Draws eight stories from well-known collections of Indian folktales--Hitopadesha tales, Jataka tales, and Panchantra tales--and presents them with cartoon-like illustrations.

Charles is a mouse of few words. He doesn’t like to talk, and he’s perfectly happy playing by himself. But his parents are not happy. “It’s time he played football or joined the ballet,” says Charles’s father. So off Charles goes to ballet class, where he curls up and pretends to be asleep. Football proves even less successful. Will anything bring Charles out of his shell? “A nicely told fable as helpful for their parents as for shy children in need of respect.” —The New York Times Book Review “Wells has a time-tested talent for taking a keenly felt emotion—in this case shyness—and exploring it in a manner that is reassuring to young listeners.” —Booklist

The classic fairy tale is retold with a modern-day twist as the three little pigs settle into their new houses--one of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks--and find themselves threatened by a hungry, mean wolf

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the most thrilling books ever wrote…but it’s also difficult for some younger readers. This book takes the classic novels and retells it for modern readers! Adapted from “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain, this modern day version will have you flipping pages to find out what happens next! KidLit-O’s newest series helps introduce younger readers to classic works of literature by retelling them as beginning reader chapter books.

A brief, simplified retelling of the episode in Doctor Dolittle during which a crocodile runs away from the circus to get help from the physician-turned-veterinarian, who gives him back his smile. It's a timeless theme: the desire to go back home, to the place where one belongs. And it's one that resonates powerfully with small children. So they'll understand why the sad crocodile is yearning for his faraway native Africa. And though Dr. Dolittle knows his medicine, curing a broken heart is another thing altogether. Can he help? Sympathetic young readers will have their fingers crossed.

Beloved author-illustrator Tomie dePaola’s take on traditional “Jack tales”—in which a young hero ventures out to seek his fortune and gains it through luck or pluck—is perfect for preschoolers. His hero’s reward is a wealth of animal friends who increase in number—and volume—as the story progresses. When Jack sets out to see the world and find a place of his own, he’s surprised to attract a following of enthusiastic animal friends eager to join him on his quest. Jack and his entourage all have high hopes that they will find just what they are looking for as they travel on their merry way. Children will delight in the cumulative chorus of animal sounds as the pages get more and more crowded with the residents of this delightful kingdom.