Earth Magic, Sky Magic: North American Indian Tales
Clamshell Boy: A Makah Legend (Native American Legends & Lore)
by Terri Cohlene (Author), Charles Reasoner (Illustrator)
Retells the legend of Clamshell Boy, who rescues a captured group of children from the dreaded wild woman Ishcus. Includes information on the customs and lifestyle of the Makah Indians.
Classification: Picture Book - EN PB C (Junior Collection)
Fruits
by Valerie Bloom (Author), David Axtell (Illustrator)
From half a pawpaw to ten bananas, a cornucopia of ripe, colorful Caribbean fruits prove irresistible to a young girl and her little sister. Eating and counting her way through a tempting array of fruits such as the guinep, jackfruit, naseberry and sweet-sop, … la The Very Hungry Caterpillar, an island youngster becomes predictably sick. First published in Britain as part of a collection, Duppy Jamboree (1992), this edible escapade is in the form of a rhymed poem, spoken in Jamaican dialect.
Classification: Picture Book - EN PB B (Junior Collection)
Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora
Tomás is a son of migrant workers. Every summer he and his family follow the crops north from Texas to Iowa, spending long, arduous days in the fields. At night they gather around to hear Grandfather's wonderful stories. But before long, Tomás knows all the stories by heart. "There are more stories in the library," Papa Grande tells him. The very next day, Tomás meets the library lady and a whole new world opens up for him.
Classification: Picture Book - EN PB M (Junior Collection)
In this tale of the Tupi Indians of the Amazon, the creation myth is altered and there is daylight but no night. Night is kept under the water by the Great Snake, but when his daughter is ill and needs some darkness, he sends her the dark, which is when all the creatures of the night are created.
Classification: EN 398.2 TRO (Junior Collection)
Rabbit and Coyote
Retold by Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters
A retelling of a Mexican story about a rabbit uses his quick wits to save himself from a coyote.
Classification - PB P (Infant Collection)
Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom
by Tim Tingle (Author), Jeanne Rorex Bridges (Illustrator)
Martha Tom, a young Choctaw girl, knows better than to cross Bok Chitto, but one day—in search of blackberries—she disobeys her mother and finds herself on the other side. A tall slave discovers Martha Tom. A friendship begins between Martha Tom and the slave’s family, most particularly his young son, Little Mo. Soon afterwards, Little Mo’s mother finds out that she is going to be sold. The situation seems hopeless, except that Martha Tom teaches Little Mo’s family how to walk on water to their freedom.
Classification: Picture Book - EN PB T (Junior Collection)
Hiawatha by Henry Longfellow
Longfellow's poem ‘The Song of Hiawatha’ has long been a favourite classic. In this stunning picture book, Susan Jeffers has illuminated some the poem's most lyrical verses depicting Hiawatha's childhood. Rich in detail, here are the lapping waters and whispering pine trees, the dancing fireflies and swiftly running reindeer of Longfellow's hypnotic text. And here is the young Hiawatha, learning the names of the stars and the secrets of the animals, preparing to become a leader of his people.
Classification: Picture Book - EN PB L (Junior Collection)
How the Fly Saved the River
retold by Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters
After travelling for days, thirsty Moose comes across a river of cool water to drink. But will be be able to stop and who will help the river animals save their homes?
As part of the Ten Tales from Different Cultures series, this American Indian tale is retold by expert storytellers Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters.
Classification: Picture Book - PB P (Infant Collection)
How Rabbit Stole the Fire
retold by Joanna Troughton
This is a wonderful, rhythmic North American Indian folk tale...As the leaves fall from the trees and the wind blows colder, the animals wish they had fire to keep them warm. But only the Sky People living high in the mountains have fire, and they guard it jealously. Rabbit has a plan, however: he makes a special resin-covered headdress, tricks the Sky People and steals some fire. All the animals help him in an exciting race to escape capture, and each is marked in some way by the stolen fire. Then Deer manages to hide the precious fire in the woods, so it can be theirs forever - but once it's hidden, how will they get it back?
Mesoamerica provides menacing serpents, superhuman gods, and heroic twins for this spellbinding title that covers myths from Aztec and Mayan cultures. These mesmerizing stories are bookended by front and back matter that introduce characters, explain Mesoamerican mythology, and provide information on other mythical figures whose stories are not told.
Classification - EN 299 WES (Junior Collection)
Mesoamerica is a region and cultural area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador,Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Stolen Sun: A story of native Alaska
retold by Amanda Hall
When Raven fills the world with creatures, a song of joy bursts from his throat and brings everything to life. But as time passes, his song is droned by shouting as people greedily capture and kill the living things around them - and with an angy shriek he hides the shining sun away, leaving the people below to freeze in darkness. How his son, Little Darkness, brings light and the Raven's song back to the world is beautifully told and illustrated in an original story woven from Native Alaskan folklore.
Classification: EN 398 (Junior Collection)