A humorous Irish folktale-inspired read-aloud about Jamie O’Rourke, the laziest man in Ireland, who magically grows an enormous potato after meeting a leprechaun.

Have you ever played the game “Telephone,” where one person whispers a message and it travels around the circle until it comes back sounding completely different? Stories work the same way. As they’re passed from person to person—and from place to place—they stretch, twist, and grow into new versions. The stories in this book show just how powerful that “story grapevine” can be. Many of these tales have been traveling for hundreds of years. Some appear in different countries all over the world, each with its own special twist. All of them are fun to read aloud, and even more fun to tell in your own voice.

Maybe it’s a king who spills a drop of honey and refuses to clean it up—until that tiny mess grows into a giant problem. Maybe it’s some sandpipers and whales who start a silly argument that nearly destroys the place they all call home. Or maybe it’s a man who thinks a weapon will make him powerful, or a troop of monkeys who follow their leader into water that’s far too deep.

Have you ever stopped to really look at a spider’s web? If it’s only meant to catch flies, why does it shimmer with such delicate, beautiful patterns? Have you ever wondered what makes thunder rumble, why the ocean tastes salty, or how tigers came to wear their bold stripes? This collection gathers delightful “why” stories from many cultures and time periods—tales that imagine how animals, plants, and natural wonders came to look or behave the way they do.