Featured books by Verna Aardema

Borreguita and the Coyote

Borreguita and the Coyote

By: Verna Aardema
Illustrated by: Petra Mathers
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Genre: Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales, Fiction

Left alone to graze, Borreguita outsmarts the fierce coyote who thinks the small lamb would be a tasty lunch. This tale from Ayutla, Mexico, is retold with sly humor and illustrated with dramatic, full color illustrations.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

By: Verna Aardema
Illustrated by: Beatriz Vidal
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader
Genre: Poetry

The tale of herdsman Ki-pat is set on a dry African plain and is told in the familiar cadence of “The House that Jack Built”. Animals are introduced, tension builds and the resolution pours forth as the rhyme builds. Stylized illustrations create place and mood in this engaging verse.

Who's In Rabbit's House? A Masai Tale

Who's In Rabbit's House? A Masai Tale

By: Verna Aardema
Illustrated by: Diane Dillon
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader
Genre: Fiction, Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales

Rabbit cannot go into her own house for fear of the ferocious-sounding animal inside. Told as a play with masked actors, this cumulative tale gradually unfolds to a surprising and very satisfying conclusion.

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"Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear." —

Judy Blume