Promote full listening, encourage active participation, and make cultural connections with this useful collection of literature from around the world. Twenty folk tales, fables, and poems have been thoughtfully selected from countries with rich storytelling traditions, including India, Korea, Hawai'i, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Ghana, and more. Each tale includes specific sound effects, melodic patterns, and rhythmic ostinati for sound exploration on common classroom instruments. Read and play them as written, use them as inspiration for student creation such as curated playlists or digital compositions, or even employ them as resources for interdisciplinary work. For convenience, each story is also included as a PDF to project or print. Recommended for grades 1–6.