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Christmas: a candid history
By Bruce David Forbes. 2007
In the days of sand and stars
By Francois Thisdale, Marlee Pinsker. 2006
Ten stories based on women from the Bible: Eve Naamah, Sarai, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Dina, and Yocheved. In "Rebecca…
Comes Home," a compassionate young woman's trip to the community well leads her to a husband. For grades 5-8. 2006Stories behind the traditions and songs of Easter
By Ace Collins. 2007
Award-winning author explores historical and religious origins of customs associated with the Christian holiday of Easter. Discusses the roots of…
Lent, passion plays, sunrise services, Easter parades, Easter eggs, and the Easter bunny as well as the inspiration for such hymns as "He Lives!" and "The Old Rugged Cross." 2007A foxfire Christmas: Appalachian Memories and Traditions
By Eliot Wigginton. 1996
Appalachian high school students of the Foxfire learning tradition assemble holiday memories from the mountains of northeast Georgia. Based on…
interviews with neighbors and family members. Includes instructions for recreating simple ornaments, gifts and toys, and recipes and menus. 1996 preface. 1989From the beast to the blonde: on fairy tales and their tellers
By Marina Warner. 1995
Although most familiar fairy tales were documented by men, the author points out that it was women storytellers who passed…
down the "old wives' tales" and their morals. The cultural and historic roles of these storytellers are presented with a feminist perspective. The book also examines recurrent themes and symbolism in familiar tales, such as the beast/man and the damsel with blond hairSongs my mother sang to me: an oral history of Mexican American women
By Patricia Preciado Martin. 1992
The author recorded interviews with ten Mexican American women born near the beginning of the twentieth century, edited the results,…
and compiled them into this detailed narrative of life along the Arizona border. Their stories generally chronicle a rural start, steeped in family and religious traditions, followed by a move to an urban centerConnecticut lore: strange, off-kilter, and full of surprises
By Zachary Lamothe. 2013
Often viewed solely as a rest stop along the highway from Boston to New York, Connecticut is so much more…
than bedroom towns, strip malls and cows. From tales of its haunted history, curious encounters, and forgotten places, the state is full of surprises that are worth investigating whether you're a local or just passing through. This book reveals the lore and the treasuresThe scary book of christmas lore: 50 terrifying yuletide tales from around the world
By Tim Rayborn. 2023
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen...but do you recall the most petrifying Christmas figures of all? Not…
all children fear just a lump of coal in their stockings. Discover the terrifying Yuletide fables that have horrified kids for generations. He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake. This lighthearted song is a bit more ominous in the context of other Christmas traditions. From beasts that threaten to cook children into stew to sinister crones who snatch little ones from their beds, you won't find any dancing sugar plums here. Outside of the heartwarming Christmas tales we all know and love, there are an abundance of frightening stories to chill all who hear them to the bone. Discover folklore from all corners of the world, including: Krampus (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and northern Italy), a demonic half-goat monster who drags chains and whips bad children with birch sticks, or stuffs them in his sack to take away The Kallikantzari (Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Turkey), goblins who come out during Advent to cause mischief Père Fouettard (France, Belgium, Switzerland), Saint Nicholas' eternal cannibal manservant who deals with naughty children Hans Trapp (Alsace-Lorraine, France), who roams the countryside disguised as a scarecrow and goes door to door on Christmas looking for children to feast upon Gryla (Iceland), the giant ogre who emerges from her cave on Christmas to hunt children and cook them into stew Mari Lwyd (Wales), a creature with a horse's skull and a long cloak that is followed by a group of chanting people Frau Perchta (Austria and Bavaria), who slits the bellies of bad children and stuffs them with straw These tales are sure to leave you wishing for the Grinch. Whether you are a fan of history and folklore, you love learning about different cultures, or you just want to give a holiday gift that will bring the joy of Christmas to that lucky someone (just kidding), The Scary Book of Christmas Lore is for you. 'Tis the season! Is it beginning look a lot like Christmas, yet?The witch of the Monongahela: folk magic in early Western Pennsylvania
By Thomas White. 2020
In the ancient hills and misty hollows of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, generations of locals have passed down stories of a…
woman with mysterious magical powers. People came from near and far to seek healing and protection through her strange rituals. Some even believed she could fly. Named Moll Derry and nicknamed the Witch of the Monongahela, her legend has been documented by writers and folklorists for more than two hundred years. She is intertwined in many regional tales, such as the Lost Children of the Alleghenies and Polly Williams and the White Rocks. Author Thomas White separates fact from fiction in the many versions of Moll Derry and recounts Western Pennsylvania's folk magic history along the way. 2020. Some violenceNinja Attack!
By Yutaka Kondo, Matt Alt, Hiroko Yoda. 2012
Ninja Attack! introduces dozens of unforgettable real-life ninja straight out of the annals of Japanese history--many of whom are all…
but unknown outside their home country. Ninja masters. Solo assassins and operatives. Femme fatales as deadly as they were sexy. Swordfighters out of legend. And the Shogun and warlords who commanded them. Each individual is profiled with a full-page manga-style drawing and a dossier brimming with top-secret information, including photos, anecdotes, and dramatic stories of the individuals in action.The book covers ninja clothing styles, the types of weapons that were used, ninja tools, ninja tricks of the trade, and the basics of the ninja diet. It also includes a do-it-yourself tour of ninja related spots in modern Tokyo.Ninja Attack! is everything you always wanted to know about ninja but were too afraid you'd get a shuriken in the eye to ask.Ninja Attack!
