In this English folk tale, an unwanted dog is taken in by a little girl whose family's farm is bewitched. Can this little dog with big ideas help put everything right?

In this book, first published in 1970, Ruth L. Tongue has collected a number of county folk tales recorded by her from childhood onwards, from old people, village children and farm round-the-fire sessions. Many of the beliefs embodied in the gipsy and witchcraft tales are still in practice today among the travelling people and locally ‘gifted’ healers. The tales reveal a good deal of fairy lore, some tree lore, including ghostly trees like Crooker, and the ‘uncanny’ Black Dog makes his appearance in more than one tale. The collection includes several of the long fireside tales which would be told on succeeding evenings on winter nights round the kitchen fire, and rhozzums from various localities.

The stories in this selection come from countries as different as Ireland, Australia and Japan. There are traditional folktales, such as Sohrab and Rustem, a Persian tale retold by Eileen Colwell in her own inimitable style; Humblepuppy, which gives the book its title, is a modern ghost story; Peter's mermaid is an amusing tale about a small boy who finds a baby mermaid. There are funny stories, sad stories, retellings of myths and folktales and also several poems.

From the beginning of human memory, dogs have been living with virtually every human society on earth. Of all the animals, the dog has long maintained the closest relationship with man. In First Friend, Katharine M. Rogers explores the history of that relationship - from what is known about how it first came about - and how it developed through the centuries. From work-mate to beloved pet, from the ancient world to modern times, First Friend is a charming, compelling work exploring that closest of interspecies bonds.

A classic in folklore scholarship arranged in 2 parts. Folk Narratives contains tales told for edification or delight, but not thought to be factually true.Folk Legends presents tales the tellers believed to

When the Szabo family gathers together on Sundays, their day is filled with fun and games that even the smallest child can enter into. But even the games they play are a way of preparing them for their real work. When the family accepts their next assignment from a branch of the government that few are aware of, they discover places in the United States where other children learn games that can change their lives forever.