
THE BOOK OF NATURE MYTHS - BY FLORENCE HOLBROOK - PRINCIPAL OF FORESTVILLE SCHOOL, CHICAGO
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - BOSTON · NEW YORK · CHICAGO · DALLAS SAN FRANCISCO - The Riverside Press Cambridge - Children's Room
PREFACE.
THE BOOK OF NATURE MYTHS.
THE STORY OF THE FIRST HUMMING-BIRD. - PART I. THE GREAT FIRE-MOUNTAIN.
THE STORY OF THE FIRST BUTTERFLIES.
THE STORY OF THE FIRST WOODPECKER.
WHY THE WOODPECKER'S HEAD IS RED.
WHY THE CAT ALWAYS FALLS UPON HER FEET.
WHY THE SWALLOW'S TAIL IS FORKED.
A gentle introduction to the world’s oldest stories, this collection invites young listeners to travel through the imaginations of early peoples who answered the mysteries of wind, fire, water and sky. The tales are drawn from diverse folk traditions and presented with language that grows alongside the child’s own vocabulary, turning each myth into a stepping stone for richer expression. Designed as a “second reader,” the book balances the wonder of oral storytelling with the quiet focus of a quiet reading moment.
Among the stories, two hunters wander a primeval forest and witness a dazzling blaze atop a distant mountain—an awe‑inspiring vision they bring back to their village. Their discovery of the “fire‑mountain” becomes a shared legend that explains how warmth can be found even in the coldest nights. Listeners will feel the excitement of the hunters’ trek, the reverence for the Great Spirit, and the timeless human urge to understand the world around us.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (173K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Jason Isbell, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
Release date
2007-08-27
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1860–1932
A longtime Chicago educator who turned classroom lessons into lively books on myths, nature, and literature, she also brought her reform spirit into the women’s suffrage and peace movements.
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