7 h 16 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Summer has stories to tell—about nature, living things, and the wonder waiting in a quiet hour.
The Turquoise Story Book gathers stories, myths and legends for young readers around summer and the natural world. Compiled by Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner, it offers short tales rather than one long plot. Each tale fits a single sitting, leaving room to pause, talk, or simply enjoy the story together.
Summer, nature and living things give this collection its focus. Its mix of old tales invites young readers to explore the world through imagination, with space for kindness, patience and wonder. For adults reading at home or in the classroom, the short pieces offer a gentle way to share stories without rushing through them.
What you’ll discover
- Summer and the living world Explore a collection that brings summer and nature into the heart of story time.
- Stories, myths and legends Enjoy different kinds of old tales gathered together for young readers.
- A tale in one sitting Choose a short story that fits the time you have to share.
- Room for quiet wonder Make space for imagination, kindness and patience through a gentle encounter with stories.
- Words to share aloud Bring adults and children together over tales suited to home or classroom reading.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy myths and fairy tales, nature study, gardens, birds and insects, or reading aloud with children on a warm afternoon.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Old legends explain how summer first came
- Brave hunters and boys take on the sky
- A princess lives half her life in sleep
- Gardens, clouds and waves have lessons to teach
- Sun, moon, dew and wind each get a story
- Insects and spiders carry myths and facts
- Frogs, birds and a hermit show nature's quiet wonders
- Trees and flowers each have a tale and a task
- Poems and fairies tie the whole book together
Who’s who
- GlooscapA mighty spirit and chief who visits the Winter Giant and carries off the Fairy Queen of Summer.
- OjeebA skilled hunter who leads his animal friends up to Sky-Land to free the summer birds.
- Princess RoseA summer-born princess who sleeps through winter and longs to see the snow she has never known.
- UndineA kind young wave on the Devonshire coast who must choose between her fierce family and a gentle teacher's lessons.
- ArachneA proud maiden from Greece whose skill at weaving is so great that she dares to challenge the goddess Minerva.
- HattoA fierce hermit in the desert who prays for the end of the world while two thrushes build a nest in his hand.
- Robin GoodfellowA mischievous boy who runs away from home and discovers the power to change his shape.
- TitaniaThe proud Queen of Fairyland who quarrels with her husband Oberon over a boy she will not give up.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 16 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear The Turquoise Story Book in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Turquoise Story Book
by Ada M. Skinner; Eleanor L. Skinner
Ojeeb leads his animal friends up a mountain, hoping to reach the summer birds held in Sky-Land.
Easy read5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
How do you win summer back from a giant made of ice? In this gathering of tales, a chief steals a fairy queen, a hunter breaks through the sky, and a boy snares the Sun itself.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Old legends explain how summer first came
The book opens with tales that treat summer as a prize worth a journey. In the Iroquois legend, the chief Glooscap visits Winter, the giant of the Northland, and sleeps for six months inside his iceberg lodge. Waking, he travels south and finds the Fairy Queen of Summer dancing with the Sun-Fays.
Glooscap seizes the queen, tucks her under his blanket, and runs, trailing a magic cord that never ends. Two more tales in this group deal with lost light and lost colour. In Japan, the sun goddess Ama-Terasu hides in a cave after her brother's cruelty, and the gods plan a festival of dance, mirrors and laughter to draw her out. In Australia, wise men climb the mountain Oobi Oobi to ask the Great Spirit Byamee for flowers.
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What is The Turquoise Story Book about?
It is a collection of summer stories, myths, nature sketches and poems for young readers. Its pieces tell stories about summer, flowers, birds, insects and trees, and they encourage children to notice the living world.
Who wrote The Turquoise Story Book?
Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner compiled it. Many tales and poems come from other writers, including Selma Lagerlöf, John Burroughs, Charles Lamb, John Ruskin, Tennyson and Shakespeare, and from the legends of many peoples.
What is the Turquoise Story Book series?
The Turquoise Story Book celebrates summer and its blessings, mixing legends, nature sketches and poetry for children.
The author
Ada M. Skinner
1871–1960 · Anglo-American children's writer
Ada M. Skinner was an Anglo-American children’s writer, teacher and magazine editor. She was born in 1871 and died in 1960. Her books included The Turquoise Story Book. Alongside her writing for children, she worked in teaching and magazine editing.
More by Ada M. Skinner; Eleanor L. Skinner
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