Aardema, Varna.  Traveling to Tondo.  Knope, 1991.
 Bowane, the civet cat calls upon his friends to accompany him to Tondo to fetch his
bride.   The travelers encounter many obstacles to prove their friendship, but with patience and
 hope arrive several years later only to discover that the bride has married another.

Aardema, Verna.  Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears.  Dial Books, 1975.
 A delightful African fold tale which explains why the mosquitos buzzes in people’s ears.
 Each animal in the story passes on their version of what happened in an encounter with
the  one before.

Barton, Bob.  Tell Me Another.  Pembroke, 1986.
 A collection of stories suitable for storytelling or interactive drama with children.  The
 stories are humorous and slightly spooky.  Suitable for children grade 3 and up.

Brown, Marcia.  Once upon a Mouse.  Pembroke, 1986.
 An ancient India fable about a hermit who saved a little mouse from danger by using his
 magical powers.  He was pondering about big and little and discovered a way to deal with
 this idea.

Brown, Ruth.  A Dark Dark Tale.  Dial Books, 1981.
 A clever tale using repeated verse that takes the reader through the dark, dark house only
 to discover a tiny mouse trying to get some sleep.

Chase, Richard.  Grandfather Tales.  Houghton Mifflin, 1979.
 Smoky Mountain tales similar to Jack Tales and fairy tales told in a Southern dialect.

dePaola, Tommie.  The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.  Putnam, 1988.
 A story of the Plains Indians.  A little boy, Little Gobler, who is too small to be noticed,
 must prove he is worthy through his beautiful paintings.

dePaola, Tommie.  The Legend of the Bluebonnet.  Putnam, 1983.
 The legend of the Blue Bonnet flowers which cover the state of Texas as told through the
 story of a young girl, She-Who-Is-Alone, who gives her only possession to save her
 people, the Comanche.

dePaola, Tommie.  Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons.  Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.
 The story of Strega Nona who teaches Bambolona, who is a good student some magic,
 while Big Anthony listens when he shouldn’t and learns a very hard lesson.
 

dePaola, Tommie.  Big Anthony and the Magic Ring.  Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979.
 Another story about Big Anthony who learns a lesson when he tries to trick Bambolona
 out of her magic gold ring.

dePaola, Tommie.  The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote.  Scholastic Inc., 1994.
 A Spanish tale of why the Coyote howls at the moon.  Coyote is tricked by Rabbit.

Esbensen, Barbara Juster.  The Star Maiden.  Little Brown and Co., 1988.
 The story of the Chippewa people and why they watch the night sky and the bright star.
 The star came down to marry a brave and because she did not listen and obey the laws,
 she and her baby son were sent back to the sky world and is seen shinning down on her
 husband and her people.

Galbraith, Kathryn O.  Laura Charlotte.  Philomel Books, 1990.
 Laura Charlotte asks her mother to retell the story of the stuffed elephant Charlotte, now
 her own toy that once was given to her mother by Laura’s grandmother.

Galdone, Paul.  What’s in the Fox’s Sack?  Clarion, 1982.
 Ole Fox tries to steal the biggest animal to eat and gets a trick played on him.

Galdone, Paul.  The Gingerbread Boy.  Clarion Books, 1975.
 The Gingerbread Boy eludes the hungry grasp of everyone he meets until he happens
upon  a fox more clever than he.

Galdone, Paul.  The Tree Bears.  Clarion Books, 1972.
 The traditional story of the Three Bears with beautiful illustrations.

Galdone, Paul.  The Little Red Hen.  Clarion Books, 1973.
 The traditional story of The Little Red hen.  Suitable for using to  rewrite the story with
 a different twist and for children to dramatize.

Goble, Paul.  Star Boy.  Aladdin Books, 1990.
 This is the story of how the sacred knowledge of the Sun Dance was given to the
 Blackfoot people of the Great Plains.

Lionni, Leo.  Frederick.  Patheon Books, 1973.
 Frederick, a field mouse, saves his family of mice because he has gathered stories instead
 of a storage of food.  They all recognize his as a poet.

Lionni, Leo.  The Alphabet Tree.  Dragonfly Books, 1968.
 A story of how letters form to spell words but the words are meaningless until they form
 together to write a sentence that carries an important message.

Lionni, Leo.  Fish is Fish.  Dragonfly Books.  1970.
 An adventure of a tadpole who befriends a fish.  The tadpole becomes a frog and hops
out  of the water to explore the world.  He returns with his troy and the fish jumps out to join
 his friend and nearly drowns.  The fish learns an important lesson about being himself.

Lionni, Leo.  Mr. McMouse.  Dragonfly Books, 1992.
 A story of a mouse who wakes up one morning and discovers that he’s turned into a little
 man.  He encounters Spinny the country mouse and this begins his adventure.

