About the Stories
Animal Stories from Around the World is an enchanting tour of world cultures through folk literature. Animal Stories presents folktales and fables from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Each story is carefully retold and enhanced with ethnic music.
The Leopard, the Goat, and the Yam (Africa)
Natiki, a young African girl, is helping her family move from one side of the river to the other. Natiki has only three things left to move: a yam, a goat, and a leopard. (When these pictures were taken, Natiki was at her grandmother’s. So her brother Nelson posed for these photographs.)
Señor Rattlesnake Learns to Fly (Mexico)
Señor Rattlesnake, bored with seeing the same old desert day after day, envies his friend, the bird, who soars far and wide. One day, he talks the bird into taking him high into the air, with unexpected results.
The Monkey and the Crocodile (India)
When the crocodile sees the monkey, she says to herself, what a delicious looking monkey. Soon she sends her young and inexperienced son to find a way to snare the unsuspecting monkey for their evening’s meal. The baby crocodile succeeds in tempting the monkey to ride on his back to reach a fruit tree down the river. But this monkey is not without his own tricks.
The Tyrannical King (Philippines)
Once upon a time there was a king who was so tyrannical that he made a law forbidding animals to talk! He confronts one offender after another—a frog, a snail, a firefly, and a mosquito—and in the end, justice is served.
The Raven and the Fox (Europe)
The raven has just snatched a piece of cheese from a family picnicking down by the creek. When the fox, who just loves cheese, comes upon the raven perched high in a tree, she wonders how she might get the cheese for herself. Suddenly, she gets an idea.
