This book gathers fifty folktales and parables from many different cultures—Sufi, Zen, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, African, and Native American. Even though these stories come from far‑away places and different times, they all share simple truths, gentle humor, and the idea that we can learn from the wisdom of people who lived long ago.

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.

This special collection of American folktales travels all across the country—from Alaska’s icy tundra to Virginia’s soft green hills, from Louisiana’s steamy bayous to the wide‑open prairies of South Dakota. The author tells each story in his gentle, welcoming style, making every tale feel like it’s being shared around a cozy campfire.

For a long, long time, Eastern Europe has been a place where many different peoples, languages, and traditions meet. Sometimes there were disagreements, and sometimes there was great cooperation—but through it all, people told stories. These folktales show just how diverse the region is, and each one shares a challenge that can be faced with clever thinking, bravery, and hope.

The August House Book of Scary Stories is a thrilling collection of spooky tales designed specifically for oral storytelling and middle-grade readers.

In many Native American traditions, the spirit world and the natural world are closely connected. What happens to animals, people, or the land can echo in the world of spirits—and the other way around. Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle shares this idea through tales passed down by the Five Civilized Tribes: the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole nations. In these stories, the spirit world steps into our world in surprising and unforgettable ways.

The Broken Tusk is an engaging collection of Hindu mythology stories centered on Ganesha, the popular elephant-headed god of new beginnings.

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.

Through a Ruby Window is a charming collection of fifteen stories that captures the magic of growing up on Martha's Vineyard.

Fielder's Choice by Rick Norman is a gripping historical fiction novel that follows Andrew Jackson Fielder from the baseball fields of Arkansas to a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II.

Discover a heartwarming collection of stories about growing up in the rural Midwest during the 1950s.

Beneath the Blazing Sun is a powerful collection of 18 stories that explores the African American experience from its roots in West Africa to the present day.

The author—famous for telling some of the spookiest stories around—have gathered a whole collection of chills and thrills in this book. The tales are grouped into fun themes so kids can pick exactly the kind of scare they’re in the mood for. This collection is packed with scares, laughs, and unforgettable moments—just right for kids who love stories that make their hearts race and their imaginations soar.

Barking At a Fox-fur Coat is a celebrated collection of seventeen vintage family stories and tall tales set in the mountains of North Carolina.

Asian Tales and Tellers is a diverse collection featuring more than thirty traditional stories from across the rich Asian cultural landscape.

African-American Folktales is a lively collection of over 30 traditional stories designed to engage and entertain young readers.

Adventures of High John the Conqueror is a powerful collection of African American folktales featuring the legendary slave trickster who consistently outsmarted his oppressors.

Maybe it’s because his mother was a teacher. Or maybe it’s because he spent so much of his life in classrooms—first as a curious first grader, then as a hopeful college student, later as a seminarian, and now as a visiting writer who travels to schools all over the country. Whatever the reason, school has always been at the heart of Donald Davis’s stories, and this book gathers his very favorite school adventures.

Richard has a lot of stories to tell—just look at the marks on his legs and feet. Each one came from a different adventure, and none of them match up. Hard to believe, but he promises it’s the truth, and just thinking about it still gives him a shiver.

This book gathers 46 stories from many different places around the world, most of them brought to America by families who immigrated here. Together, the tales create a kind of “world tour” you can take without ever leaving your chair. Even though the stories come from far‑off places, they all share a special Jewish spirit—one that celebrates doing what’s right, using cleverness and kindness to get through tough times, and keeping a good sense of humor along the way.

This book gathers exciting stories from almost every continent, offering short, fast‑moving tales that grab young readers right away. You’ll find funny adventures, clever trickster tales, tall tales, and stories about families—perfect for both middle‑grade readers and younger kids who love a good yarn.

More Laughter in Appalachia is the authors' fourth collection of funny tales from the Southern mountains, and it might be their silliest and most wide‑ranging book yet. It’s filled with jokes, short stories, poems, riddles, and even songs. You’ll also find some surprising treasures, like a funny old‑time sermon, a playful political speech from long ago, and even a comical arrest warrant that shows just how creative mountain humor can be.

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.