Lionni, Leo.  Swimmy.  Dragonfly Books, 1992.
 A little fish, the one survivor of a school of fish swallowed by a tune, devises a plan to
 camouflage himself and his new companions.

Lobal, Arnold.  Fables.  Harper and Row Publishers, 1983.
 A collection of fables using animals as characters.  Suitable for predicting the moral or
 theme and for interactive storytelling using props.

Macklin, John.  World’s Strangest “True” Ghost Stories.  Sterling Publishing, 1991.
 A collections of ghost tales from various parts of the U.S.  Grades 5-6 and up.

Mosel, Arlene.  Tikki Tikki Tembo.  Holt, Rineharts and Winston, 1968.
 A Chinese story about why Chinese mothers and fathers name all of their children very
 short names.

Pryor, Bonnie.  The House on Maple Street.  Mulberry Books, 1987.
 Two girls suddenly imagine their street as it might look three hundred years ago when
 they discover an ancient arrowhead and broken china cup.

San Soucci, Robert D.  Short and Shivery.  Doubleday, 1987.
 Slightly scary tales from different part s of the country, especially used and Long Island
 Storytelling Festival for children’s evening hour.

Slobodkina, Esphyr.  Caps for Sale.  Harper Trophy, 1968.
 An old folk tale with humor about a peddler with a band of monkeys.

Steig, William.  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.  Windvill Books, 1969.
 Sylvester Duncan makes a foolish wish to be a rock and causes his parents much worry
 and himself lots of trouble.

Van Laan, Nancy.  Rainbow Crow.  Dragonfly Books, 1989.
 A Native American tale of how Brave Crow is given the fire to thaw the woodland from
 the frozen ice and snow---and how the powerful gift changes him forever.

Vilhelm, Hans.  I’ll Always Love You.  Crown Publishers, 1985.
 One day Elfie does not wake up and the boy who loves him will always remember to say
 “I love you” often to his next pet whenever he is ready for one, but he will never forget
 Elfie.
Wisniewski, David.  Rain Player.  Clarion Books, 1991.
 In the ancient Maya civilization, a boy challenges the traditional belief system by taking
 this fate--and his people’s---into his own hands.

Yolen, jane.  Grayling.  Philomel, 1991.
 A Scottish tale of fisherman and his wife who find an orphaned seal pup that turns out to
 be a selchie who is man on land and seal when in the sea.

More Suggested Books
(Publishers and dates not given)

All Ages
Milstein, Linda.  Amanda’s Perfect Hair.
 Amanda has the longest, thickest, curliest, most beautiful hair in the world.  Everybody
 says so.  But Amanda thinks people care only about her hair and sets out to show them
 what a pecial person she really is.

Shafner, R.L.  Delly’s Deli.
 Why is so much food disappearing from Belly’s Deli?  This book takes you on a
pun-filled  adventure in search of the thief.  You’ll relish the excitement Belly fells when
he’s finally  able to ketchup with the thief.

Compiled by Amy L. Cohn.  From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and
Folk Songs.
 Enhanced by the illustrations of Caldecott artists, this thematic collection of foldlore,
 poems, songs, and assays celebrates the diversity of American heritage and belongs in
 every American classroom.

Shields, Carol Diggory.  I am really A Princess.
 Kids of all ages have probably wondered what life would be like with a King and Queen
as  parents.  A delightful tale of a girl determined that in real life she is a princess.

Rosenberg,  Liz.  Monster Mama.
 Patrick Edward’s mother is sweet, tender, and very protective, but she also lives in a cave
 and has magic powers.

London, Jonathan.  Voices of the Wild.
 This book details messages of nature as seen through the eyes of animals.  Readers will
be  inspired by the animals’ simple observations of the need for balance in nature.

Siracusa, Catherine.  The Giant Zucchini.
 The giant zucchini seed grew only one teeny zucchini.  What a suprize when Edgar and
 Robert started singing and the zucchini started growing!

Russo, Marisabina.  Trade-in Mother.
 Max’s day starts with a smile but ends with a frown.  Young readers relate to Max’s
 derires and frustrations as well as his resolutions to problems.

Curtis, Jamie Lee.  When I was Little: A Four-Your-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth.
 A girl tells about her life as a baby and compares it to being 4 years old.  The repetitive,
 somple words help young readers enjoy this book.

Younger readers
Stover, Jill.  Alamo Across Texas.
 When a drought comes to the Lavaca River area, Alamo the alligator searces for a new
 home.  Simple repetitive text accompanies colorful illustrations as Alamo treks across
 Texas.

Barlan, Kathryn Hook.  Andrew’s Amazing Monsters.
 Andrew loves monsters and covers his walls with monster pictures.  He wishes he could
 give them a party, and one night Andrew has a wonderful suprise.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie.  The Bear That Heard Crying.
 Three-year old Sarah, lost in the woods, snuggles up to a big black “dog.”  Exciting text
 and illustrations make for independent reading or reading aloud with many chances for
 prediction and discussion.

