Maura Vaughn

David Kudler

Even at the darkest times, there is light

Around the world, people celebrate the winter solstice by sharing tales of to celebrate the joy and generosity of the holiday season. Retold by David Kudler & Maura Vaughn, here are three traditional stories to delight, touch, and amuse children of all ages:

The Seven Gods of Luck: Sachiko and Kenji just want to welcome the new year in the proper way, but their mother tells them they don't have the money for a New Year's feast. An act of generosity brings help from an unexpected source in this heartwarming Japanese classic. May the Seven Gods of Luck visit you!

How Raven Brought Back the Light: Some heroes are strong. Some are brave. And some, like Raven, are clever. In this adaptation from a beloved tale out of the Pacific Northwest, Raven outwits the Old Chief of the tribe that lives above the sky and brings sunlight back to a grateful world

Shlomo Travels to Warsaw: The town of Chelm is known for having the silliest townspeople in the world. And the silliest one of all was Shlomo the Dreamer....Follow Shlomo on his journey as he leaves Chelm behind on the first day of Hanukkah to visit the city of his dreams, and finds that it looks very familiar!

These tales remind us all that, even in the darkest times, the light will always return.

(World folktales for children — Japanese, Native American, and Jewish; winter holidays, solstice, New Year, generosity, sharing)