People just can't live together without telling stories. We tell stories that are funny, ironic, insightful, or just simply pleasing to the tongue and ear. Stories just seem to happen. When a story happens with the force of universality, it finds its way into that pantheon of tales that is the common denominator of cultural exchange. Here are thirty-three such tales, collected from Brazil, China, Korea, Russia, Tibet, Africa, from America's native peoples, and other lands, and chosen for the universality of their message. Each story is presented in concise "retellable" form, suitable for all...

Although the 46 tales in this collection are as varied as their origins, nearly all of these stories have been passed on by immigrants to America. As a result, this collection is a world tour between two covers, but not at the expense of the unifying element common to these stories: their uniquely Jewish flavor of doing the right thing, on surviving by cleverness and kindness and on the need for keeping a good sense of humor." Sherman's collection includes magical tales; stories about clever folks; tales of ghosts, gilguls, and other strange things; fables that deal with doing the right...

The range and mastery evidenced in the stories selected by Richard and Judy Dockrey Young veteran storytellers and teachers in their own right is due in large part to the fact that they include so many favorite stories of acclaimed African and African-American storytellers. Designed to entice even the most reluctant reader, these stories are not only fun to read, but are bound to be repeated and shared. The seven sections Young Heroes and Heroines, Animal Fables, Trickster Stories, Parables About People, Bigger Than Life, In the Park and in the Dark, and Brother Rabbit Today are introduced by...

A winding highway, children fighting in the back seat, parents suggesting diversionary games and holding onto their own hopes and fears for the vacation ahead: it's not an uncommon scene. However, it is Donald Davis's genius that turns a lackluster family vacation into a week to remember. The 1950s-era plastic seat covers were not the only thing to leave a lasting impression. In her spontaneous (and desperate) invention of games like Cow Poker and See Rock City, Mother keeps the rules one step ahead of the back-seat contestants, until one-too-many choruses prompt a detour the family never...