When the Moon Meets the Mountain by Grace Lin. Little, Brown and Company, 2009, 277 pages.

Strong girl character, dragons and chinese folktales and storytelling at its best. Bookclub.

More Ready-To-Tell Tales From Around the Word by David Holt. August House, 2000, 256 pages

This is my favorite storytelling book! I stumbled across it by accident in Borders and have been raving about it ever since. It is my bible. Each multicultural tale is fully indexed to audience age, type of tale, and country of origen. All tales are donated by world class professional tellers who not only put their stories in the public domain, but also add story background information and tips for telling the tales. Small list of acknowledgments serves as a mini-bibliography. I have turned to it many times when I need a story for a quick tell or a more involved program. While I love them all, "The Barking Mouse" and "Dog Tails" are now part of my permanent repertoire.

Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern. Houghton Mifflin, 1992, 52 pages.

A good version of the well known Jewish folktale, McGovern's retelling is detailed enough to appeal to older children and adults, while still managing to retain the simplicity, the repetition and the humour that makes this tale a favorite of young children. (see the flannel board version from Judy Sierra). Simms Taback's illustrations--lively, colorful and fun--only enhance the retelling of this well loved classic. One of my current favorites, it is a favorite when storytelling for all ages and it should circulate widely.

Anansi and the Pot of Beans (Story Cove: a World of Stories) by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk, August House, 2006

Noted storytellers Bobby and Sherry Norfolk's updated version of Anansi and the Hat-Shaking Dance (made famous by Harold Courlander's collection of the same name)is updated for western children has a teenage Anansi shirking his duties and burning his head with Grandma Spider's spicy beans. While the illustrations are vibrant and and colorful, the story is made for vigorous telling--nose twitching, hat lifting and bean tasting-- and a good vehicle to practise your animal voices! And everyone loves Anansi--always a winner at storytime and family programs.

Can You Guess My Name?: Traditional Tales Around the World by Judy Sierra. Clarion Books (2002), Hardcover, 128 pages

Tales from many lands grouped by similarity to popular tales well known to westerners such as Hansel and Gretel and the three pigs. Short, easy to tell tales for young children that are easy to learn and fun to hear and tell. A great resource for storytelling and programming, especially if you want to introduce something from another culture. I often tell "The Cake Tree".

Spiders In The Hairdo by David Holt. August House (1999), Paperback, 111 pages

modern stories and urban legends from the audio collection of the same name. Holt and Mooney are master storytellers and this collection includes many favorites (airline pilot, mexican pet, hamster). I personally tested it with an 8 year old 3rd grade boy with fantastic results. Easy to learn and to tell, Spiders in the Hairdo is a better read aloud than reader for the younger age range. While some stories contain elements that are a little dated and may need some expanation, we still loved it.