Blair Lent

One warm January day a molasses tank in front of Charley's house explodes and the molasses carries his house from the Boston waterfront through the town.

When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names.

All sorts of animals bring a variety of foods to share at a picnic: bears bring pears, parrots bring carrots, mosquitoes bring burritos, mice bring rice, and so on.

While chasing a dumpling, a little lady is captured by wicked creatures from whom she escapes with the means of becoming the richest woman in Japan.

An African folktale tells how the sun and water once lived on earth as friends, but because the sun failed to build his house large enough, he and his wife, the moon, were driven into the sky when the water came to visit them.

The author's phone is rung constantly by animals calling about their problems.

When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names.

Hot hippo: Hippo was hot. He longed to live in the water like the fishes instead of on dry land. But such a change required permission from Ngai, the god of Everything and Everywhere. Possum magic: An Australian possum named Hush used to think that the magic used by Grandma Poss to make her invisible was fun - until, one day, Hush wants to know what she looks like. Together they must find a way to make Hush's wish come true. Tikki Tikki Tembo: What's...