Dubanevich, Arlene.  Calico Cows.
 These are “cool calico cows” wrote one youngster responding to this story of a herd of
 multicolored bovines who temporarily lose their leader and have to cope with the day’s
 activities on their own.

Hearn, Diane Dawson.  Dad’s Dinosaur Day.
 When Mikey’s father becomes a dinosaur, they share a school day.  Dad provides
 transportation, playground assistance, after-school fun, and a reason to eat and shower
 outside.

Camp, Lindsay.  Dinosaurs at the Supermarket.
 Laura and her best friend, and imaginary crocodile, discover a dinosaur bone while
digging  for buried treasure.  The next morning a dinosaur and his friends appear.
Thinking he  wants his bone back, Laura leads him an a marry chase.

Jennings, Linda.  The Dog Who Found Christmas.
 This poignant Christman tale addresses the need for responsible pet ownership.  The little
 dog Buster’s search for a new home and its happy conclusion are presented thoughfully.

Shannon, Margaret.  Elvira.
 Children love dreagon stories, and this is no exception.  Elvira is a young dragon from a
 fire-breathing, princess-devouring family who would rather act like a princess than a
 dragon!  Yound readers delight in how Elvira changes the other dragons’ perspective.

Arnold, Ted.  Green Wilma.
 Wilma his turned green overnight, setting the stage for a humorous day as she finds out
 it’s not easy being green.

Retold by Michael Rosen.  How Giraffe Got Such a Long Neck...And Why Rhino Is So Grumpy.
 Children always wanting to know “why” gleefully respond to how the giraffe got such a
 long neck and why the rhino is so grumpy in this retelling of an old African folktale.

York, Carol Beach.  Pubmuddles.
 This is an imaginative and humorous story about Mr. Pudmuddle, who like to do
 everything in a backward way.  When he marries Mrs.  Pubmuddle, he finds he will have
 to change some of his ways and she will have to compromise as well...eating dinner in
the  morning?

Marshall, James.  Rats on the Range and Other Stories.
 In eight short stories by Hames Marshall, animals show a wide range of human foibles.
 From Miss Mouse, who keeps house for a tomecat, to Buzzard Watkins, who outwits his
 heirs, try to pick your favorite.

Greenblat, Rodney A.  Slombo the Gross.
 Even though Slombo is gross and lives by the dump, the creatures all love him.  When he
 haves the day by helping the town, the skunks, and the Swanp Beast, Slombo is a hero!

Retold by Eric Carle.  Today is Monday.
 Today is Monday will be enjoyed by children because of the repetitive text and delightful
 illustrations of the pepular children’s song.  A wonderful way to reinforce to days of the
 week with young readers.

Vozar, David.  Yo, Hungry Wolf!
 Favorite fairy tales in contemporary, upbeat, way-in rap, the text and illustrations will
 carry you through.

Middle Grades
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds.  Alice in April.
 April Fools’s day, her 13th birthday, being woman of the house, and getting named by the
 7th grade boys are some of the reasons why April is so difficult for Alice.  Middle readers
 will surely laugh and cry with her as she confronts the difficulties of growing up.

Retold by Janet Stevens.  Coyote Steals the Blanket: A Ute Tale.
 Coyote brags, bosses, and shows off.  When he steals a blanket, a rock chases him.  He
 doesn’t listen or give up.  He runs away from the consequences of his actions.  Coyote
 loses his friends but still doesn’t learn his lesson.

Duffey, Besty.  How to Be Cool in the Third Grade.
 In this enhoyable chapter book, Robbie York is in the third grade and wonders what it is
 to be cool.  He discovers that answer and how to survive the third-grade bully.

Porter, Connie.  Meet Addy.
 “I would tell a friend this is a good book about a family escaping slavery.  It is a sad and
 exciting book with a lot of history, and the best part is when the women give Addy and
 her mother shelter.”

Older Readers
Makris, Kathryn.  Crosstown.
 Readers empathized with April, who was forced to move away from her comfortable
 home to a dingy apartment in another part of town.

Compiled by Robert Westall.  Ghost Stories.
 Suspence and surprise are key indredients in this collection of 21 stories from some of
the  world’s best known writers.  Witches, ghosts, and spectoers fill these tales of the
 supernatural.  A sure hit for Halloween.

Lowry, Lois.  The Giver.
 In this exciting science fiction novel, 12-year-old Jonas has recieved his lifetime
 assignment, an apprenticeship under his society’s most important member, the Giver.
 Learning their shocking history forces Jonas to take extreme measures.  An outstanding
 read-aloud and discussion generator.

Cooper, Ilene.  My Co-Star, My Enemy, Hollywood Wars #1.
 “It was about the Hollywood wars between two girls who are always fighting about
 something, like how they are supposed to act and dress, and about their boyfriends.”