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Young People's Stories

1996 Young People's Stories of Cooperation. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Gwen Connelly, Jeff Severn, Patti Boyd, and Len Ebert. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc.. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are four stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first, "The Ruler of the Trees," is from Armenia and is illustrated by Gwen Connelly (2). As the trees dispute who should rule, the palm tree asks them why she should not rule. They tell her, and she responds "Very well, to overcome these problems, I small make you part of the royal court in my kingdom" (4). She puts everyone to good use. "A wise ruler knows that he or she needs the help of others to succeed." The second story is "The Animals Who Set Up Housekeeping" from Norway, illustrated by Jeff Severn (8). In it, five animals work together to build a house in the woods. The third story, "The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage," comes from Germany and is illustrated by Patti Boyd (20). The title characters live happily together. The bird fetches the wood, the mouse fetches water, makes the fire, and sets the table. The sausage cooks by jumping into the pot and stirring it. A squirrel convinces the bird that he is a fool to do so much work while the other two have comfortable lives. So they change jobs. The sausage, while fetching wood the next day, is eaten by a dog. The mouse jumps into the pot but there dies in an instant. The bird starts a fire and falls into the well and drowns trying to put the fire out. This story is new to me. The last story is "Holding Up the Sky" from China, illustrated by Len Ebert (28). This is the story some of us know as "The Persian Bird." "Each must do what he can./And this is what I do best" (29). The interlocutor here is an elephant. There are acknowledgments on 30. Strangely, a source is acknowledged for only two of the four stories.

1995 Young People's Stories of Courage. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Gwen Connelly, Eldon C. Doty, Marion Eldridge, and Stephanie Pershing. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc.. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are four stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first, "The Brave Mice" from Greece, is illustrated by Gwen Connelly (2). This is Aesop's BC, but in an unusual version. An old gray mouse suggests the belling, and the editor says that it is a good idea. But "none of the mice had the courage to carry out the plan" (5). As in other copies in the series, this Aesopic fable--alone of the four stories here--has no source acknowledged on 30. The second story, "The Honest Thumb" from the Yoruba in Nigeria, is illustrated by Eldon C. Doty (6). The thumb moves away from his thieving brothers. Ever since, he has been separate from them. The third story is "The Elephant and the Ant" from India, illustrated here by Marion Eldridge (10). The courageous ant enters the elephant's trunk while the latter is sleeping. From there he can drive the elephant crazy--and does! The last story is "The Great White Condor" from the Aymaran Indians of Bolivia. It is illustrated by Stephanie Pershing (18). It tells the story of the origin of the potato. Young Choque is missioned by his father the chieftain to sustain the enslaved people with his courage. Choque's people, the Sapallas, suffer dreadfully under the ruling Karis. One day the great god Pachacamac appears to Choque in the form of a great white condor. The condor points to seeds that the Sapallas are to sow instead of the seeds given by the Karis. The Sapallas are to wait for the underground growth but to give the poisonous above-ground green balls to the Karis. They are also to collect stones to use against the Karis. The whole plot works. Even the old captives like Choque's father are restored to the tribe.

1995 Young People's Stories of Fairness. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Eldon C. Doty, Marion Eldridge, and David Wenzel. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are three stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first, "The Wise Judge" from Italy is illustrated by Eldon C. Doty (2). It tells the story of a wise judge who saves an innocent man by decreeing a punishment that makes the mourning family suffer as much as the innocent perpetrator. The second story, "Señor Coyote Settles a Quarrel" from Mexico, is illustrated by Marion Eldridge (10). This story repeats the age-old moif of having the disputants return to their original positions. Here those disputing are a rabbit and a rattlesnake which had been pinned by a falling rock. The rabbit's reward, as proposed by the rattlesnake, is to be eaten! The third story is "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" from Germany, illustrated by David Wenzel (18). The moral points to the evil of breaking a promise. The page of acknowledgments (30) acknowledges only the second text of these three.

