14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 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
Families who enjoy reading aloud, teachers drawn to nature study, and young readers who love myths, animal tales, fairy stories and short poems will enjoy this collection.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Summer is something won together
- Beauty returns through trust and joy
- A promise puts gratitude to work
- Each creature has its own way
- Kindness can ask for a sacrifice
- Close attention opens the heart
- Trees give more than shade
- Flowers and fairies carry summer stories
- The world invites care and wonder
Who’s who
- GlooscapA chief who brings blessings to his people and travels to the frozen north to measure the power of winter against summer.
- OjeebA mighty hunter who leads five animal friends up a mountain to break through the sky and bring back the summer birds.
- Ama-TerasuThe sun goddess, whose light feeds the flowers and rice fields, and whom the gods must coax back when she hides in sorrow.
- Princess RoseA summer child who sleeps through the cold months and longs to see the snow she cannot understand.
- UndineA kind young wave who must choose between her proud sea family and a small boy she wants to protect.
- Clover BlossomA faithful flower who gives a worm shelter when her proud sisters refuse and keeps watch for his return.
- Hatto the hermitAn old man who stands with raised arms praying for the end of the world while thrushes nest in his hand.
- Robin GoodfellowA mischievous boy with the power to change shape, who plays tricks on fools and is summoned by King Oberon.
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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The Turquoise Story Book in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Turquoise Story Book
by Ada M. Skinner; Eleanor L. Skinner
A hunter and his animal friends break through the sky to free the summer birds shut in a cage above.
Easy read2–5 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with easy classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
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“And what is so rare as a day in June?”
In short
What does it take to beat winter? In the first story of this book, the answer is a visit.
The Turquoise Story Book at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 5 min3 h 15 min fast, 4 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 58,800 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Old legends show summer won from winter
These legends treat summer as something won, not something that simply arrives. In the Iroquois tale, Glooscap walks to the Northland and finds Winter, a giant who lives in a lodge of icebergs. The giant boasts of his storms and his glittering ice. Glooscap listens so long that he falls asleep for six months.
When he wakes, he goes south and finds the Sun-Fays dancing around their Fairy Queen of Summer. He seizes her, hides her under his blanket and runs. Back in the ice lodge, he describes the dews, the showers and the nests of the summer land, and the lodge begins to drip.
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Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 40 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Skinner, Ada M., and Eleanor L. Skinner. The Turquoise Story Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-turquoise-story-book.
Skinner, A. M., & Skinner, E. L. (2026). The turquoise story book. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-turquoise-story-book
Skinner, Ada M., and Eleanor L. Skinner. The Turquoise Story Book. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-turquoise-story-book.
@book{skinner2026turquoise,
author = {Skinner, Ada M. and Skinner, Eleanor L.},
title = {The Turquoise Story Book},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-turquoise-story-book}
}
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What is The Turquoise Story Book about?
It gathers summer legends, fables, nature essays and poems for young readers. The pieces explain how summer returns, why animals look as they do, and what trees, flowers, birds and spiders are like, with kindness and wonder as constant themes.
Who wrote The Turquoise Story Book?
Ada M. Skinner and Eleanor L. Skinner compiled it as the third volume in a series of seasonal nature books. The individual pieces come from many writers, including Selma Lagerlöf, John Burroughs, Mrs. Molesworth, Shakespeare and Tennyson.
What kinds of stories are in The Turquoise Story Book?
There are Native American, Japanese, Greek, Norse and Australian legends, fairy tales, animal fables, short nature essays, a scene adapted from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and many short poems, so each page offers something different.
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.
“And what is so rare as a day in June?”
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