Eight-year-old Zulviya, her sister and her cousin, her mother and her grandmother... they all belong to the loom. For generations the women of Zulviya's family have earned their living by weaving rugs by hand. The rugs are valuable and the women are proud of their beautiful handiwork. But the work is hard. It takes months to weave a rug; each one contains hundreds of thousands of knots. Before one work day has passed, Zulviya will tie thousands of...

Through the voice of a young girl, the life of the people known as Irish Travelers is explored. Megan spends her summers traveling around the Irish countryside with her family. They move from place to place, hauling their camper behind their old car. But they aren't on vacation. This is their way of life. Megan and her family are Travelers. As part of their summer life, Megan's father works odd jobs, from fieldwork to roofing houses. Despite the rough...

Elena lives near a small town in western Guatemala. She lives there with her mother, her younger brother, Luis, and her baby sister, Ana. Her father is far away, working on a plantation. Elena struggles to keep up in school. Her teacher says she needs to practice her reading, but it's hard to find time to read. She must help her mother with the cooking and housework, as well as the hard work of planting and weeding their garden. As the big sister...

As a young boy in Gujarat, India, Kumar sometimes feels like he lives in two worlds. First there is the old world where people and their choices are determined by prejudice and bigotry. But then there is the second, modern world: in this world Kumar can be friends with whomever he chooses and his future looks bright. As part of the annual Diwali celebration, Kumar is invited to the house of his classmate Andal to watch fireworks. Andal is from a high-caste...

During World War II thousands of American servicemen were stationed overseas in various countries. It is in England that American GI Jack Ricker meets and marries an English widow with a nine-year-old son, Thomas. Thomas likes his new stepfather and he's hopeful about their future. But now with the war over, Jack is back in America. Thomas and his mother make plans to leave England and join him. Thomas is apprehensive about moving. He won't know anyone,...

Every month, in a different town across the wide World of Ere, the fresh, untested initiates of the Fellowship of Assassins convene for the Hearing of Grievances. There, petitioners attempt to prove that their would-be victim deserves death and the initiates compete to prove themselves worthy to deliver that death and become a full member.Rakne nil Thraeci has seen Hearings come and go. For years, she's honed her skills and waited for her chance....

Bluebeard – Origins of the Fairy Tales from around the World' contains seven different versions of the story of bluebeard. It includes an in-depth introduction to the fairy tale genre itself, as well as the folkloric provenance of the 'Bluebeard' story. It encompasses folk tales such as 'La Barbe Bleue' by Charles Perrault, 'Fitcher's Bird' by the Brothers Grimm, Joseph Jacob's 'Mr. Fox', the Indian legend of 'The Brahman Girl who Married a Tiger'...

Hansel and Gretel – Origins of the Fairy Tales from around the World' contains seven different versions of the 'Hansel and Gretel' story. It includes an in-depth introduction to the fairy tale genre itself, as well as the folkloric provenance of the 'Hansel and Gretel' story. It encompasses the tale of 'Nennillo e Nennella' by Giambattista Basile, 'Hänsel und Gretel' by the Brothers Grimm, the Russian tale of 'Baba Yaga' and Joseph Jacob's 'Johnnie...

Puss in Boots' – Origins of the Fairy Tale from around the World' contains seven different versions of the 'Puss in Boots' story. It includes an in-depth introduction to the fairy tale genre itself, as well as the folkloric provenance of the 'Puss in Boots' story. It encompasses 'Le Maître Chat' by Charles Perrault, Straparola's 'Constantino Fortunato', 'The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat' by the Brothers Grimm, the Indian narrative of 'The Match-Making...