Celebrate! Stories of the Jewish Holidays by Gilda Berger illustrated by Peter Catalanotto*

 Recently my library displayed some Jewish history and celebration books. This one caught my attention. How I wished I had known about it when we studied ancient history. Ms. Berger explains the major Jewish holidays by sharing the traditional stories, what they celebrate, how they celebrate, and craft and food ideas. 

If you are from a Christian background, the stories vary a bit from Christian scriptures. The differences would create an opportunity for discussion.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

A Taste of Chaucer chosen and edited by Anne Malcolmson illustrated by Enrico Arno

 Selections from The Canterbury Tales

I read The Canterbury Tales for the first time in college. I felt like I was reading a foreign language and thought I would fluck the class!! Thankfully I persevered and my mind acclimated to the English and spellings. Ms. Malcomson rewrites some of the tales with more modern spellings yet still incorporates the older English vocabulary so modern readers can enjoy these stories. She also introduces each tale, giving a general overview. In the back is a twenty-three page glossary, containing the older English words. As I read, I frequented the glossary!! I was surprised how often Chaucer used ancient tales as the structure for a lot of his stories.

A great book to utilize when encountering The Canterbury Tales and Chaucer for the first time. I wish I had access to this little book while in college!

-Borrowed via inter-library loan.

Gilgamesh A New Rendering in English Verse by David Ferry

 In iambic pentameter and couplets, Mr. Ferry relates the ancient tale of Gilgamesh.  His rendering makes the tale accessible to junior highers, high schoolers, and adults.  What a privilege to read literature from ancient times!  Readers will have a better understand of ancient cultures after reading this text.  I especially liked the section about the Mesopotamian flood.  

I read this aloud with my eleven-year-old.  We skipped some lines because of their depiction of sex.  

Reading response-compare/contrast the Mesopotamian flood to Noah's flood

Warning: harlot/prostitutes, description of sex and/or breasts a few times, mentions demons & many gods

-I own this book.

The Tale of the Tiger Slippers by Jan Brett

 Ms. Brett retells a Persian tale about slippers.  She chooses to uses the Bengal tiger as the main character.  

The father of this story shares why he honors a pair of raggedy slippers his mother made him when he was a cub.

Once again Ms. Brett's illustrations and borders are stunning. 

-Borrowed from the library.

Meet Me at the Well by Jane Yolen and Barbara Diamond Goldin illustrated by Vali Mintzi

Ms. Yolen and Ms. Goldin both have a Jewish heritage.  They focus on amazing women in the Old Testament and tell their stories.  Each featured woman's story is shared plus extra information  from rabbis and historical accounts.  After the Bible narrative, the authors' imagine how the woman may have felt and offer her point of view in a brief first person narrative.  A poem about each woman is also included.
Women featured: Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel/Leah, Miriam (& Jocheved and Zipporah), Deborah/Jael, Hannah, Naomi/Ruth and Esther.
-Borrowed from the library.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal by Paul Fleischman illustrated by Julie Paschkis*

Out of the three this team has created, I like this one the best.  They seamlessly fuse together the various  Cinderella versions into one story.
Beautiful illustrations.
Pair with Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child (although I do not recommend this one-extremely confusing!) & First Light, First Life (not as confusing as Fearsome Giant, but still a bit confusing).
I especially appreciated the author's note about the oldest version of Cinderella.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

First Light, First Life by Paul Fleischman illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Mr. Fleischman takes many creation stories from around the world and fusing them together for one story. 
Some of the parts he fused together seemed a bit awkward and confusing.
I love the illustrations which depicted the different cultures.
Pair with Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal & Fearsome Giant, Fearless Child (by the same author/illustrator team).
-Borrowed from the library.

Tales from Cultures Near and Far as told by Jim Weiss*

Talented Mr. Weiss entertains listeners with stories from Native American culture, Japan, Spain, China, the Arabic culture, and Senegal/West Africa.
We listened to some of the stories twice.
Most of the stories are only a few minutes long. 
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

National Geographic-Tales from Arabian Nights by Donna Jo Napoli illustrations by Christina Balit

Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love and Betrayal
Sheherazade tells Shah Rayar a tale each night, leaving it unfinished so he does not kill her.  Since Shah Rayar's first wife betrayed him, he vowed never to trust a woman again. So every day he marries a new wife and by end of the night, he has her killed.  To save the women of the land, Sheherazade marries  him and tells him such an intriguing suspenseful stories, he keeps her alive.
This book includes the stories she tells him plus her story of clever survival. 
The book is lavishly illustrated. 
I really appreciated the side bars which include facts about Muslims, Islam, Arabs plus other Medieval history.
My eleven year old read parts of this book to himself to support our study of the Medieval Middle East.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

A Donkey Reads by Muriel Mandell art by Andre Letria*

Adopted from a Turkish Folktale
The Mongols have conquered Anatolia (modern day Turkey) and demand tribute, even from the poorest families.
Mustafo and his family do not have anything to offer except their donkey that is soon to expire.   Of course, when Mustafo presents the donkey, the tyrannical ruler explodes in anger.  Fortunately, the village wise man, Nasreddin Hoca, steps in and announces he will teach the donkey to read in month.  The donkey will then be a worthy gift.  The tyrant agrees.  Nesreddin Hoca demonstrates his wit and intellect as he "teaches" the donkey to read.
A clever, funny story!
Delightful art.
My nine year old read this aloud to me during reading.  We really enjoyed it.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Wise Fool by Shahrukh Husain and Micha Archer

Fables from the Islamic World
My nine year old son read these stories during reading to support our study of Islam.
Mulla Nasruddin, a teacher (what mulla means), reveals life lessons through his clever reactions and actions.
 Many humorous stories that require thinking to fully appreciate the cleverness. 
-Borrowed from the library.

