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Age Range
8 - 12
Genre
folktale
Copyright Year
2016-07-15
Page Count
80
Publisher
August House Kids
Grade Level
3rd - 7th
ISBN
9781941460399
Themes
holidays & celebrations
storytelling

Tales of Holidays

Written by Pleasant DeSpain and Illustrated by Don Bell

People all around the world celebrate special days called holidays. These are moments when ordinary life feels a little brighter, a little more exciting, and full of extra spirit. Sometimes that spirit feels like kindness and love. Other times it feels like starting fresh, or even a tiny bit spooky in a fun way.

Holidays stand out because something surprising can happen in the middle of our usual routines. This collection shares nine holiday stories, each paired with the celebration it comes from. Kids will meet the Twelve Months on New Year’s Day, hear a playful Halloween tale in “Whooooo,” discover a Hanukkah story in “Babushka,” and enjoy the magic of Christmas in “Christina’s Christmas Garden.”

Support Materials

Explore RIF's Lesson Planning Resources Collection, including read aloud templates, vocabulary materials, thematic activities, and student-facing graphic organizers to enhance your daily instruction. You can also create your own word search, criss cross or memory match puzzle using our puzzle maker tool.

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Age Range
8 - 12
Genre
folktale
Copyright Year
2016-07-15
Page Count
80
Publisher
August House Kids
Grade Level
3rd - 7th
ISBN
9781941460399
Themes
holidays & celebrations
storytelling
Additional Book Resources
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Southern Jack Tales

Written by Donald Davis
The author grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina listening to stories that many kids in America had never heard before. He didn’t realize it at the time, but he was learning old tales that had traveled across the ocean with Scots‑Irish families long ago. In the 1950s, people in the Appalachian Mountains were still telling these stories, most of them about a clever, brave, and sometimes very lucky character named Jack. Versions of Jack appear in almost every culture, which makes him feel familiar no matter where you’re from.
5th - 10th
InvitingWolfIn.jpg

Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories (Story Cove)

Written by Loren Niemi & Elizabeth Ellis
Some stories are hard to tell because they talk about things that are sad, scary, or confusing. These kinds of stories can be tough for the person telling them and for the person listening. But when they’re shared with kindness and care, they can help people understand each other and even feel braver.
5th - 10th
NoodleheadStoriesAH.jpg

Noodlehead Stories: World Tales Kids Can Read & Tell

Written by Margaret Hamilton
People have been telling “fool stories” for as long as anyone can remember. After all, everyone has a noodlehead day now and then—a day when your brain seems to take a little vacation. As you’ll see in this collection, silly characters come in every shape and size. They might make ridiculous mistakes, mix things up, or leap before they look, but that’s what makes their adventures so much fun.
1st - 6th

The Paper Crane

Written and Illustrated by Molly Bang

Business returns to a once-prosperous restaurant when a mysterious stranger pays for his meal with a...

Pre-K - 3rd
Anansi and the Tug O' War

Anansí and the Tug O' War

Written by Bobby Norfolk and Sherry Norfolk and Illustrated by Baird Hoffmire
In Anansí and the Tug O' War, the clever spider Anansí uses his quick wits to teach the giant Elephant and the massive Whale a lesson about respect. By challenging them both to a tug-of-war, he tricks the two large animals into pulling against each other while he watches the fun.
Pre-K - 3rd
TheMonsterStick.jpg

The Monster Stick & Other Appalachian Tall Tales

Written by Paul Lepp & Bil Lepp and Illustrated by Terry Brewer
What’s the Monster Stick? It’s Paul’s gigantic fishing pole—nine feet long and packed with miles of super‑strong fishing line and shiny, custom‑made sinkers that slide like magic. From the moment Paul gets the Monster Stick, his adventures grow wilder than anything Paul Bunyan ever dreamed up. At one point, he even manages to hook a DC‑10 airplane flown by sneaky smugglers. How he does that… well, that’s part of the fun.
3rd - 8th
21102

Atariba and Niguayona: A Story from the Taino People of Puerto Rico (Tales of the Americas) (English & Spanish edition)

Written by Harriet Rohmer & Jesus Guerrero Rea and Illustrated by Consuelo Mendez Castillo

A Taino Indian legend about a young boy and his search for the healing caimoni tree.

2nd - 5th
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Tales of Insects

Written by Pleasant DeSpain and Illustrated by Don Bell
Insects have been part of our world since the very beginning. Sometimes they buzz in our ears or give us itchy bites, and sometimes they amaze us with their bright colors, clever tricks, and tiny superpowers. People everywhere have watched insects closely enough to imagine what their lives might be like, giving them stories, personalities, and even heroic moments.
3rd - 6th
15258

The Birthday Swap

Written and Illustrated by Loretta Lopez

A five-year-old Mexican American girl who will not be six until December has a great deal to...

K - 3rd
25012

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

Written by Dana Alison Levy

With four brothers, a dog, a cat, school projects, soccer matches, and a grumpy neighbor, the...

4th - 7th
The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies

The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies

Written by Heather Forest
The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies is a charming Scottish folktale about a clever baker woman who is kidnapped by cake-loving fairies.
Pre-K - 2nd
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Green is for Christmas

Written by Drew Daywalt and Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
When Green Crayon claims that green is the only color for Christmas, the other Crayons let him know that there would be no Christmas without them either. No candy canes or Santa without Red, no snow without White, no bells or stars without Silver, and no cookies or reindeer without Tan! The Crayons agree that they all need to come together to make Christmas special.
Pre-K - 2nd