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Vagabond Tales
in search of light and life
The INTRODUCTION from Vagabond Tales
I see it now. This world is swiftly passing.
~The warrior Karna from the Mahabharata~
A vagabond moves from place to place, going wherever impulse leads. The word’s origin is from the Latin word vagary, to wander. A restless soul, I’ve wandered nearly my entire life, visited thirty-seven countries, lived in eight US states, and created home and hearth thirty-nine times. I’ve explored most of the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central America and Thailand. A true vagabond, I’ve usually traveled alone, with a mission to seek and find. My lasting treasures, discovered throughout my travels, are traditional and true stories of near and far.
Along the way, I helped create the modern profession of storyteller who makes a living sharing stories, old and new, made-up and true, aloud to listeners of most any age and enriching imaginations.
Along the way, I discovered meditation, going deeply within, transcending our three-dimensional existence.
Along the way, I’ve met and befriended hundreds of like-minded souls. I’ve questioned the reasons people are born in these bodies, belong to a specific family, or grow up in Western or Eastern culture. I’ve always wanted to know how to best evolve as a human being, being human, and perhaps like you, I continue to seek answers to many eternal questions.
What is the role of karma in my everyday life?
What is free in free will?
Do I live many lives, perpetually searching for answers?
Is happiness an illusion?
Must I find my soul mate to feel complete?
Is suffering a requirement of enlightenment?
What’s the story here?
I don’t have the answers for everyone, nor should I. Your truths are as hard won as mine. My goal is to share my experiences. If you find a kindred spirit within these tales, let’s smile together, realizing once again, we are never alone on our quest for light and life.
Thus, during the autumn of 1943, in the city of Denver, Colorado, I was born into this body. I inhaled deeply and let out a loud cry… the beginning of hardship, joy, and discovery.
Pleasant DeSpain books published by august House, Inc.
Sweetland of Story: Thirty-Six American Tales to Tell
Here is a compilation of stories from every part of the nation—from the frozen tundra of Alaska to the lush green hills of Virginia; from the sweltering bayous of Louisiana to the windswept prairies of South Dakota. Each story is told in DeSpain’s signature gentle, simple style, ensuring this collection’s roles as a handy classroom tool and an “on-my-own” read for children in upper elementary and middle grades.
Every reader will find something of interest—the stories range from practical and wise ones such as “Pulling the Rope” to silly and scary ones such as “The Haint that Roared” and “The Big, Smelly, Hairy Toe.” The stories’ variety represents not only the geographic diversity of the United States, but offer a portrait of our nation’s character: our various values, beliefs, and customs that differ from region to region yet retain a fundamental allegiance to the importance of passing that culture on through story.
Product Code: 5690
ISBN: 0-87483-569-0
Size: 8.5″ x 5.5″
Pages: 176
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 12
Grade Range: 3 to 6
AWARDS
• NCSS/CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
Eleven Nature Tales: A Multicultural Journey
In this new millennium, we are faced with a critical question: are we willing to work together to ensure the survival of the planet as well as each other? In his fifth collection of tellable folktales—and his third collaboration with illustrator Joe Shlichta—DeSpain provides eleven ancient stories that address natural elements such as Sun, Moon, Stars, Ocean, Wind, Fire, Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Insects, Rocks, Trees, and Humans.
This useful resource can be enjoyed by young readers for pleasure or can be used in the classroom to enhance the science curriculum. For the reader who wants to explore these tales further, DeSpain provides notes citing written sources and folklore motifs. Includes stories from Zaire, Fiji, Central Asia, Australia, China, Portugal, and the Algonquin, Cherokee, Quinault, and Tlingit native peoples.
Product Code: 4589
ISBN: 0-87483-458-9
Size: 8.5″ x 5.5″
Pages: 96
Binding: Paperback
Age Range: 7 to 10
AWARDS
• PLA/ALLS Best New Books for New Adult Readers
Thirty-Three Multicultural Tales to Tell
People just can’t live together without telling stories. We tell stories that are funny, ironic, insightful, or just simply pleasing to the tongue and ear. Stories just seem to happen. When a story happens with the force of universality, it finds its way into that pantheon of tales that is the common denominator of cultural exchange. Here are 33 such tales, collected from Brazil, China, Korea, Russia, Tibet, Africa, from America’s native peoples, and other lands, and chosen for the universality of their message. Celebrating the interconnectedness of people, animals, and cultures, each tale is presented in concise “retellable” form, suitable for all ages. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings.