1996 Young People's Stories of Hard Work. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by David Clar, Glen Tarnowski, Deborah Healy, John Dzedzy, and David Tamura. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc.. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are five stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first, "The Flies and the Bees" from Australia, is illustrated by David Clar (2). The hard working bees eventually leave the lazy flies to play around the garbage pile. The story is similar to GA. The second story, "Lady Ca'pa and the Eagle," comes from the Sioux and is illustrated by Glen Tarnowski (6). Lady Ca'pa is a beaver eager to teach the eagle that hard work pays off. "The Lazy Tunrit" is an Eskimo story from Alaska and is illustrated by Deborah Healy (12). A fellow who is supposed to be scaring up Caribou just rubs the soles off of his boots against a rough stone. People find out and name the stone "The Sole-Wearer-Outer." "The Gold Harvest" is a Thai story illustrated by John Dzedzy (16). Nai Hah Tong wants to turn copper into gold. He uses up all the money that he and his wife have on this quest. The wife in desperation goes to her father, and he undertakes a plan. He invites his son-in-law and claims to have found the process of converting copper into gold. But he can no longer take care of part of the process. He says he will need two jars of fuzz gathered from the underside of the banana leaf. The son-in-law eagerly takes up this project. While he is collecting the fuzz, his wife sells the bananas. When Nai Hah Tong finally has his two jars, the father-in-law tries to show him that growing the trees has been just as much a miracle as making gold out of copper would have been. The final selection is "Chant of the Working People" by David Chericián, illustrated by David Tamura. It honors factory workers, farmers, fishers, miners, and all other working people. There are acknowledgments on 30. Strangely, a source is acknowledged for only three of the five selections.

1996 Young People's Stories of Kindness. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Marion Eldridge, Bryna Waldman, John Gampert, Theresa Smith, and Eldon C. Doty. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc.. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are five stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first is "The Lion and the Mouse," identified as a story from Greece, illustrated by Marion Eldridge (2). I see nothing unusual in this nicely illustrated LM. The large format of the book allows for a dramatic double-page view of the lion in ropes. The second story is "Birdfoot's Grampa," a Native American poem illustrated by Bryna Waldman (6). Grampa stops the car to save toads leaping across the road. "They have places to go to too" (7). The third story is "The Guest on New Year's Eve" from ancient Japan, illustrated by John Gampert (8). A horse-trader finishing a bad day takes home a leper and gives him a place to sleep. The next morning a big lump of gold is where the leper was. The fourth story is "The Emerald Lizard" from Guatemala, illustrated by Theresa Smith (14). A good woman gives a desperate Indian woman all she can, a lizard who appears while they encounter each other. The lizard turns into an emerald. She sells the emerald and thus can feed her children and get medicine for her sick husband. She uses the money prudently. Eventually, she has enough to seek the emerald out in Mexico and buy it back. She brings the emerald to the good woman who had given it to her. The latter puts it on the ground, and it turns back into a lizard. The final story is the Jewish "Ask a Foolish Question," illustrated by Eldon C. Doty (24). A wag challenges Rav Hillel to teach him "everything Jews should know while I stand on one leg." Hillel remains calm, thinks for a while, and then says "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." That is all one needs to know. There are acknowledgments on 30. Strangely, sources are acknowledged for only four stories. Apparently, Aesop's story is taken to be common knowledge.

1996 Young People's Stories of Peacefulness. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Bryna Waldman, Patti Boyd, David Wenzel, and Theresa Smith. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc.. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are four stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first is "The Argument Sticks," a Native American story illustrated by Bryna Waldman (2). A wise mother counsels two arguing boys to lean three sticks against each other in the woods and check their status a month later. If they will have fallen toward the north, one boy is right; if to the south, the other is right. The sticks had fallen in a heap and begun to rot; the boys could not remember what the argument had been about in the first place. It is not worth it to lose a friendship over an argument. The second is "To Fight or Not to Fight," a Laotian story illustrated by Patti Boyd (6). A rich man notices a husband and wife who always quarrel. He offers them one hundred pieces of silver if they can get through a day without quarreling. They promptly quarrel about who is responsible for their quarrelsomeness. The rich man continues on his search for a couple that understand the value of peace. He finds a couple who never quarrel and offers them one hundred pieces of silver if they fight with one another on this day. The husband does not want to start the quarrel but does all that he can to anger his wife, so that she will start the quarrel. But whatever he does, she finds the good in it. He gives them the silver pieces because they truly love peace. The third story is "House of Peace," a Chinese story illustrated by David Wenzel (16). The emperor pays a surprise visit to an old minister, because he heads a family famous for its peacefulness. He asks the minister their secret. Unable to speak, minister asks for paper and writes "forgive" not just once but a hundred times! The fourth story is "A Blind Man Catches a Bird," a Zimbabwean story illustrated by Theresa Smith (20). Two men go hunting for birds. One is blind but knows sounds very well. His partner switches the birds they have caught in their traps. Later, on the way home, he asks the blind man why men fight. "Men fight because they do to each other what you have just done to me" (28). The perpetrator reswitches the birds. In answer to another question, the wise blind man says that that is how men who have fought become friends again. There are acknowledgments on 30. Strangely, sources are acknowledged for only three stories.

