Myths For Children

When Anansi the spider decides to help rescue Brother Tiger, he makes Brother Tiger agree to a simple promise.

From 20-year veteran storyteller Pleasant DeSpain, known for reducing folktales to their essence, 20 "retellable" folktales from around the world. Folktales captivate generation after generation because they remind us that our forebears overcame seemingly insurmountable odds and we can, too! Folktale characters show us the best in ourselves; our sense of humor, our perseverance, our resilience that overcomes giant hurdles, and our innate sense of fair play.

Emmy Award-winning storyteller Bobby Norfolk brings his electrifying energy to world folktales (from the African, Eastern European, Appalachian, and Irish traditions) to the delight of all ages. From Anansi, the African trickster, to Jack, the bumbling, lucky, persevering Everyman of traditional stories, Norfolk's characters instruct while they entertain.

Remember the Monster Stick? The greatest and most dangerous fishing-rod ever? What about Buck, who simply "ain't no ordinary dog"? Anyone who has seen the Lepp boys perform or read their book The Monster Stick will never forget them. In this recording, we revisit West Virginia with Bil Lepp as he tells some of the stories that made his brother, Paul, and himself repeat winners of the West Virginia State Liars Contest.

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".

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal - return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health - Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger.

Tam and Cam are stepsisters who are supposed to work together, but Cam sees Tam as her rival and always leaves all the work for her to do. When a festival comes to town, will Tam succeed in catching the eye of the king? Follow along on this Cinderella-esque tale from Vietnam and find out!

A slow snail tries to outwit a nimble fox in a race to see the king.

"Don't you know anything?" Animals try to outsmart the vicious tiger so that they won't get eaten.

The werlings of Hagwood live peacefully in the trees of the forest - overlooked and unbothered while they leisurely perfect the art of wergling (shape-changing). But unlike his fellow werlings, the bumbling Gamaliel Tumpin can’t manage to wergle into even the simplest of forms - a mouse - like his peers. He’s tormented by his sister, Kernella, and teased by his classmates. And he envies star student Finnen Lufkin, who can transform into almost any creature.

Ling Li loves to listen to the songbirds that live in part of the Great Wall near her village. After a soldier kills them, she travels to see the Jade Emperor with hope that he will bring them back to life. Can Ling Li meet the emperor’s challenge and save the birds’ song?

Jo is a gifted archer with a burden on his back and a fire within. Eager to see the Longtreaders receive justice, he travels from his Halfwind Citadel home to a Cloud Mountain poised on the brink of war. What he finds there will confront his convictions and test his resolve as the war begins and King Jupiter's heir is revealed. A kingdom in the balance. An arrow aimed at the heart of darkness. Who will take the shot?

The sheriff asks a butcher to dinner, hoping to cheat him out of his money. But the butcher is really Robin Hood, and he has a surprise!

After being held prisoner for years, Artemis Fowl's father has finally come home. He is a new man, an honest man, much to Artemis's horror. He makes his son promise to give up his life of crime, and Artemis has to go along with it. But not until he has completed one last scheme.

Thor's hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon - the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost; it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Ragnarok will begin.

An injured (and gassy) goose has crashed onto the Worthington estate, and no one cares except for young Valeria. That all changes when the bird starts laying solid-gold eggs! But as soon as the Worthingtons try to force the goose to lay a fortune, the egg comes out totally ROTTEN. Can Val help her feathered friend escape before the greedy family tries something extreme?

All light in Chattana is created by one man - the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the day he will be able to walk among them. But when Pong escapes from prison, he realizes that the world outside is no fairer than the one behind bars. The wealthy dine and dance under bright orb light, while the poor toil away in darkness. Worst of all, Pong’s prison tattoo marks him as a fugitive who can never be truly free.

Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho’s sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens. Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent - he’s real, the stories are real....

The magical sixth installment in Sarah Mlynowski's megahit series Whatever After! Fractured fairy tales are all the rage, and this series has been a huge hit! This time, Abby and Jonah are on a quest to find The Snow Queen in order to save someone from being frozen! Hijinks and hilarity ensue once again in this sweet, charming, and enchanting series.

The struggle of good versus evil continues as Bobby Pendragon follows Saint Dane to the territory of Zadaa. Saint Dane's influence has fueled the fire of discontent between two warring tribes: the Rokador and the Batu. This is also the territory where the Traveler Loor lives as a member of the Batu. Together she and Bobby must work to thwart Saint Dane's efforts to destroy Zadaa.