Product Code: 2667
ISBN: 0-87483-266-7
Size: 11″ x 8.5″
Pages: 128
Binding: Paperback
Age Range: 7 to 10
Grade Range: 2 to 5
Available in Audio Book:
Product Code: 3450
ISBN: 0-87483-345-0
Binding: Audiobook
Eleven Turtle Tales: Adventure Tales from Around the World
Turtle carries the world on her back: this story has been told by different cultures around the world for generations. Like Mother Nature, Turtle is unhurried, wise, and enduring. She walks on land, swims in water, and breathes the air—and so embodies three of the four elements of creation. We have much to learn from Turtle.
The eleven stories in this collection come from Africa, India, Japan, Australis, and the Americas. “The Courting of Miss Python” tells how Turtle outwits the brutal King Python; “The Monkey’s Liver” explains why Monkey never rides on Turtle’s back and why Jellyfish has no spine; and “The Talkative King” tells how a chatty ruler learns from Turtle why it is often wiser to listen than to talk.
Product Code: 3884
ISBN: 0-87483-388-4
Size: 8.5″ x 5.5″
Pages: 106
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 7 to 10
Grade Range: 2 to 5
Available in Audio Book:
Product Code: 4252
ISBN: 0-87483-425-2
Binding: Audiobook
AWARDS
• Selected as Outstanding by the Parent Council
Tales to Tell from Around the World, Vol. 1 and 2
These 20 diverse stories share themes of creativity and perseverance in overcoming hardship. They’re told in a lighthearted, easy-to-follow style, which appeals especially to children. Adults who retell the tales can benefit by experimenting with DeSpain’s techniques. He’s a professional storyteller with a touch of carnival huckster about him. It’s easy to imagine him winking at the crowd, enticing all in earshot to gather round. Most likely he’s mugging it up for the sound engineer from the recording booth. DeSpain’s razzmatazz makes this collection fun to hear and encourages listeners to tell stories themselves.
“What is your favorite story?” is the question children across the country often ask professional storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. As he attempts to answer, his list grows longer and longer, until he confesses he likes them all. An untiring researcher of oral traditions, DeSpain is known for his concise versions of world folktales specifically crafted for retelling. This new, digital recording of 10 stories is excerpted from DeSpain’s 22 Splendid Tales to Tell from Around the World, Volume One.
REVIEW
“Very funny!” (The New York Times)
Available in Audio Book:
ISBN-10: 0-87483-417-1
ISBN-13: 978-0874834178
Audio Cassette
Age Range: 4 and up
Grade Range: 1 to 2
AWARDS
• PLA/ALLS Best New Books for New Adult Readers
The Emerald Lizard: Fifteen Latin American Tales to Tell
For decades, Pleasant DeSpain has explored Latin America–its countries, countrysides, customs, cultures, and especially, its stories. While his repertoire of traditional world folktales includes narratives from almost every culture around the globe, DeSpain’s talent shines even brighter when relating the legends from Latin America. His exploration of the heart and soul of this enormous region demonstrates his passion for Latin America and its people and their stories. The fifteen tales included here are full of compassionate souls, tricks and humor, explanations of nature and geography–and always, fine storytelling. Mario Lamo-Jiménez’s Spanish translation reverberates with the rich, vibrant quality for which Latin tales are known.
Product Code: 5526
ISBN: 0-87483-552-6
Size: 8.5″ x 5.5″
Pages: 192
Binding: Paperback
AWARDS
• Bank Street College: Best Children’s Books of the Year
• Selected as Outstanding by the Parent Council
• Selected for the Elementary School Library Collection
Pleasant DeSpain “The Books of Nine Lives Series” – August house, inc.
Tales of Tricksters
“Nine stories from France, Persia, the United States, Sweden, India, Switzerland, Poland, and the Cherokee and Creek Peoples. Folktales are among the most resilient types of lore one generation passes to another. Tales we tell today—whether they are cautionary, humorous, or embedded with moral instruction—date back to ancient civilizations. Storyteller, writer, and folktale enthusiast Pleasant DeSpain has an uncanny ear for those tales that transcend particular eras or cultures and have passed into the universal frame of reference. Now DeSpain has thematically arranged selections from the original collection (nine stories are included in each of The Books of Nine Lives) and updated the source notes and bibliographies. Like any species with extraordinary survival skills, folktales thrive because they are adaptive. DeSpain’s adaptations carry his trademark elegance and succinct style.”
