Engage young readers in stories they love while teaching important content with this fun book that features more than 40 folktales from around the world celebrating the animal-human bond.

Engage young readers in stories they love while teaching important content with this fun book that features more than 40 folktales from around the world celebrating the animal-human bond. Written by two leaders in the field of storytelling, this compilation of folktales—all retold for elementary readers—emphasizes the admirable qualities of animal-human relationships. Stories source from folktale collections, oral histories, and science and sociology books from around the world and include learning opportunities for taking a stand against bullies, understanding wild and domestic animal habitats, and appreciating nature. Additionally, you'll be able to introduce readers to new cultures, providing a springboard for learning about other people and their ways of life. Each story is accompanied by information that identifies the country or culture of origin, sources, and interesting background facts. Exercises, questions, and suggestions promote further study and help engage readers in what they have learned. The organization of sections of stories on creatures of land, sky, sea, and water; imaginary animals; and crews of animals working together makes it easy to find what suits your audience best.

"The well-written stories are ideally suited to read-alouds. Tales have varying lengths up to five pages, with ample dialogue, imagery, and action. Listeners will enjoy the narratives while also being able to pick up on the values, themes, and cultural diversity. . . . . This amazing range of tales will be sure to spark interest across many age groups in a library, classroom, or other storytelling environment. The purchase is strongly recommended." - VOYA

"[T]he international spectrum offers a variety of simple folktales that youngsters can discuss and enjoy." - Booklist Online