"I want shoes that are spiffy, not iffy."Katie is tired of her same old shoes, so she goes to the store to buy new ones. But with so many wondrous choices, how can she ever decide? In this fun story told in lively verse, a young girl gets a peek at the many possibilities open to her in life and embraces them with joy. For ages 2 to 8./////////////////////////////////////////////Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of "The Baker's Dozen...

Taking from the rich and giving to the poor, Robin Hood and loyal followers fight for the oppressed against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. Written in graphic-novel format.

Traditional tales are retold by a master storyteller in this collection of folktales, myths, and legends from India and Pakistan. The stories are:THE GIFTS OF THE GRASSCUTTERWali Dad, a humble grasscutter, never asked for wealth -- so why can't he give it away?THE PRINCESS AND THE GODThe princess Savitri must use all her wit and will to save her husband from the god of death.THE MILLIONAIRE MISERSushil is so stingy, even a god takes notice.

The lights dim, and a weighty silence falls upon the audience. From all over Europe and America, these fifteen hundred men and women have come to spend many days in this small German town and many hours in this theater. Some are merely curious. Some are there because it's the fashion. But many have come out of devotion to the musical dramas of a composer they revere, almost worship -- a composer who himself designed and built the theater they sit in. To them, this theater is a temple, and ...

"One of the books every boy should have on his bookshelf." -- San Francisco ExaminerNo outlaw could draw as fast as Lightning Larry. But what really terrified those bad men was that peculiar gun of his. It didn't shoot bullets. It shot light. And Larry always aimed for the heart.Can Larry save the town of Brimstone from Evil-Eye McNeevil's outlaw gang? Find out in this rip-roaring original tale of a gunfighter with a huge smile and a hankering for ...

Sadko the musician loved his city of Novgorod, the richest and most free in all Russia. With its great feasts, its white stone churches, its merchant visitors from many lands, Sadko felt there was no better place to be. Yet he was lonely too, for the rich young ladies who danced to his music would never favor anyone so poor.One night he takes his twelve-string gusli and goes alone to play by the River Volkhov. Suddenly from the water rises the Sea King, who invites the astonished m...

****A "CENTRAL TEXT" IN NEW YORK STATE'S COMMON CORE CURRICULUM****Want to try reader's theater but don't know where to start? Or have you tried it but want to find ways to bring it more to life? Or are you just looking for a fun, easy way to lure young people into reading fluency, cooperative effort, effective communication, and love of literature?"Readers on Stage" is a collection of resources for scripting, directing, and teaching reader's theater, primarily to ages 8 an...

"Stories on Stage" is a collection of reader's theater scripts for young readers, adapted from stories by fifteen different authors, including Louis Sachar, Nancy Farmer, Russell Hoban, Wanda Gag, and Roald Dahl. Coming from such genres as humor, fantasy, and multicultural folktales, stories were selected for their dramatic quality, literary value, and appeal to young people. While focusing on ages 8 to 15, the collection features a wide range of reading levels.////////////////////...

If you think Superman or Spiderman has been around a long time, think about Monkey. He has been China's favorite superhero for at least five centuries. He's amazingly strong, he can fly, and he has a few tricks those other superheroes never heard of. And he's always ready to do battle with demons, dragons -- sometimes even the gods.Monkey stars in The Journey to the West, an epic comic fantasy from the sixteenth century. The part retold here is about Monkey's origin and early caree...

A thousand years ago, in the Celtic kingdoms of Wales, great lords gave great feasts for their fighting men and courtiers. In timbered halls, for days on end, heaps of meat and bread were washed down with gallons of beer and mead. And in between the meals, when bellies were stuffed and spirits high, the storyteller rose and spun his tales of times long past.He told of lords, bold and generous. He told of ladies, grand and glorious. He told of friends, brave and faithful. But of all...

"One can never have too many friends."Quackling was proud when the King came to him to borrow money. But years passed, and the King never paid him back! So, he took his sack and started for the castle. But a very small duck will need very good friends when he gets there!Will Quackling get what he wants, or something even better? Find out in this lively, rhythmic retelling of a favorite European folk tale.////////////////////////////////////...

Why not give more?Van Amsterdam the baker was well known for his honesty as well as for his fine Saint Nicholas cookies. He always gave his customers exactly what they paid for -- not more and not less. So, he was not about to give in when a mysterious old woman comes to him on Saint Nicholas Day and insists that a dozen is thirteen!The woman's curse puts an end to the baker's business, and he believes it would take Saint Nicholas to help him. But ...