1996 Young People's Stories of Respect. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Pat Hoggan, Deborah Healy, Jeff Severn, and Len Ebert. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc.. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are four stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first, "Djuha's Sleeve" from Syria is illustrated by Pat Hoggan (2). Djuha has been invited to a fancy dinner but has come in his usual old clothes, and a servant turns him away. He goes home and puts on fine clothes and is welcomed into the party. Once there, he puts his sleeve into the soup. When a companion advises him to pull back his sleeve, he refuses but tells his sleeve to eat and take its fill, since it is more respected than he is. The second story, "The Carvers" from Mayans in Mexico, is illustrated by Deborah Healy (6). Two woodworkers who frequently disagree with each other chop a good piece of wood into two and try make fitting ornaments for the ruler Hunac's pyramid. They both exclaim before Hunac how beautiful the other's work is. Hunac hires them both, and they now show respect for each other's ideas and talents. "Different" does not mean "wrong" or "bad." The third selection is Christina Rossetti's poem "Hurt No Living Thing," illustrated by Jeff Severn (16). The final story is "Age and Wisdom" from Japan, illustrated by Len Ebert (18). An old man gives answers to the ruler's conundrum-like challenges, and so shows the ruler that the aged have a place in society. They do not need to go off alone to the canyon at the age of 60. There are acknowledgments on 30. Strangely, sources are acknowledged for only three stories.

1995 Young People's Stories of Sharing. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Gwen Connelly, Marion Eldridge, and Julie Paschkis. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct. '05. 

There are three stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first, "The Selfish Giant" from England is illustrated by Gwen Connelly (2). The selfish giant forbids the children to play in his garden. As a result, it is always winter in that garden. In the end, the giant relents and realizes how selfish he has been. He knocks' down the garden's walls and welcomes children into it. The second story, "How Sun, Moon, and Wind Went Out to Dinner," comes from India and is illustrated by Marion Eldridge (16). Sun, Moon, and Wind go out to eat with an uncle and an aunt, while their mother Star waits at home for their return. Only the Moon thinks of providing food for Star. Star ends up cursing the sun (and so it is so scorching) and the wind (people hate it for drying up all living things). The moon is blessed by having soft, cool, and beautiful light. "The Importance of Sharing" comes from Zaire and is illustrated by Julie Paschkis (24). Two daughters going out into the forest come across a snake good to eat, and they cook it for themselves. Their younger sister asks why they do not share it with her. This younger sister reports them when they get back to the family. "Any child that eats in secret and does not share is not worthy of the family" (29). I do not think that this moral crosses cultures very easily! There are acknowledgments on 30. Strangely, a source is acknowledged for only one of the three stories.

1995 Young People's Stories of Truthfulness. Compiled by Henry and Melissa Billings. Illustrated by Susan Keeter, Eldon C. Doty, and Gwen Connelly. Paperbound. San Diego: Young People's Press, Inc.. $3 from Heather Clarke, Olympia, WA, through eBay, Oct., '05. 

There are three stories in this oversized pamphlet. The first, "I Never Before Heard of Such a Thing," is from Zaire and is illustrated by Susan Keeter (2). A son has claimed that his trap up in a tree caught a wild pig, when it was really his father's trap on the ground that had caught him. The father sends him home to ask his mother for a special knife, called "Iteneinoso" or "I never before heard of such a thing." Twice the father sends the boy back, claiming that the mother has given him the wrong knife. Finally, mother tumbles to the lie, mentions that pigs do not go up into trees, and asks if the wild pig does not belong to his father. The story praises the father for giving the boy a chance to tell the truth on his own. The second story, "Truth and Falsehood," is from Greece and is illustrated by Eldon C. Doty (12). Truth and Falsehood meet at a crossroads and soon establish that the former is struggling, while the latter is thriving. Falsehood promises to show Truth better times, on condition that Truth must not challenge anything that Falsehood says. Falsehood lies his way out of paying a dinner bill, and the two part company forever. The moral asks us, like Truth, to get back on the right path when we have made a mistake. The third story is "The Truth" from Syria, illustrated by Gwen Connelly (20). A king orders that anyone who tells a lie must pay a large fine. Disguised, the king visits a merchant and asks how old he is, how much he has, and how many children he has. The merchant gives incorrect information in all three answers, and the king orders him punished with the appropriate fine. The man explains that of his seventy years only twenty have been happy. Of his countless riches, he spent the sum he mentioned on building a mosque. Only that is his real wealth. Of his six sons, only one has not broken the commands of Allah. The king praises him for his truthfulness. The moral praises "higher truth." There are acknowledgments on 30.

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