Name of
Story
Country
of
Origin
Theme
Author/Edit
or
Source
Annotatio
n
My
Reaction
Ag
e
The Lazy
Fox
Argenti
na
Trickery
Genevieve
Barlow
Hondur
as
Hope
Genevieve
Barlow
A lazy fox
tries to
fool an
armadillo
but finds
himself in
over his
head.
The story
of how
the
porcupine
got his
spikes.
It was
funny to
see the fox
lose when
he tried so
hard to fool
the
armadillo.
This is a
great story
to explain
why a
porcupine
is the way
he is.
4+
How the
Porcupine
Outwitted
the Fox
5+
5.5
The Hero
of Bremen
German
Heroes
come in
all shapes
and sizes
Margaret
Hodges
Latin
American
Tales:
From the
Pampas
to the
Pyramids
of Mexico
Latin
American
Tales:
From the
Pampas
to the
Pyramids
of Mexico
The Hero
of
Bremen
Length
in
Minut
es
6
A crippled
shoemake
r goes
around
Bremen
telling the
story of a
knight
who died
in battle.
6+
7
How the
Mosquitoe
s Came to
Oneata
Fiji
Trickery,
gullibility
Anne
Gittins
Tales
from the
South
Pacific
A chief
travels to
a new
land and
falls in
love with
the sound
of
mosquito
es only to
give up
his tasty
shellfish
10
+
11
Maui the
Samoa
Creation
Anne
Tales
This is the
I found this
story very
inspiring
because it
showed
that a story
teller will
be
remembere
d even
after their
death
What kind
of person
would like
the sound
of
mosquitoes
? Silly man,
he
deserved
to be
tricked into
giving away
his
shellfish.
It was
4+
3
Fisherman
of Hawaii
Gittins
from the
South
Pacific
Hawaiian
version of
the
creation
story.
A greedy
old
woman
gets all of
her
wishes
granted
but is still
unhappy.
In the end
she gets
nothing.
Girls are
given
golden
balls and
are told
not to
lose
them.
One girl
loses hers
and she is
sent to be
hung.
Two
knights go
against
their
king’s
orders
and
create
trouble
for some
merchant
from
abroad.
Ushen
saves a
woman
The Old
Woman
Who Lived
in a
Vinegar
Bottle
Sussex
Greedines
s
Margaret
Read
MacDonald
Old
Woman
Who
Lived in a
Vinegar
Bottle
The
Golden
Ball
Scotlan
d
Don’t lose
things
that are
important
but above
all don’t
lose hope.
Katharine
Briggs
British
Folk Tales
The story
of the
“Resurrect
ed
Brothers”
Poland
Forgivene
ss
F.C.
Anstruther
Old Polish
Legends
Ushen and
St. Patrick
Ireland
Revenge
Katherine
Briggs
British
Folk Tales
interesting
to see
another
cultures
take on
how we got
here.
I had a
good laugh
when the
greedy old
woman
ended up
in a vinegar
bottle
again.
This story
was very
strange. I
am not
sure what
to think but
I am happy
that the
man found
her golden
ball so she
didn’t wind
up hung.
I was
surprised
that the
king
forgave the
knights but
after he
heard the
knights’
reasons
why he
understood
.
I enjoyed
the old
Irish dialect
5+
6
10
+
5.5
8+
5
12
+
5
Little Bear
Cub
Russia
Overcomi
ng
adversity
Gillian
Avery
Russian
Fairy
Tales
The Power
of Love
Armeni
a
Love
keeps us
together
Charles
Downing
Armenian
Folk-tales
and
Fables
from a
bull and
gets
mortality
wounded
and St.
Patrick
gives him
the
strength
to take
out his
revenge
on the
bull only
to die
right
afterward
.
The Little
Bear Cub
is
adopted
and is
then sent
away
because
he is too
strong for
his
communit
y so he is
sent away
so he can
use his
strength
wisely.
When a
young
man is
approach
ed by
death he
tries to
outrun it.
Years he
later he
returns
throughout
the story.
Even when
things do
not go your
way,
continue
with
strength
and you
will be ok.
10
+
7
It is
amazing
what the
power of
love can
do. I think
this story is
important
for young
children to
hear
5+
6
The
Beardless,
the Lame,
and the
One-Eyed
Thief
Armeni
a
Always be
attentive,
don’t lose
sight of
your
dreams
Charles
Downing
Armenian
Folk-tales
and
Fables
Owain and
the Lion
Welsh
Don’t be
afraid to
fail
because
you can
always try
again
Olwen
Bowen
Tales
from the
Mabinogi
on
home
only to be
approach
ed by
death
again, but
his
mother,
father,
and his
wife to be
all give up
their
souls so
he can
live.
