When Rick's uncle came for his usual Sunday visit, Rick was waiting for him at the door. Uncle Frank was a scientist---an astronomer---and Rick had an important question to ask him. "Uncle Frank,...
The chain from heaven
> Afunjo knew that his father was an anthropologist--- but he didn't > know what that was. He knew that his father spent lots of time at the > museum, in the town of Ife. And he knew his father often...
Blood and bones
"Tomas?" Juanita poked her nose into her big brother's room. "Tomas," she asked, "is it true that no one but Indians used to live here in Mexico City?" Her brother was studying the history of Mexico...
The sky shell and the octopus
"Papa," said Claudine, "what's this?" She was holding the little wooden statue that had stood on a shelf in their living room for as long as she could remember. "That came from the island of Tahiti,...
Clouds, winds, and the songs of birds
Storytelling time! Everyone in the class was excited, because today it was the new boy's turn to tell a story. The new boy was an Indian---a real Apache Indian! Surely he would have a wonderful...
A green sprout and a rainbow
It was springtime in Japan, and Sayuri was glad. The cherry trees were in bloom and the warm air was filled with their fragrance. It really is wonderful, thought Sayuri, how everything seems to come...
Light and life
"Aunt Maude, who are the Aborigines?" Mark asked. Mark was from America. He and his parents were visiting relatives in Australia. Mark had heard some Australians talking about people called...
Frost and fire; giants and gods
A white cover of snow hid the ground. It lay on the roofs of the houses and sat in great gobs on the dark-green branches of the fir trees. Sven's nose and cheeks tingled in the icy air. He blew a...
The seven days myth
"What is the very oldest story you know?" Jane asked her grandmother. Her grandmother thought for a moment. "I guess it must be the story of the Creation, from the Bible." "How old is it?" Jane...
Where Did We Come From?
How did the world begin? Where did we come from? People have been puzzling over questions like these for thousands of years. The Bible tells the myth of the Creation of the world in the Book of...