Celtic Treasures retold by Jim Weiss

Audio CD
We listened to these short stories about the Celts.  A Celtic chief shares with St. Patrick various Celtic tales.

The stories are short but entertaining.

Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher *

Audiobook CD performed by Suzanne Toren
Ms. Toren offers a superb performance as she reads aloud this exciting tale set in Ancient Persia.
Ms. Fletcher takes the legend about Shahrazad  from Tales from the Arabian Nights and creates a side story about a girl named Marjan who assists Shahrazad in finding stories.
Shahrazad is Marjan's heroine.  Because of Shahrazad's cleverness and ability to tell the Sultan exciting tales, he has not killed any wives for over 900 days.  Shahrazad, however, is running out of tales that the Sultan has not heard.  When Marjan is selling pretty items with her adoptive aunt in the harem, she spins one of her tales to the young children living there.  Shahrazad's sister over hears her tale and takes her to Shahrazad.  Marjan suddenly finds herself living in the harem and sneaking out to find more stories. 
Very exciting and a well written story.
My boys and I loved listening to this story!
I liked how each chapter offer some tidbit of truth about life and story telling.  These little blurbs/side notes give the reader the opportunity to think deeply and ponder some truths/statements. 
Library has it labeled for "young adults"=teenagers (warning/point to discuss-The setting is a harem.).
-Borrowed from the library.
*Highly recommend.

Beowulf the Warrior by Ian Serraillier illustrated by Severin*

This retelling of Beowulf is manageable for younger listeners.  Mr. Serraillier maintains the verse format as the Old English was, but the word choice will appeal to modern listeners.
Beowulf hears that the Danes are being attacked by the monster Grendel, night after night.  He sets sail across the sea to assist his fellow men. 
This book contains Beowulf's three well known stories.  This version is not as gruesome as other ones I have read.
*Highly recommend.
-We own this book.

The Empress and the Silkworm by Lily Toy Hong

Ms. Hong shares the legend how the empress Si Ling-Chi realized how the cocoon from the silkworm can be unwound and utilized as thread to create silk.
Engagingly written.
I read this book aloud to support our study of Ancient China.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Ballad of Mulan retold and illustrated by Song Nan Zhang*

English/Vietnamese translations
Another version of the famous Chinese legend about Mulan.
The illustrations are exquisite!
My eleven year old read this to himself to support our study of Ancient China.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Yeh-Shen A Cinderella Story from China retold by Ai-Ling Louie illustrated by Ed Young*

Yeh-Shen lived in a cave with her stepmother and stepsister who treat her poorly.  She finds comfort and joy in feeding a fish.  When the stepmother kills the fish, Yeh-Shen does not know if she can bear her sorrowful life.  An old sage appears and reveals that the bones will give her everything she needs. 
Apparently the English Cinderella comes from Asia!
My boys and I read this book aloud together (taking turns) to support our study of Ancient China.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

The Odyssey by Home retold by Gillian Cross illustrated by Neil Packer*

I read this aloud to my boys to support our study of Ancient Greece. 
Odysseus is weary from ten years of war against the Trojans.  He is eager to reunite with his wife Penelope and son Telemachus in Ithaca.  Unfortunately he encounters obstacles and problems that prolong his journey.   When he finally returns, he must cleverly remove the men trying to woo his wife Penelope.
Very exciting and full of adventure.
Ms. Cross retells this story in a very engaging manner.
*Highly recommend.
We own this book.
Warning: battles/violence
The artwork is unique and some of the faces may scare the more sensitive child (just because the faces are a bit unusual).

Ali Baba Fooling the Forty Thieves An Arabian Tale by Marie P. Croall illustrated by Clint Hilinski*

A graphic novel
My eight year old and I read this aloud together (he read the male parts; I read the narrator and female parts).
Although we are studying Persia in the 500s BC and this story was written in the 1500 AD, it was fun to read a story that takes place in Persia.
Very exciting!
Warning: murder (2 times) No blood is shown.  Stealing (I discussed with my son how Ali Baba was actually stealing too.)
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.

Arabian Nights as told by Jim Weiss*

Greathall Productions Inc. Presents a Storyteller's Version of Arabian Nights

These stories were exciting and captivating.  We listened to this to support our study of Ancient Persia (Although these stories are from a later time period than what we are studying.)
This audio CD included the following:

• Scheherazade
• The Bird Who Speaks
• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
• The Fisherman and the Genie

*Highly recommend
-Borrowed from the library.