Literature and Language
Literature and Language > storytelling
47
In this part fictional slave narrative and part science fiction story, 47, a young slave without a name, learns from mysterious Tall John how to "neither a master nor a nigger be".
| Author: Mosley, Walter |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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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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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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Anno's Magic Seeds
A wizard gives Jack magic seeds, which he cultivates, and he reaps ever increasing harvests until a storm forces him to begin all over again. The reader is encouraged to predict Jack's progress.
| Author: Anno, Mitsumasa |
HSE Descriptors:
math
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Bearskin
A bear with magical powers raises a foundling who grows up to marry a princess, fulfilling an old prophecy. An Afterword directs the reader to sources for the tale.
Before I Was Your Mother
A mother tells her daughter stories about herself before she became a mother who does many things.
Big Jabe
This tall tale relates how Jabe helped slaves.
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.
Big Talk
Three poems are presented graphically with four color-coded bars to represent four voices for choral reading. The rhythms of the poems progress from easy to more difficult. The author provides a section on "How to read this book" and "Helpful hints."
Blues Singers, The
The author tells his granddaughter about the origin of blues in America through 10 stories of great blues musicians he and his father had known. The interesting illustrations are done in a thick line, solid color style. A bibliography and a recording li
| Author: Lester, Julius |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Butter Man, The
The father of a young child recalls a time of poverty and famine in Morocco. Written in descriptive language, this is a story within a story. Rich author's note and glossary help support this read to become a literary event. Folk art paintings by Julie
| Author: Alalou, Elizabeth |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Christmas Tapestry
While seeking to renovate their church, a minister and his son help reunite a Jewish couple separated in World War II.
| Author: Polacco, Patricia |
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Cloudmakers, The
In A.D. 751 during a time of war, a Chinese grandfather and grandson have 7 days to prove that they can "make clouds" or risk being sold into slavery. The result is Chinese paper, which earns them their freedom and marks a turning point in human history.
| Author: Rumford, James |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
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Code Talkers
After attending a white boarding school where his Navajo language and culture were belittled and punished, Ned Begay served as a code talker with the US Marines during operations in the Pacific during World War II. The narrator tells his story to his gra
| Author: Bruchac, Joseph |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Coyote Makes Man
In this Native American creation myth, when coyote calls all the animals together to create the first human being, each animal models man after himself, causing coyote to resolve the dilemma. The illustrations are beautiful examples of collage.
Dragon New Year, The
A beautifully illustrated, imaginative tale about why the Chinese celebrate New Year with firecrackers. A bereaved mother is helped by Buddah to thwart the New Year dragon. The author includes the background information for his created myth.
From Miss Ida's Porch
People from the street gather on Miss Ida's porch to hear stories, especially stories about important Black musicians (Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Marian Anderson) and their personal connections to them. These I-remember-when stories are both heartfelt a
| Author: Belton, Sandra |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Gifts from the Sea
The lives of a lighthousekeeper and his daughter are changed by the discovery of a baby washed ashore after a shipwreck on the coast of Maine in the 1850's.
| Author: Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie |
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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
|
Great Race, The
A grandmother helps her granddaughter arrange paper cutouts of the Chinese zodiac by telling her a story of how 12 animals race to reach the Jade City. The author includes an appendix with information about the Chinese zodiac.
Great Stone Face, The
The author retells a famous Hawthorne story about how a New England village interprets a mountain's "face" over the years as fulfilling the prophecy of revealing the noblest person of the time.
| Author: Schmidt, Gary/Hawthorne Nathaniel |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Growing Up in Coal Country
Based on primary documents and oral histories, this book tells the stories of life in the coal mines in eastern Pennsylvania around the turn of the 20th century.
| Author: Bartoletti, Susan |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Hero Beowulf, The
This prose retelling of the first part of the earliest poem in English (Anglo Saxon, actually) has strong, vibrant illustrations and helpful supplementary material.
| Author: Kimmel, Eric A. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Hired Hand, The
When Old Sam hires a new hand to work at the sawmill, the hired hand teaches Sam's lazy son a lesson when the son tries to con an old man. Retold from an oral African American tale, the story is beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
| Author: San Souci, R. |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Last Leaf First Snowflake to Fall
Part creation myth, part father/son initiation story, the book beautifully depicts a journey through the woods as the scene changes from fall to winter.
| Author: Yerxa, Leo |
HSE Descriptors:
science
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Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The
This book is a wonderfully retold version of the classic story by Washington Irving. The illustrations contribute to the mysterious mood.
| Author: Irving, Washington |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Lost: A Story in String
Using string figures, a grandmother tells a story of the uses of imagination and resourcefulness. Beautiful black-and-white clayboard and ink illustrations and clear diagrams and resources encourage readers to try the string figures.
