Myth Library

Hace mucho tiempo—a long time ago—there lived a beautiful young woman named Adelita. So begins the age-old tale of a kindhearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity: a beautiful rebozo—shawl. With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. This is a Cinderella story like no other.

An overnight camping trip! Chester the cat is worried. The woods, Chester informs Harold the dog, are not only full of cockleburs and ticks, but of spirits - evil spirits who prey on the innocent. Harold is not taking Chester seriously. But when two strange men and their even stranger dog set up camp next to the Monroes, things begin to happen that make even Harold wonder.

The world is connected, and so are our stories. In this book, adapted for audio, we're introduced to short versions of Aesop's Fables as they're told in various corners of the globe.

Classic Mother Goose rhymes get a Latino twist in this cozy collection. From young Juan Ramón sitting in el rincón to three little gatitos who lost their mitoncitos, listeners will be delighted to see familiar characters in vibrant, luminous scenes brimming with fanciful details. La Madre Goose will make a playful multicultural addition to every modern bookshelf.

Little Wind and the trees of Jerusalem can't wait for Real King to visit. But Little Wind is puzzled when the king doesn't look how he expected. His wise friend, Bare Tree, helps him learn that sometimes strength is found in sacrifice, and new life can spring up even when all hope seems lost.

When a killing drought threatens the existence of the tribe, a courageous little Comanche girl sacrifices her most beloved possession - and the Great Spirit's answer results not only in much needed rain but a very special gift in return.

These laugh-out-loud stories from New Hampshire and Vermont are set during the four seasons of the year. The storyteller in his appealing dialect tells little-known tales, among them "Mothah Skunk" and the night she had to move out with her kits because Sherman Curtis smelled so bad; the escapades of Big Gertie Benson, the lumberjacks' cook and a cousin of the Bunyans in the Midwest; and George Petty, who delivered the mail even during mud season by standing on the back of his horse with only his head sticking out.

Sure we'd all love to be able to go around telling stories about all the weird, scary, and just-plain-annoying people that we know. But the truth is, no one likes a gossip. Here, the irrepressible Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith have found a way around that problem - they just make like Aesop and change all the people to animals or food, add a moral to each story, and call the stories fables!

While Roja picks flowers on the way to her grandma's, a mean wolf sneaks away with her cape to surprise Abuelita. But Grandma's no fool, and Roja's no ordinary chica. They send that hungry lobo packing with a caliente surprise! This spirited retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" has accessible Spanish rhymes, with hip cultural details throughout.

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for Alex and her family, so it's even more special when she gets to share her favorite traditions with her best friend, Ethan. Together, they join the Chinese New Year parade and get to help make the dragon dance. Then they prepare for the festivities by tidying up, decorating, and making dumplings. After that, it's time to open red envelopes, eat a great big feast, and enjoy the lantern fesival!

In the 15th century, four Mahu sail from Tahiti to Hawaii and share their gifts of science and healing with the people of Waikiki. The islanders return this gift with a monument of four boulders in their honor, which the Mahu imbue with healing powers before disappearing. As time passes, foreigners inhabit the island and the once-sacred stones are forgotten until the 1960s. Though the true story of these stones was not fully recovered, the power of the Mahu still calls out to those who pass by them at Waikiki Beach today.

Aloo-ki glances up from fishing and sees her sled dogs floating off on an ice floe. She races after them and comes upon an igloo. Being a curious girl, she goes inside only to find no one home. That's because the polar bear family who lives there is out walking while their breakfast cools off. Aloo-ki eats some soup, tries on their boots, and finally crawls into the smallest bed for a nap. Meanwhile, Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear see her dogs adrift, swim out to rescue them and return home to find Aloo-ki fast asleep in Baby Bear's bed.

The Land of Unicorns is in trouble - it has been raining and raining for what seems like forever. This is a big problem because there are only three ways that unicorns can get their magic: from the golden sun, from magnificent rainbows, and from the sparkle of believing. Luckily, Uni the Unicorn has always always always believed...that little girls are REAL.

Uni is just like all the other unicorns...except for one thing: She believes that little girls are REAL. This magical story by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (author of I Wish You More) illuminates Uni's not-so-fantastical dream and celebrates the sparkle of believing.

In this Caldecott Medal-winning tale set in Old Japan, a lively little woman who loves to laugh pursues her runaway dumpling - and must outwit the wicked three-eyed oni when she lands in their clutches.

A long time ago, a girl named Carla lived on a goat farm with her father, Hector. One night, a goat disappeared from the farm and turned up flat as a pancake. Only one creature could do that - El Chupacabras, the goatsucker! Legend has it that El Chupacabras is a fearsome beast, but you can't believe everything you hear...and sometimes the truth is even more interesting.