Product Code: 6697
ISBN: 0-87483-669-7
Size: 7.5″ x 5.25″
Pages: 80
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales of Heroes
“The Books of Nine Lives series is a collection of folktale books containing traditional stories from many countries, retold in a tellable style by master storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. The stories have appeared in previous collections by the author, and include a few black & white illustration. Notes at the end of the book give more information about the stories’ sources and motifs (based on The Storyteller’s Sourcebook by Margaret Read MacDonald), and sometimes include storytelling suggestions. The books have paper over board covers, but good binding. This collection contains 9 hero stories including “William Tell” from Switzerland, ‘Stan Bolovan and the Dragon’ from Rumania, and ‘Burning the Rice Fields’ from Japan. All are suitable for telling, making this a good resource for storytellers.”
(Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children’s Media, Teresa Bateman)
Product Code: 6662
ISBN: 0-87483-666-2
Size: 7.2″ x 5.25″
Pages: 80
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales of Wisdom & Justice
“Nine stories from Ancient Greece, Mexico, Peru, Israel, France, Persia, Poland, Mongolia, the United States, and Ireland. Folktales are among the most resilient types of lore one generation passes to another. Tales we tell today—whether they are cautionary, humorous, or embedded with moral instruction—date back to ancient civilizations.
“This collection of tales from around the world teaches us how to avoid being a fool…The tales are well written and introduce a sense of fairness to children of all ages.”
(Children’s Services, Upper Perkiomen Valley Library, Kristin Pedemonti)
Product Code: 6719
ISBN: 0-87483-671-9
Size: 7.5″ x 5.25″
Pages: 80
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales of Nonsense & Tomfoolery
“Nine stories from Russia, Ethiopia, Switzerland, China, Norway, India, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Folktales are among the most resilient types of lore one generation passes to another. Tales we tell today—whether they are cautionary, humorous, or embedded with moral instruction—date back to ancient civilizations. Storyteller, writer, and folktale enthusiast Pleasant DeSpain has an uncanny ear for those tales that transcend particular eras or cultures and have passed into the universal frame of reference.”
Product Code: 5690
ISBN: 0-87483-569-0
Size: 8.5″ x 5.5″
Pages: 176
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 12
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales of Holidays
The Books of Nine Lives series is a collection of folktale books containing traditional stories from many countries, retold in a tellable style by master storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. The nine short folktales in this book feature stories about traditional holidays celebrated from Czechoslovakia, Russia, France, the United States, and other parts of the world.
Product Code: 6670
ISBN: 0-87483-667-0
Size: 7.5″ x 5.25″
Pages: 88
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales of Insects
Nine traditional tales about insects from various parts of the world, including Mexico, Japan, Jamaica, and Fiji.
“Notes at the end of the book give more information about the stories’ sources and motifs (based on The Storyteller’s Sourcebook by Margaret Read MacDonald), and sometimes include storytelling suggestions. The books have paper over board covers, but good binding. This collection contains nine stories featuring insects including ‘The First Fire’ from Cherokee tradition, ‘Ants Live Everywhere’ from Burma, and ‘Why Ants Carry Heavy Loads’ from West Africa. All are suitable for telling, making this a good resource for storytellers.”
(Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children’s Media, Teresa Bateman)
Product Code: 6689
ISBN: 0-87483-668-9
Size: 7.5″ x 5.25″
Pages: 80
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales of Enchantment
“One story always leads to the next,” says DeSpain in his preface. And he should know. For nearly a generation and a half, DeSpain has been traversing the country telling stories to teachers, librarians, and especially to children of all ages. Nine of his all-time favorite stories are included:
— A Russian soldier inherits a musty old book that changes his life.
— An orphan girl finds that her beauty can be a curse and begins to feel that life is just one test after another.
— A stingy old Irishman meets his match in a very little fellow.
— In Spain, a girl discovers enchanted ways to be helpful around the house, and is rewarded beyond her dreams.
Stories from the Cherokee people, Japan, Germany, and Holland give this book DeSpain’s trademark round-the-world feel. The stories are short enough to read at bedtime and fascinating enough for a third-grader to read independently.
Product Code: 7111
ISBN: 0-87483-711-1
Size: 7.5″ x 5.25″
Pages: 80
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6 12
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales to Frighten and Delight
“This is the eighth book in The Books of Nine Lives Series which contains stories from different countries. The stories all tell a moral and end up with the wronged party getting the last word, so that wrong does not prevail and the evil person or persons in the story all get their comeuppance. The common thread in most stories seems to be that the bad person was outwitted and outsmarted. Also the stories illustrate that lying is bad and that one must keep a promise.”
“For example, ‘The Ghost Wife’ (Sioux) tells of a young man grieving because the chief”s beautiful daughter had died the previous week. He dreams of her and she appears and becomes his ghost wife, with only one promise he must live up to. The story tells of how you must be careful of what you promise, or suffer the consequences. ‘Godfather Death’ (Germany) tells of a boy who receives Death as his Godfather. The story involves a promise made by the boy with Death in which he could cure sick people, but he was not to defy Death. If Death appeared at the foot of the bed the patient was his. He got along fine until a beautiful young girl was selected by Death. The boy attempted to defy death and learned that a promise is a promise.”
