today. With black-and-white illustrations throughout Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library
Gypsy Folktales
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Stretching back many centuries to its origins in India, the Gypsy oral tradition has accumulated a vast, diverse treasury of folktales. The eighty tales in this volume are gathered from thirty-one different countries.
Puss in Boots
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For generations, children have been enchanted by the tale of the clever cat in fancy boots who outsmarts a king and a sorcerer to win a castle and a bride for his penniless master.
The Adventures of Pinocchio
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
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Beauty and the Beast
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East of the Sun and West of the Moon and Other Tales
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Classic tales of Nordic and Norwegian myth abound magically within this book, which was compiled and written by Peter Christen Asbjornsen.
Andersen's Fairy Tales
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The Snow Queen
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Norse Mythology
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Norse Mythology explores the magical myths and legends of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Viking-Age Greenland and outlines the way the prehistoric tales and beliefs from these regions that have remained embedded in the imagination of the world.
The Complete World of Greek Mythology
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Greek myths are among the most complex and influential stories ever told. From the first millennium BC until today, the myths have been repeated in an inexhaustible series of variations and reinterpretations. They can be found in the latest movies and television shows and in software for interactive computer games. This book combines a retelling of Greek myths with a comprehensive account of the world in which they developed--their themes, their relevance to Greek religion and society, and their relationship to the landscape.
A Scythe, a Rooster, and a Cat
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Adaptation of a Russian folktale about three brothers who make their fortunes, one with a scythe, one with a rooster, and one with a cat.
The Tale of a Pig: A Caucasian Folktale
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At the Wish of a Fish
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In this adaptation of a traditional Russian tale, a lazy fool catches an enchanted fish which promises him that every wish he ever makes will come true.
How Wilka Went to Sea and Other Tales from West of the Urals
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Mazel and Shlimazel, or The Milk of a Lioness
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Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend
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This volume offers the first comprehensive guide in English to the myth and legend of the Russian Empire and other Slavic countries and peoples.
Anansi
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Two Jamaican folk tales in which Anansi the spider practices his trickery on others. Includes an audio cassette featuring narration and music.
Kallaloo
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Can a shell really make soup? Yes, if Granny stirs the pot and with a little help from the folks in Market Square. Regional dialect, bright illustrations, and a recipe for Kallaloo, a seafood gumbo that is a West Indian favorite, bring a distinctly Caribbean flavor to this adaptation of the traditional tale, Stone Soup.
