Nature Myths

The Ugly Duckling, narrated by Glenn Hascall and written by Hans Christian Anderson, is indeed an inspiration to those of us who believe we were born ugly or less talented than our peers. Barnyard abuse, verbal abuse, or bullying: it's all pretty much the same. This classic piece by Hans Christian Anderson has delighted children for over 150 years.

Meet Nosewise. He's spunky. He's curious. And he's a dog who can't understand why his packmates Merlin and Morgana spend all day practicing magic tricks. If it's a trick they want, he's the dog to ask! He can already Sit!, Stay!, and Roll Over! But there's no way Nosewise is Stay!ing when his master and best friend, Merlin, is kidnapped. There's nothing Nosewise won't do to get Merlin back, even if it means facing the strange Fae people and their magic-eating worms or tangling with the mysterious Sword in the Stone.

When Joey is bitten by an elderly rat, he goes from aspiring seventh-grader to three-inch tall rodent. At first, Joey is amazed by his new rat self. The city streets call to him at night. Smells that would have repelled him before are suddenly tantalizing. (A chicken bone? Yes! A squashed cockroach? Like perfume!) And wow, the freedom! But when a bout of hunger leads Joey to pull the spork from the scone, he finds himself at the center of a longtime rat prophecy.

Edgar Award-nominated author Brenda Seabrooke reimagines the tale of the three little pigs in this enchanting fable. Here James, Marvin, and Lester Pygg have just put the finishing touches on their new brick house when a knock sounds at the door. It’s a wolf! But the Pyggs know better than to let a big, bad wolf in. So the wolf hatches a new plan - sit and wait until the Pyggs come out.

In this hilarious southern folktale, mean old Boss Lion threatens the peaceful folk of Brer Village, and Brer Rabbit is forced to teach the carnivorous trouble-maker a lesson he'll never forget. Brer Rabbit outsmarts the baddest fella in the forest, then saunters back to town as the local hero. Actor Danny Glover narrates this witty, playful adaptation, perfectly complemented by gritty bayou blues by Dr. John. It is just the kind of fun your family will enjoy again and again.

It begins in the summer before Gracie will be starting high school, and she is very nervous about it. To make matters worse, her best friend Michie is off spending the summer with her father and Gracie is left all alone. However, her loneliness is short-lived when she meets Henry and they set out on an adventure that Gracie will never forget.

For Kalla, born to human parents but raised by a family of elephants, growing up in the rainforest is a grand adventure - until she realizes that humans and elephants make better enemies than friends. Determined to prove she belongs with the herd, Kalla goes on a quest to find the Oracle Stone, a mythical object as ancient and sacred to the elephants as the stories they keep. Once again among a human tribe, however, she faces new challenges and doubts about where her true loyalties lie.

The Sparrow family is ready for their trip south for the winter, but Papa's wing is hurt, and he cannot make the trip. He asks the trees for help. One by one, the mighty, leafy trees of the forest say no! Will any of the trees help Papa Sparrow? What will happen to the selfish trees that turned him away? Discover why some trees lose their leaves in winter in this retelling of a pourquoi tale.

An original tall tale about Angelica Longstrider, better known as Swamp Angel, the greatest woodswoman in Tennessee history.

While hard at work, an ant hears the musical sounds of clickety, click, chirrup in the distance. Come along as she explores this joyful noise.

Many modern tales alter the ending and leave some of the story behind. A tale of mutual deception and shoddy home building could bring smiles in this classic tale. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

When an ugly duckling flies away from home to escape from teasing words, she begins the adventure of a lifetime. But when she returns to central park in Spring, she discovers she has transformed into a beautiful swan.

Sassy, sassier, sassiest! That Brer Rabbit was the back-sassiest critter in 10 counties and it got so Brer Fox just couldn't bear it another second. So he stirred himself up a sticky, gooey Tar Baby and left it on a log for Brer Rabbit to run smack into.

Mordicai Gerstein's portrayal of Philippe Petit's high-wire walk between the towers of the World Trade Center, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, won the 2004 Caldecott Medal and was among the most admired books of the year. Now comes a memorable new work, a novel of singular insight and imagination that transports readers to the Old Country.

Westly is a caterpillar who is destined to be a monarch butterfly, but when he emerges from his cocoon, he is not what he expected. He's a spider! Westly flees his home among the butterflies and is eventually adopted by the "dirt eaters".

Young Filbert Fox listens to a story his granny tells him about how foxes are the smartest creatures and so he sets out to prove this to be true. But when tries to prove how clever he is when he meets Willie Wolf and the Crow family, things do not turn out as he expected at all.

A cat, smart and cunning, clever and mischievous but very helpful: he is just the sort of friend we'd all like by our sides. The youngest of three orphan brothers is left destitute after his parents' death. But such an apparently sad situation takes a quite unexpected turn for the better when he inherits what appears at first to be a small, quite ordinary cat. But it turns out to be the greatest inheritance of all! Our cat is not only clever and brave, but he is also a talking cat!

Six brothers have been turned into swans by their evil stepmother. They can only take their human forms for 15 minutes every evening. In order to free them, their sister must make six shirts out of starwort for her brothers, and neither speak nor laugh for six years.

Kipling’s classic tale taken from the Just So Stories. Leopard is having trouble finding the other animals in the forest because they have camouflaged themselves. But he soon learns the advantages of having a patterned hide.

La conocida leyenda del flautista que encantó las ratas de Hamelin ha sido contada por años como un cuento alegre con un final feliz, pero como suele suceder con estos cuentos de hadas, los originales pueden ser muy diferentes a las versiones más contadas. La ciudad de Hamelin siempre tuvo ratas,¡ y muchas! Nunca fueron un problema, ya que los gatos las mantenían controladas.