Product Code: 712X
ISBN: 0-87483-712-X
Size: 7.5″ x 5.25″
Pages: 80
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Tales of Cats
“Here are cat tales especially worth sharing. You will find stories that explain why cats choose women over men, how cats trick other (in cat’s view, lesser) animals, how cats outwit humans, and how cats wait patiently for their time in the sun. Cat lovers of all ages will enjoy these timeless stories. Our editors and designers have created a book especially for children (and those who read to them). The stories are short enough to read at bedtime and fascinating enough for a third-grader to read independently.”
REVIEW
“Number 9 in The Books of Nine Lives Series, this slim book contains nine stories with feline protagonists. They are short and simply told, easy reading for grade school students or prime material for beginning storytellers. Only one of these has appeared previously in DeSpain’s collections (a ‘Puss In Boots’ variant from Germany). The others, from Europe, Africa, and Asia, range from the often-anthologized ‘Boy Who Painted Cats’ (in DeSpain’s original version) to an unusual trickster tale from Finland.
“DeSpain has done a nice job retelling these stories in his own fresh voice, without adding literary embellishments beyond the comfort zone of the folktale. In contrast to some of his earlier collections, these Nine Lives books have frank and useful source citations which will be useful to more advanced tellers. I can recommend this book to story lovers and cat lovers alike!” (Territorial Tattler, Fran Stallings)
Product Code: 7138
ISBN: 0-87483-713-8
Size: 7.5″ x 5.25″
Pages: 80
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 8 to 11
Grade Range: 3 to 6
Pleasant DeSpain Picture books published by August house, inc.
Strongheart Jack & the Beanstalk
“Love is stronger than might, stronger than fear. Keep your heart as strong as your sword, and right will triumph.” Following this instruction, Jack the lad becomes Jack the strong of heart, embracing his father’s silver sword as he sets forth. In Pleasant DeSpain’s able hands, and with the help of a maiden named Elinor, an ancient tortoise, and a cat named Octavia, Jack and the Beanstalk becomes a tale of action, fun, and justice. Joe Shlichta’s vibrant oil paintings, reminiscent of its medieval origins, convey the challenge, fear, and triumph of this timeless tale.
Product Code: 4147
ISBN: 0-87483-414-7
Size: 11″ x 8.5″
Pages: 32
Color: Four color
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 5 to 8
Grade Range: K to 3
AWARDS
Selected for The Elementary School Library Collection
The Magic Pot
In this story from China, when a woodcutter finds a magic pot that makes two of everything that he puts inside of it, he thinks all of his troubles have disappeared! Or have they just doubled?
REVIEW from Goodreads:
“The Magic Pot is a folktale from China about a hardworking woodcutter and his wife. The story, retold by Pleasant DeSpain, describes how the poor woodcutter stumbles upon a magic pot lying by the side of the road. It’s a beautiful pot that could be useful for the woodcutter so he places his axe inside the pot and then straps it on his back to take home from the forest. When he arrives home, his wife discovers that the magic pot can duplicate anything placed inside it and they become overwhelmed with joy over their good fortune. This magical Chinese folktale will teach readers the importance of caring and sharing. Award-winning author, Pleasant DeSpain is well known for his colorful retelling of folktales from around the globe while preserving the drama, wisdom, and integrity of the story.”
Product Code: 8274
ISBN: 0-87483-827-4
Size: 8″ x 8″
Pages: 32
Color: Four color
Age Range: 4 to 8
Grade Range: Pre-K to 3
The Dancing Turtle: A Folktale from Brazil
Turtle loves to dance and play the flute. But her exuberance puts her at risk when her music attracts the attention of a hunter who brings her home for turtle stew. After she is caught, her only hope for escape is the hunter’s children … and her own wit. This folktale, first told by the indigenous people of Brazil, is now told throughout Latin America. The versions are as different as the cultures that contain them, but all of them celebrate Turtle, who carries the world and its wisdom on her back. Like the people of Latin America, Turtle always seems to survive through courage and wit. In watercolors radiant with foliage and wildlife, David Boston guides the reader through the dense and fertile Amazon rain forest.
Product Code: 502X
ISBN: 0-87483-502-X
Size: 11″ x 8.5″
Pages: 32
Color: Four color
Binding: Hardcover
Age Range: 4 to 7
Grade Range: Pre-K to 2