A
merchant
wants to
tell in a
town, but
three
thieves
try to
stop him.
Owain is
delivered
bad news
and
leaves his
land. A
countess
finds him
near
death and
aids him
back to
because
they will
understand
that their
parents
would do
anything
for them.
While
reading the
story I
didn’t
understand
why the
merchant
had to be
worried
about the
thieves, but
it helps
readers
realize that
they need
to be
attentive to
their
surroundin
gs.
Even
though bad
news had
taken its
toll on
Owain he
eventually
got the
strength to
try again.
8+
9.5
8+
8
The Bronze
Buddha
and the
Whale
Japan
Vanity,
cockiness
Margaret
Evans Price
Legends
of the
Seven
Seas
The Fox
Who
Wanted to
Whistle
Argenti
na
Learning,
trickery,
vanity
Genevieve
Barlow
Latin
American
Tales:
From the
Pampas
to the
Pyramids
of Mexico
The Fox
and the
Mole
Peru
Following
your
dreams
Genevieve
Barlow
Latin
American
Tales:
From the
Pampas
to the
Pyramids
of Mexico
full
health.
Owain
fights
lions and
army’s to
prove his
love for
the
countess.
The whale
sees if the
big
bronze
Buddha is
bigger
than him
Just
because
you are
bigger than
someone
else does
not always
mean you
are better
A fox
We need to
enlists the remember
help of a
not to get
Partridge greedy. No
to teach
matter who
him how
helps us we
to
have to be
whistle.
grateful for
When the what they
fox thinks done for
he is
us.
better at
whistling
he ends
up not
being
able to
whistle at
all.
A fox has I thought
hopes of
this was a
going to
very cute
the moon story about
and
how
enlists his anyone can
friends to help you
help him
achieve
get there. your
dreams.
8+
10
4+
4.5
5+
5
The Rat
and the
Squid
Ellice
Islands
Trickery,
why
things are
the way
they are
Anne
Gittins
Tales
from the
South
Pacific
Islands
The Drum
that Lost
its Voice
Fiji
The
importanc
e of
keeping a
promise
Anne
Gittins
Tales
from the
South
Pacific
Islands
The Little
White
Duck
Russia
Listen,
trickery
Gillian
Avery
Russian
Fairy
Tales
A rat is on
a boat
when it
sinks and
gets to
shore
with the
help of a
squid.
An island
is flooded
and the
people
are left
with
nothing.
They use
their
canoes to
go to a
nearby
island to
retrieve
new
goods but
encounte
r a severe
storm.
They
promise
their God
they will
give him
an
offering if
they
survive,
but they
forget.
When the
Tsarina’s
husband
needs to
leave
town she
promises
not to
leave the
I learned a
little too
much
about
squids in
this story.
4+
3
When we
promise
something
and we
forget,
someone
has every
right to
take
something
away from
us that
means
something
to us.
5+
5
Another
story that
explains
why we
need to
listen.
6+
7
The Green
Children
England
The
unknown,
prejudice
Katharine
Briggs
British
Folk Tales
castle.
The
Tsarina
disobeys
her
husband
is tricked
by a
witch.
Green
children
were
abandone
d and this
is their
tale of
how the
adjusted
to
society.
Despite our
looks on
the
outside,
there is no
need to
fear other
people
because of
their skin
color.
6+
3
Folktale Bibliography
Anstruther, F.C. Old Polish Legends. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1991.
Avery, Gillian. Russian Fairy Tales. New York: Alfred Knopf, Inc, 1995.
Barlow, Genevieve. Latin American Tales: From the Pampas to the Pyramids of Mexico.
Chicago, IL: Rand McNally & Company, 1966.
Bowen, Olwen. Tales from the Mabinogion. New York, NY: the Vanguard Press, Inc, 1970.
Briggs, Katharine. British Folk Tales. New York: Pantheon Books, 1971.
Downing, Charles. Armenian Folk-Tales and Fables. London: Oxford University Press, 1972.
Gittins, Anne. Tales From the South Pacific. Owings Mills, Maryland: Stemmer House, 1977.
Hodges, Margaret. The Hero of Bremen. New York: Holiday House, 1993.
MacDonald, Margaret Read. Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle. New York: August
House, 2000.
Price, Margaret Evans. Legends of the Seven Seas. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers,
1929.