Folk Myths

Young Twig lives in the Deepwoods, among the Woodtrolls, but he isn't one of them. In a brave attempt to find out where he belongs, Twig wanders into the mysterious, fascinating, and sometimes hazardous world beyond the Deepwoods. In his travels he encounters myriad peculiar creatures, like his wise guardian, the Caterbird; the Slaughterers, a peaceful race who butcher animals for their livelihood; and the vicious, bile-swilling Rotsucker.

This breathtaking, full-color illustrated fantasy is inspired by Chinese folklore, and is a companion to the Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Pinmei's gentle, loving grandmother always has the most thrilling tales for her granddaughter and the other villagers. However, the peace is shattered one night when soldiers of the Emperor arrive and kidnap the storyteller. Everyone knows that the Emperor wants something called the Luminous Stone That Lights the Night.

It's been years since Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith introduced the world to the Cinderumpelstiltskin, Little Red Running Shorts, Chicken Licken, and the rest of the hilarious cast of characters in The Stinky Cheese Man. In this audio edition, listen to some really off-the-wall fairy tales, including "The Princess and the Bowling Ball", "The Really Ugly Duckling", and "Jack's Bean Problem".

War between the devas and the demons is imminent, and the Otherworld is on high alert. When intelligence from the human world reveals that the Sleeper is holding a powerful clairvoyant and her sister captive, 14-year-old Aru and her friends launch a search-and-rescue mission. The captives, a pair of twins, turn out to be the newest Pandava sisters, though, according to a prophecy, one sister is not true. During the celebration of Holi, the heavenly attendants stage a massage PR rebranding campaign to convince everyone that the Pandavas are to be trusted.

A young prince must find a princess to marry. But he has trouble finding the right one. Finally, he finds a princess who shares his interest in soccer. But how can he find out if she's a real, true princess?

Jack trades his father's only cow for three magic beans. When an enormous beanstalk grows outside his window, Jack's adventure begins. What happens when Jack wakes the sleeping giant? Will Jack get back all the things the giant has stolen from his father?

Revisit the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Cursed by a bad fairy, the princess sleeps for a hundred years. Will she wake up, or stay in a deep sleep until the end of time?

Heartbreaking decisions: Evie was almost seduced by the life of comfort that Death offered her - until Jack was threatened by two of the most horrific Arcana, The Lovers. She will do anything to save him, even escape Death's uncanny prison, full of beautiful objects, material comforts - and stolen glances from a former love.

Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history - because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie. When the rune readers reveal that the monsters of Ragnarok are coming and kids will stand in for the gods in the final battle, Matt can hardly believe it. Matt and his friends must race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world.

Snow White’s classic tale comes to life in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Follow along as Snow White flees from the Evil Queen, befriends the Seven Dwarfs, takes a bite of a cursed apple, and lives happily ever after. In “Best-Ever Creations”, Cinderella must work to create a collection of dresses in a time-crunch. In “A Time for Courage”, Fa Mulan summons her courage when her father is drafted into the Imperial Army. She disguises herself as a man and takes her father’s place against the Huns. Follow along as Mulan proves herself and defends China!

Join in and sing along with a host of much-loved songs and rhymes.

Kashima, a god in Edo, Japan, resides in his shrine to protect the people from Namazu, a catfish, from causing earthquakes that devastate the lives of the villagers. When Kashima helps one of the villagers, Namazu must decide whether to obey Kashima and stay put or swim and potentially endanger the lives of the villagers.

Almost as light as a penny and with wings beating more than fifty times each second, these tiny Central American hummingbirds migrate 2,000 miles to reach their spring home. Listeners will enjoy learning about the ruby-throated hummingbird along with a retelling of Mayan tale.

White Rabbit, an Ojibwe Native American, helplessly watches as her village begins to suffer from a deadly winter disease. When her brother Running Wolf falls ill, she plans to bring back more healing herbs from a neighboring village. When White Rabbit races through the snow, she ends up leaving behind a new flower that appears in the spring.

In Muslim storytelling, the wise fool is a popular figure that appears as different people in different stories. In these two funny stories, see if you can tell who the wise fool is and who is not. In one story, a father shows his son how it is impossible to please everyone. In the other, a court jester shows that he is more than just a common fool.

In this story from the Abenaki people, the Native Americans who lives in New England long ago, you’ll learn how one starving man learned to grow a new crop to feed himself.

In this story from the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, you’ll learn how the trickster raven brings light back to the world from a greedy chief.

Two brothers, Heung Bu and Nol Bu, lived as neighbors. One spring day when the brothers were out planting, Heung Bu finds a wounded swallow. He nurses it back to health and is rewarded with a single pumpkinseed. Heung Bu plants the seed and is rewarded for his kindness. Nol Bu, jealous of his brother’s good fortune, seeks out a wounded swallow of his own. Will he be rewarded like his brother?

In this Chinese folktale, an unhappy young bride named Shui-mu must do all the chores in her mother-in-law's household, until a gift from a mysterious old woman brings change. This Cinderella-like story of overcoming cruelty and rewarding generosity is the origin of the revered Water Mother legend.

In this classic Jewish folk tale, a selfish queen captures a lovely starling in an attempt to keep his beautiful birdsong close by. But a starling without freedom cannot sing, so he seeks to escape his cage.