ISSN: 2397-9607 Issue 280 In this 280th issue of the Baba Indaba’s Children's Stories series, Baba Indaba narrates the fairy tale “THE BLUE PARROT” Long ago and far, far away, in a part of Arabia where groves of palms and sweet-scented flowers give the traveller rest after toilsome journeys under burning skies, there reigned a young king whose name was Lino. He had grown up under the wise rule of his father, who had lately died, and though he was only nineteen, he did not believe, like many young men, that he must change all the laws in order to show how clever he was, but was content with the old ones which had made the people happy and the country prosperous. There was only one fault that his subjects had to find with him, and that was that he did not seem in any hurry to be married, in spite of the prayers that they frequently offered him. The neighbouring kingdom was governed by the Swan fairy, who had an only daughter, the Princess Hermosa, who was as charming in her way as Lino in his. The Swan fairy always had an ambassador at the young king’s court, and on hearing the grumbles of the citizens that Lino showed no signs of taking a wife, the good man resolved that he would try his hand at match-making. ‘For,’ he said, ‘if there is anyone living who is worthy of the Princess Hermosa he is to be found here. At any rate, I can but try and bring them together.’ Now, of course, it was not proper to offer the princess in marriage with hers and her mothers permission to do so. So the ambassador arranges to have a portrait painted of the Swan Fairy’s daughter. And so the plans are put in motion to make the King fall for the Princess Hermosa. Are the two aware that they are being manipulated? Nevertheless, do they fall for each other? And if they don’t is there any fallout resulting in bad blood between the King and the Swan Fairy? Oh, so many questions…… Well the only way to find out is to download and read the story for yourself! BUY ANY 4 BABA INDABA CHILDREN’S STORIES FOR ONLY $1 33% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities. INCLUDES LINKS TO DOWNLOAD 8 FREE STORIES Each issue also has a "WHERE IN THE WORLD - LOOK IT UP" section, where young readers are challenged to look up a place on a map somewhere in the world. The place, town or city is relevant to the story. HINT - use Google maps. Baba Indaba is a fictitious Zulu storyteller who narrates children's stories from around the world. Baba Indaba translates as "Father of Stories".

As the neglected daughter of a widowed king, Princess Fiordelisa manages to keep her life optimistic nonetheless. However, Fiordelisa's life takes a turn for the worse when her father remarries a cunning woman who brings along her own daughter to live at the palace. Her new stepmother and stepsister, Turritella, do all they could to make Fiordelisa's life miserable. One day, King Aderyn comes to visit their kingdom in search of a wife. Fiordelisa and Aderyn begin falling in love, but happiness for them proves difficult to obtain. The two lovers are torn apart when the queen shuts Fiordelisa up in a tower and Turritella's fairy godmother turns Aderyn into a blue bird. When the Blue Bird finds Fiordelisa in her tower, the two are thrilled at their reunion. Unfortunately, their joy is short lived when the queen tricks the Blue Bird into believing Fiordelisa has betrayed him. Heartbroken, Fiordelisa must free herself from the tower and win back Aderyn's love. With deceit and magical obstacles standing in their way, Fiordelisa and Aderyn must rely on the strength of their own hearts to overcome every hardship to keep their love alive.

Inspired by the Russian storytelling tradition, this contemporary fairy tale about a relatable heroine’s inner transformation from materialism to gratefulness will captivate readers of all ages. The relevant message and stunning full color illustrations will make this a cherished gift during the holidays and throughout the year.

Aladdin‘s wonderful lamp, which he took from inside the earth where it burned in the niche of a pavilion in an enchanted garden, is certainly the most famous lamp in the world. Its wish-fulfilling power has spread around the world in 1001 Nights in all languages and has been retold in many variations and illustrated by famous artists. This book contains the text version from “The Blue Fairy Book” edited by Andrew Lang and is illustrated by famous illustrators from the Art Nouveau period. It is set in large print for easy reading.

The Blue Parrot is a seedy bar in which no one cares who you are or where you've been, a bar without windows where the only way out is at the end of an empty shot glass. These are the tragic and funny stories of the regulars who inhabit that bar in the other Vancouver, the one with no hope and no exit.