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
|
Morning Milking
Although one OLRC reviewer was concerned that urban readers might not recognize the relevance of this quiet, reflective book, we found this gentle story of a farm child wishing she could make time stand still a lovely celebration of life, of barns and ani
| Author: Morris, Linda Lowe |
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My Great Aunt Arizona
Based on the author's great aunt, Arizona was born in a log cabin. All her life she dreamed of visiting far-away places. She became a teacher and never left the area, but taught several generations of children to share her dreams.
| Author: Houston, Gloria |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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.
Once Upon a Poem: Favorite Poems that Tell Stories
About a dozen narrative poems are included in this collection. Some will work better in adult literacy situations than others, so teachers will want to excerpt.
| Author: Crossley-Holland, Kevin (compiler) |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
People Could Fly, The
These collected folk tales that were told by slaves fall into four categories: animal stories, tall tales, the supernatural, and tales of freedom. The author includes an introduction and a bibliography.
| Author: Hamilton, Virginia |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Pink and Say
This long picture book tells the story of Pinkus Aylee, an African-American soldier in the Civil War, and of his mother, Moe Bay and of his friendship with a young White boy. A moving book that may be more appropriate for adults than for children, it cel
| Author: Polacco, Patricia |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
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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Rabbit, the Fox, and the Wolf, The
The three creatures of the title confront each other in this wordless book with an unexpected conclusion.
Roots and Blues
Adoff uses a shaped speech style to create images of the birth of jazz and its rhythms of life in the South from ancestral drumbeats to sounds of everyday life and work.The unique poetry prances across the page making it as unique as the American form of
| Author: Adoff, Arnold |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
School for Pompey Walker, A
At the dedication of a school named for him, Pompey Walker tells how he and a white friend, Jeremiah, raised money to build a school for ex-slave children. With the help of his friend, Pompey allows himself to be sold over and over again, escaping each t
| Author: Rosen, Michael J. |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Show Way
Simple text and stunning illustrations tell the intergenerational story of Woodson's ancestors.
| Author: Woodson, Jacqueline |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Silver Packages
A man returns to his childhood home in Appalachia to thank the benefactor on the Christmas Train. The story originally appeared in Rylant's book Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season.
Stitching Stars: The Story Quilts of Harriet Powers
The book recounts both the story of Harriet Powers during the century of the Civil War and the story of her two "story quilts" that now reside in museums. The book is illustrated with photographs of Bible stories from the quilts with explanatory captions
| Author: Lyons, Mary |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies
|
Story of the Three Kingdoms, The
This colorfully illustrated fable celebrates the gift of storytelling.
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
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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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Taste of Salt
This gripping novel tells the story of two teenagers in Haiti, Djo, one of Aristides' orphaned boys who is hospitalized with terrible injuries, and Jeremie, a convent-educated girl who visits Djo to hear his stories and who begins to fall in love with him
Time to Love, A
Beautifully illustrated and ably introduced by sons of the author, this book retells six Bible stories from different perspectives, all revealing aspects of love--father/son, friends, brothers, lovers, and daughters-in-law. Teachers can promote religious
| Author: Myers, Walter Dean |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
|
Veil of Snows, The
In the absence of her husband who has not returned from battle, the queen prepares her city for assault. Aided by a small force of loyal soldiers and the Singer of Tales who narrates the story, the queen escapes the besieged city and heads for the safety
| Author: Helprin, Mark |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading | social studies
|
Walking the Choctaw Road
A collection of twelve stories from the Mississippi and Oklahoma branches of the Choctaw People, including traditional lore arising from beliefs and myths, historical tales pased down through generations, and personal stories of contemporary life.
| Author: Tingle, Tim |
HSE Descriptors:
social studies | language arts - reading
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War, The
A young prince, who dislikes war, cleverly provides an alternative to fighting.
Weave of Words, A
A young king uses his literacy and weaving skills to send a message to the queen who frees him from his captors. The copyright page contains information on the origins of this Armenian tale.
| Author: San Souci, Robert |
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White Wave
Retold from ancient sources, this Chinese tale of a lonely peasant's discovery of a magic shell relates the changes in his life that follow. The delicate pencil drawings by Ed Young complement the text. The author includes a note on the evolution of the
| Author: Wolkstein, Diane |
HSE Descriptors:
language arts - reading
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Winter Room, The
This book tells the story of Eldon, a boy growing up in the mid-20th century in rural Minnesota. He and his brother Wayne work hard to help out on the farm, but have time for fun and adventures too. After a short introduction, the book is structured in
Wolf of Gubbio, The
A legend tells the story of a wolf who terriorizes a community until the boy who became St.Francis of Assisi, negotates an agreement.
Year of Fire, The
Grandpa tells granddaughter about the worst fire he has ever known, a fire that happened when the grandfather was a child. (based on a true story)
Zoom
The pictures tell the story in this clever book. Perspective changes as each picture is a zoom-in or zoom-out of the preceding one.
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