By Yutaka Kondo, Matt Alt, Hiroko Yoda. 2012
Ninja Attack! introduces dozens of unforgettable real-life ninja straight out of the annals of Japanese history--many of whom are all…
but unknown outside their home country. Ninja masters. Solo assassins and operatives. Femme fatales as deadly as they were sexy. Swordfighters out of legend. And the Shogun and warlords who commanded them. Each individual is profiled with a full-page manga-style drawing and a dossier brimming with top-secret information, including photos, anecdotes, and dramatic stories of the individuals in action.The book covers ninja clothing styles, the types of weapons that were used, ninja tools, ninja tricks of the trade, and the basics of the ninja diet. It also includes a do-it-yourself tour of ninja related spots in modern Tokyo.Ninja Attack! is everything you always wanted to know about ninja but were too afraid you'd get a shuriken in the eye to ask.The Nutcracker: The Original Holiday Classic
By E. T. Hoffman. 2018
On Christmas Eve, seven-year-old Marie and her eight-year-old brother Fritz anxiously await their Christmas gifts. When their godfather—a clock builder…
and toymaker—arrives, he unveils an ornate clockwork castle adorned with whirling figurines for the children. While Fritz plays with the clock, Marie is taken aside and given another gift—a nutcracker. After Fritz grabs the nutcracker from Marie and breaks its jaw by cracking too many nuts, their playtime ends and they head off to bed. When the clock strikes twelve, magic makes its way into this enduring tale and an epic battle ensues. This timeless classic, featuring all-new full-color and black-and-white illustrations by artist Arkady Roytman and abridged text by Gina Gold, is the perfect story to get anyone in the holiday spirit!Brigid's Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story
By Bryce Milligan. 2002
The wind groaned and swirled that night and likely it seemed to tear the thatch from the roof. But when…
the baby gave her first cry, the wind shushed to a whisper and the stars began to sing. Brigid's Cloak retells an ancient tale about one of Ireland's most beloved saints. On the day she is born Brigid receives a brilliant blue cloak from a mysterious Druid. Years later, the young girl still wears the now tattered but beloved cloak while she tends her sheep. Is it her imagination that suddenly takes her to an unfamiliar land? Or is it something far greater that leads Brigid to a crowded inn in a town called Bethlehem? Bryce Milligan's eloquently told story about Brigid is a moving tale of compassion and wonder, and it sparkles with the timelessness of legend and the transcending power of faith.Empire of Wild: A Novel
By Cherie Dimaline. 2019
A #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLEROne of the most anticipated books of the summer for Time, Harper's Bazaar, Bustle and Publishers Weekly'Deftly…
written, gripping and informative. Empire of Wild is a rip-roaring read!' Margaret Atwood'Empire of Wild is doing everything I love in a contemporary novel and more. It is tough, funny, beautiful, honest and propulsive' Tommy Orange, author of There There 'Dimaline turns an old story into something newly haunting and resonant' New York Times'Close, tight, stark, beautiful - rich where richness is warranted, but spare where want and sorrow have sharpened every word. Dimaline has crafted something both current and timeless' NPR'Revelatory... Gritty and engaging, this story of a woman and her missing husband is one of candor, wit and tradition'Ms. Magazine Broken-hearted Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a year - ever since he went missing on the night they had their first serious argument. One hung-over morning in a Walmart parking lot in a little town near Georgian Bay, she is drawn to a revival tent where the local Métis have been flocking to hear a charismatic preacher. By the time she staggers into the tent the service is over, but as she is about to leave, she hears an unmistakable voice.She turns, and there is Victor. Only he insists he is not Victor, but the Reverend Eugene Wolff, on a mission to bring his people to Jesus.With only two allies - her Johnny-Cash-loving, 12-year-old nephew Zeus, and Ajean, a foul-mouthed euchre shark with deep knowledge of the old Métis ways - Joan sets out to remind the Reverend Wolff of who he really is. If he really is Victor, his life and the life of everyone she loves, depends upon her success.Inspired by traditional Métis legends, Cherie Dimaline has created a propulsive, stunning and sensuous novel.The Dao in Action: Inspired Tales for Life
By Jwing-Ming Yang. 2019
In this collection of fables, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming shares the stories that have influenced him most as a martial artist…
and lifelong student of the Dao. They bring the Dao to life for readers of all generations. Whoever we are, wherever we’re going, these short tales help us along the path—the Way. Some offer the traveler a moral compass. Some illustrate the dangers in human folly. Others just make us laugh. The Dao in Action will inspire young readers to refine their character. Older readers will smile and recognize moments of truth. This collection is for anyone who would like to explore the enduring lessons of martial wisdom. Fables entertain us, enlighten us, and guide us. We recognize ourselves in the characters, be they emperors, village girls, or singing frogs. They help us see our own weaknesses, strengths, and possibilities. Their lessons transcend time and culture, touching what it really means to be alive. For example, in life we must ask questions, learn from others, and find our place in the world. On the other hand, there is real danger in worrying too much about what others think. This lesson is clear—and very humorous—in the story “A Donkey, a Father, and a Son.” We must help others and give of ourselves, but we must also guard against those who would take advantage of us, as in “The Wolf, the Scholar, and the Old Man.” We should save our money and plan for the future, but we must also resist greed, lest we end up “A Rich Man in Jail.” These lean, concise fables illustrate that balance, the duality of yin and yang, always shifting, always in correction. They help us laugh at our human predicaments—and maybe even at ourselves.