Discover the traditional stories of the Mayan people of Mexico and Central and South America, and learn about Mayan culture. In this collection you'll find such tales as Uncle Rabbit, Uncle Coyote, How the Serpent was Born, The Moon, The Screamer of the Night, and more than 25 other tales ranging from trickster tales and tales of ghosts and witches to moral tales and tales of the underworld, presented in Spanish and English. A brief history, color photographs of the land, people, and traditional arts, and recipes accompany the tales, placing them within a cultural context. Grades K-12.

Wit, humor, and warmth permeate the stories in this collection. Here are more than 50 traditional folktales from the people of Poland, ranging from animal and humorous tales to why stories, tales of magic and the supernatural, and local legends. In addition, you'll find riddles, nursery rhymes, games and activities, recipes, and background information on the land, the people, and the stories-all enhanced by maps and handsome color photos and illustrations. A wonderful addition to the folklore collection, this book provides material that folklorists will wish to study, storytellers will be eager to share with their audiences, and educators will want explore with their students. A delicious assortment of folktales from Poland awaits you in this appealing collection. More than 50 tales range from local legends, animal tales, and magic tales to religious legends, stories of demons and supernatural creatures, humorous tales, and how and why tales-exemplifying the Polish spirit, character, and sense of humor. In addition, you'll find historical background; directions for traditional games, crafts, recipes; and color photographs that depict the people, the land, and the traditions of this fascinating country.

"Here there be dragons"--this notation was often made on ancient maps to indicate the edges of the known world and what lay beyond. Heroes who ventured there were only as great as the beasts they encountered. This encyclopedia contains more than 2,200 monsters of myth and folklore, who both made life difficult for humans and fought by their side. Entries describe the appearance, behavior, and cultural origin of mythic creatures well-known and obscure, collected from traditions around the world.

Here is a broad sampling of traditional and contemporary Dutch tales that will entertain and inform readers and listeners of all ages. From animal tales and tales of magic to religious and realistic stories, and contemporary urban legends, you'll find in this collection scores of tales, riddles, puzzles, and jokes to savor and share. Many of the stories are rooted in the traditional rural society of the Netherlands, while others have sprung from the modern, urban, and multi-ethnic society that Holland is today. Background information on the country and the stories, and color photographs and illustrations, along with a detailed bibliography, makes this a well-rounded resource for educators, folklore scholars, and general readers. All levels.

Looking for fresh ideas to liven up your storytimes? Here you'll find a wonderfully diverse collection of easy-to-tell tales from around the world, along with tips and profiles of the storytellers featured in the book. Ideal for educators and others who work with young children, these stories have been selected because they are easy for anyone to tell, even novices, and they readily engage listeners. Along with each tale, you'll find a profile of the "teller" who provides it, adding a cultural dimension to help you and your audiences better understand the context. There are also tips to improve your programs. In addition to storytimes, this guide can be used for read-alouds, or even silent reading with older children. Whether you are a librarian, educator, or parent, Storyteller's Sampler: Tales from Tellers around the World will help you keep children entertained—all while encouraging their learning and development.

Mexico’s indigenous people speak a number of rich and complex languages today, as they did before the arrival of the Spanish. Yet a common misperception is that Mayas have no languages of their own, only dialectos, and therefore live in silence. In reality, contemporary Mayas are anything but voiceless. Chiapas Maya Awakening, a collection of poems and short stories by indigenous authors from Chiapas, Mexico, is an inspiring testimony to their literary achievements. A unique trilingual edition, it presents the contributors’ works in the living Chiapas Mayan languages of Tsotsil and Tseltal, along with English and Spanish translations. As Sean S. Sell, Marceal Méndez, and Inés Hernández-Ávila explain in their thoughtful introductory pieces, the indigenous authors of this volume were born between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s, a time of growing cultural awareness among the native communities of Chiapas. Although the authors received a formal education, their language of instruction was Spanish, and they had to pursue independent paths to learn to read and write in their native tongues. In the book’s first half, devoted to poetry, the writers consciously speak for their communities. Their verses evoke the quetzal, the moon, and the sea and reflect the identities of those who celebrate them. The short stories that follow address aspects of modern Maya life. In these stories, mistrust and desperation yield violence among a people whose connection to the land is powerful but still precarious. Chiapas Maya Awakening demonstrates that Mayas are neither a vanished ancient civilization nor a remote, undeveloped people. Instead, through their memorable poems and stories, the indigenous writers of this volume claim a place of their own within the broader fields of national and global literature.

A good folktale triggers the imagination, connecting children to a wider world as well as increasing their vocabulary and comprehension skills. In this delightful and easy-to-use book, teacher and storyteller Del Negro gives librarians, teachers, and parents the keys to storytelling success. Including more than a dozen original adaptations of folktales from around the world, tailored specifically for library and classroom use, she Reviews storytelling basics such as selecting a tale and learning the story Offers tips for dealing with stage fright and reluctant listeners Presents a bibliography of recommended online and print resources, steering readers to more wonderful tales to tell For young listeners the folktale is a perfect gateway to the exciting worlds of culture and literature, and Del Negro’s book invites their engagement with proven techniques and original story scripts that can be used by experienced as well as beginning tellers.