Frank Carlson Library

CLASSIC FICTION (CHILDREN'S / TEENAGE). Following the initial success of The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling published the collection of parables Just So Stories. He first entertained his own children with these delightful and humorous tales before deciding to write them down for publication. The stories are written in the form of what came to be also known as pourqoui (French for "why") stories, each explaining how and why things came to be as they...

A rhymed retelling of the traditional tale about the industrious little red hen and her lazy friends.

A collection of traditional tales about animals, from such parts of the world as India, West Africa, and South America.

"Ancient Night is a twist on two Nahua traditions: the rabbit which the Feathered Serpent placed on the moon, and the Lord Opossum who ruled the earth when humans were first created, who stole fire from the gods to keep them warm."--

A retelling of the Afro-American tales about the adventures and misadventures of Brer Rabbit and his friends and enemies.

Relates how the Jade Emperor chose twelve animals to represent the years in his calendar. Also discusses the Chinese calendar, zodiac, the qualities associated with each animal, and what animal rules the year in which the reader was born.

A retelling of a traditional West African tale that reveals how the mosquito developed its annoying habit. A mosquito annoyed the iguana, who frightened the python, who scared the rabbit ... and now the whole jungle is in an uproar because the sun won't rise. The animals discuss the situation and decide to punish the mosquito. Even today, whenever we hear a mosquito buzz, we smack it hard!

Explains various animal expressions that employ similes, metaphors, idioms, and proverbs.