Literature and Language
Literature and Language > mythology
Aida
The opera diva Leontyne Price retells this classic operatic tale made famous by the 19th century composer Giuseppi Verdi. The princess Aida is captured and forced into slavery by Egyptian soldiers, but she and rival army leader Radames fall in love. The
| Author: Price, Leontyne |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde, The
The Anasazi, "the ancient ones" in Navajo, had a unique and well developed culture. Around 1300, they simply vanished. Today, their home (Mesa Verde) is a national park. This carefully researched text recreates the Anasazi's way of life and explores th
| Author: Arnold, Caroline |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Androcles and the Lion
This book retells the fable of Androcles, a runaway Roman slave, who befriends a wounded lion.
| Author: Nolan, Dennis |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Atalanta's Race, A Greek Myth
This retelling of an ancient Greek myth describes Atalanta, abandoned by her royal father who wanted a son. Atalanta is raised by a woodsman and becomes a great hunter and athlete; the latter is tested in a race when the gods intervene.
| Author: Climo, Shirley |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Big Mama Makes the World
A simple text and colorful illustrations retell the creation story with a mother as the creator. Some readers might be offended by the non-traditional creation story. Others could find the illustrations childish.
Black Ships Before Troy
This beautifully illustrated book retells Homer's epic poem The Iliad about the Trojan War. A glossary of names is included.
| Author: Sutcliff, Rosemary |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Cycle of the Werewolf
Short mystery/horror story depicting the sequence of events as a werewolf terrorizes a small town in Maine over the course of a year. A ten year old parapalegic uncovers the mystery and slays the beast with the help of his fun loving uncle. Short chapte
| Author: King, Stephen |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Dateline: Troy
A compelling retelling of the Trojan War story is juxtaposed with newspaper clippings (WWI--Gulf War). The clippings help to develop context for the story. They also reveal powerful parallels between the world of Homer's Iliad and our own.
| Author: Fleischman, Paul |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Dogs of Myth
Here are 13 tales about dogs from myths and legends from around the world.
| Author: Hausman, Gerald, & Hausman, Loretta |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Drylongso
Drylongso, which takes place west of the Mississippi in 1975, is the story of a poor farming family's battle with a drought. Drylongso, "a youth imbued with simple human kindness . . . a folk hero" (author's notes) arrives, and with him comes ho
| Author: Hamilton, Viginia |
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First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story, The
A quarrel between husband and wife is resolved when strawberries begin to grow.
Freedom's Fruit
Mama Marina, a conjure woman in the Low Country of the Carolinas in the time of slavery, uses a magic spell to free her daughter and the man she loves. The book includes an Author's Note that compares the American folktale with the Greek myth of Persepho
Golem
Illustrated with beautiful cut-paper collages, the author/illustrator retells the legend of the Golem (a man created from clay), who saves the Jews of 16th Century Prague from persecution. A lengthy endnote recounts the history of the Golem and the perse
| Author: Wisniewski, David |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
John Henry
This beautifully illustrated, award-winning book tells the tale of the ex-slave John Henry who outraced the steam engine in digging a tunnel through the side of the Allegheny Mountains. The book begins with introductory notes from both Julius Lester and
Last Giants, The
During the days of sailing ships a European gentleman buys a mysterious tooth with a map on it which takes him on a long adventure to a land of peaceful giants. When he writes a book about his travels, tragic events occur. The illustrations are reminisc
| Author: Place, Francois |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Lugalbanda
This retelling of the oldest recorded story ever found from Sumer (now Iraq) recounts the journey of a young prince as he crosses the mountains to join a war and find his brothers, overcoming obstacles on his way. The book includes interesting historical
| Author: Henderson, Kathy |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Night Rainbow, The
Simple poetic verse describes the Aurora borealis or northern lights from the perspective of legends of several cultures.
| Author: Esbensen, Barbara Juster |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | science
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Noah's Ark
Well-known author-illustrator Jerry Pinkney retells the story of Noah and the ark that survives the flooding of the earth in a simple narrative and wonderfully detailed pictures.
Pond God and Other Stories, The
This unusual book of one-page pourquoi stories--of how things came to be--follows the tradition of Rudyard Kiplilng's Just So Stories and Aesop's Fables.
| Author: Keyser, Samuel J. |
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Rabbits, The
A myth/allegory about rabbits who take over a country and destroy the environment. The illustrations are simultaneously thought-provoking, beautiful, and ominous. The type face may confuse new readers although it is large and easy to read.
Sacred Places
This collection of 12 poems and accompanying paintings celebrates 12 holy and magical places around the world. End notes provide more information about the locations.
| Author: Yolen, Jane |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Secret-Keeper, The
This is a fairy tale about Kalli, the secret-keeper, who takes others' secrets on so that they can be released from them. All the bad secrets threaten to make her ill until the townspeople come to her rescue.
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
The author retells this famous tale of one of the knights of King Arthur's famous Roundtable, in which Gawain accepts a challenge of a giant green knight that leads to further trials at the end of one year. Vivid illustrations contribute to the sense of
| Author: Morpurgo, Michael |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Swan Lake
An expanded retelling of the story of Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake.The author retells the story of Swan Lake within his narrative of the Damavand empire. Van Allsburg's illustrations highlight the events of the story.
| Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Timelines Flight: Fliers and Flying Machines
This nonfiction book contains information related to aviation and aviators (starting with Daedalus and Icarus). The book is densely illustrated; all illustrations are captioned, and some are labeled. A time line, a glossary, and an index conclude the bo
| Author: Jefferis, David |
HSE Descriptors:
science
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Unexplained
The author explores several categories of unexplained phenomena from Stonehenge to Roswell, N. M. UFO sightings, suggesting origins of superstitions and possible explanations. Sidebar information, photographs, and paintings illustrate the text and back m
| Author: Allen, Judy |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Literature and Language > mythology > Greek mythology
Adventures of the Greek Heroes
The simple vocabulary and simple sentence structure of this retelling of several Greek myths makes this a useful text in a multilevel classroom. The black and white illustrations imitate the style of painting on Greek pottery. An introduction and a pron
| Author: McLean, Mollie & Wiseman, Anne |
HSE Descriptors:
literature and arts
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Cupid and Psyche
This is a retelling of the classic Greek myth.
| Author: Craft, M. Charlotte |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Hero and the Minotaur, The
This retelling of the Greek hero Theseus' journey to the island of Crete to slay the minotaur and his return to become King of Athens is magnificently illustrated in the style and colors that recall Greek pottery designs. Stylized maps decorate the end
| Author: Byrd, Robert |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Persephone and the Pomegranate
The Persephone myth explains the seasons. The daughter is kidnapped by the ruler of the underworld, Pluto, who makes her his queen. But Persephone's mother, Demeter, grieving, refuses to let Spring return until she is again with her daughter. In the en
| Author: Waldherr, Kris |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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