Fiona’s Luck by Teresa Bateman
Fiona’s Luck is a story about a depression in Ireland caused by leprechauns sweeping up all of the luck in the land to give to their king. However, a girl named Fiona seemed to be getting very lucky after she purchased a cow that produced pails and pails of milk and a few chickens that produced many eggs. One day, she found herself standing in front of the leprechaun king, who challenged her to three tests. If she lost the tests, he would take all of her luck, but if she won the tests, she would get a wish that was worth the same value as her luck. She lost the tests and it was proven that she had no luck, so the king told her that her wish would be worth nothing. However, she wished for a hole on the top of the chest that held the luck, and it slowly poured out, filling the land with luck again. Reading Level: 4.5 Interest Level: K-3 |
Lon Po Po by Ed Young
Lon Po Po is the story of three children who are left alone for a night. Their mother went out to get food from their Po Po and was to return the next night. After she left there was a knock on the door, and the children opened it to find their Po Po standing before them. But to their surprise, they discovered that Po Po was really a wolf in disguise. So the three children hatched a plan to kill the wolf and save themselves. Reading Level: 3.5 Interest Level: 1-4 |
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters is the story of Manyara and Nyasha, two sisters who were very opposite. Manyara had a bad temper and would tease her sister whenever her father’s back was turned. On the other hand, Nyasha was kind, hard-working, and loved to sing beautiful songs. One day, a message arrived from the city that the King was looking for a wife. Manyara was greedy and tried to be the first to arrive before the King, and was rude to everyone she passed on the way. However, Nyasha was patient and was kind to everyone she passed on the way. It turned out that was the King showing himself in different forms, and he chose Nyasha to be his wife. Reading Level: 4.3 Interest Level: K-3 |
Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
Pecos Bill is a tall tale of a child who was tossed from a wagon and washed up on shore to be found by coyotes. They took in Bill and raised him like he was one of their own. One day, a drifter named Chuck discovered Bill and decided to show him the ways of a cowboy. He then went on to wrestle many animals, invent new ways to herd cattle, and meet a woman. After she rode on his horse, Lightning, she was sent flying into space, and was lassoed down by Bill. They landed on his Ma and Pa’s wagon, and lived happily ever after. Reading Level: 5.7 Interest Level: P-2 |
The Tortoise & The Hare by Jerry Pinkney
The Tortoise & The Hare is the story of a race between a tortoise and a hare. There are minimal words in this book, but they add up to a very important moral lesson: slow and steady wins the race. The hare rushed to the finish line, but got distracted when it saw some carrots. However, the tortoise stayed on track and kept his focus, and ended up winning the race. Reading Level: 1.0 Interest Level: P-2 |
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs is a classic fairytale with a twist, told from Alexander T. Wolf’s point of view. You may know him as the “Big Bad Wolf,” but he claims that this is not the case. He explains that he was framed by the tabloids for a crime that was not as serious as they made it seem to be. He was only trying to borrow a cup of sugar for a birthday cake, but he had a cold and sneezed the straw and stick houses down. However, when the reporters found out that was the story, they jazzed it up with a story of how he blew the houses down. Reading Level: 3.0 Interest Level: K-3 |
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
The Snow Queen is the fairy tale story of childhood friends Kay and Gerda. One day, while sitting in the garden, Kay was struck by a piece of enchanted glass in his heart and in his eye, which caused him to have a different view of the world around him. He was eventually lured in by the Snow Queen, and was taken from his home to Finmark where she lived. Gerda realized what had happened to Kay and wenton a mission to find him. When she found him, she rid him of the glass in his eye and heart, and they returned home to find that they had grown up. Reading Level: 3.0 Interest Level: 2-5 |