Kahoʻolawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People is a poignant, award-winning picture book that chronicles the history of the smallest Hawaiian island, from its volcanic birth to its struggle under military occupation.

A young boy named Junior moves to North Carolina in 1959 and discovers a hidden log cabin library for Black residents.

Have you ever played the game “Telephone,” where one person whispers a message and it travels around the circle until it comes back sounding completely different? Stories work the same way. As they’re passed from person to person—and from place to place—they stretch, twist, and grow into new versions. The stories in this book show just how powerful that “story grapevine” can be. Many of these tales have been traveling for hundreds of years. Some appear in different countries all over the world, each with its own special twist. All of them are fun to read aloud, and even more fun to tell in your own voice.

People everywhere tell stories. It’s something humans just do. We share stories that make us laugh, make us think, or simply sound wonderful when spoken aloud. Stories seem to pop up wherever people gather, and some are so powerful and meaningful that they travel far beyond the place where they were first told.

People have been telling “fool stories” for as long as anyone can remember. After all, everyone has a noodlehead day now and then—a day when your brain seems to take a little vacation. As you’ll see in this collection, silly characters come in every shape and size. They might make ridiculous mistakes, mix things up, or leap before they look, but that’s what makes their adventures so much fun.

The hills and small towns of western North Carolina in the 1950s come to life in this collection of stories by master storyteller Donald Davis. He’s shared his tales everywhere—from the World’s Fair to the Smithsonian to the National Storytelling Festival—and now he invites readers into the adventures of his own childhood. His stories follow him from his earliest school days all the way to the moment he begins to understand the big changes happening in the world, including the loss of friends during the Vietnam War.

Have you ever stopped to really look at a spider’s web? If it’s only meant to catch flies, why does it shimmer with such delicate, beautiful patterns? Have you ever wondered what makes thunder rumble, why the ocean tastes salty, or how tigers came to wear their bold stripes? This collection gathers delightful “why” stories from many cultures and time periods—tales that imagine how animals, plants, and natural wonders came to look or behave the way they do.

Experience the legendary American folktale of John Henry, a powerful steel-driving man who became a symbol of courage and strength.

When a surprise visit from a Spanish Viceroy sends a monastery kitchen into a panic, a young boy named Carlos accidentally helps create a culinary masterpiece.