In this book you can see a wagtail bird, a tiny mouse, a glove or just a tired sun. But all of them will excite you.

Thanks to this book, you will learn 4 different stories from 4 different countries.

I wish you a good reading.

Şule ATEŞ BAYRAKCI - TÜRKİYE - Where the Sun Sleeps

The sun was tired of rising and setting every day.

"Let me sleep a little!" he thought. There was no place in the sky to sleep.

He approached the sea and asked:

Excuse me! Can I sleep on you?

The sea looked at the tired Sun and said ‘I would love to. You are so hot that you would dry me… Then what do the fish do?’ Then the Sun left there and came across a cloud.

This cloud could be a cool bed for the Sun. Sun:

I am tired and want to sleep.

Would you be my bed for a while?

Cloud: I would like to, but I have to bring rain to a country that is thirsty, he said.

The Sun left there too. He was getting more and more tired and wanted to sleep as soon as possible.

He saw a little boy sitting under the trees in a garden. ‘Hey look!’ said Güneş. The boy asked, ‘Are you talking to me?’

Güneş: Yes, I am very tired and I want to sleep. Do you have a place to put me to sleep?

The boy clapped his hands happily and said, ‘Oh, of course there is, come on.’ and opened his arms to both sides.

As the sun gently descended into the child’s arms, the flowers, trees and animals in the garden were surprised. The child was not surprised at all. ‘You are so tired.’ he said.

Then he laid the sun on his heart to sleep… The sun was really tired. He immediately fell into a sweet sleep in the child’s heart.

The child continued to play with the flowers under the tree.

Let’s not worry if we don’t see the sun in the sky some days.

Because he is tired again and has gone to the only place he can sleep; that little heart…

Diana Kovalonoka - Latvia - Old Man Glove

There was an old man. In the cold winter he would go to the forest fore firewood. While he was looking for firewood, he lost one of his gloves.

A fly ran past the glove. She was cold and saw the glove. Fly ran inside and started dancing happily.

A mouse ran by, she was cold too. She ran up to my glove and asked: "Who's dancing in the mitten? 

- I am the queen fly. But who are you?

- I am a little mouse. Let me warm up! 

- Lien, warm up!

The mouse crawls into the mitten and both he and the fly start dancing.

The bunny, who was cold, also ran past the mitten. He saw the glove, ran over and asked:

- "What's dancing in the mitten?"

- I'm the queen fly, I'm the little mouse. But who are you?

- I am a bunny. Let me warm up.

- Okay, run and warm up!

The bunny puts on a glove and the three-start dancing.

A wolf escaping from the cold sees a glove. He runs over and asks:

- "What's dancing in the glove?"

- "I'm the queen fly, I'm the little mouse, I'm the little bunny. But who are you?"

- I am a wolf. Let me warm up!

- Okay, crawl in and warm up!

The wolf slips into his glove and the four of them start dancing together.

A bear escaping the cold finds a glove and asks:

- "What's dancing in the glove?"

- I'm a fly swatter, I'm a mouse squeaker, I'm a white-footed bunny, I'm a dunce wolf. Who are you?

- I am Big Bear. Let me warm up!

- Okay, crawl in and warm up!

The bear slips into his mittens and all five start dancing together.

Here, from somewhere, comes a cock crowing - DOODLE-DOO, let's run!

The dancers get scared and all start to forcefully break out of the glove. The fly goes to the king's palace, the mouse to the potato cellar, the hare to the meadow, the wolf to the bushes, the bear to the forest.

While running, he tore off Santa's glove. So to this day, the old man walks with one glove.

Poppy Nakou - Greece - The Wagtail

Once upon a time, there was an old woman who swept  her yard. She gathered a big pile of leaves, and went inside to fetch her dustpan. Just then, a wagtail landed in the yard and scattered them. When the old woman came back outside, she shouted:

        "Who’s been scattering the leaves?"

No one answered. So she started sweeping once more and went inside to get her bin. As soon as she left, the wagtail returned, scattering the leaves again. When the old woman came back outside, she shouted angrily:    

         "Who’s been scattering the leaves?"

Again, no one answered. So she hid behind a tree and when the little bird came back she grabbed it by the tail and...

SNAP!—her tail broke off in the woman’s hand! 

"Please, kind lady, give me back my tail so I can fly to my children!" pleaded the wagtail.

"I’ll give you back your tail, but first, bring me a dress!"

So, the wagtail went to a seamstress and said:

"Please, seamstress, give me a dress to take to the old woman, so she’ll give me back my tail and I can fly to my children!"

The seamstress replied:

"I’ll give you a dress, but first, bring me some cloth."

So, the wagtail went to a weaver and said:

"Please, weaver, give me some cloth to take to the seamstress, so she’ll give me a dress, to take to the old woman, so she’ll give me back my tail and I can fly to my children!"

The weaver replied:

"I’ll give you cloth, but first, bring me some yarn."

So, the wagtail went to a young woman and said:

"Please, kind girl, give me some yarn to take to the weaver, so he’ll give me cloth, to take to the seamstress, so she’ll give me a dress, to take to the old woman, so she’ll give me back my tail and I can fly to my children!"

The young woman replied:

"I’ll give you yarn, but first, bring me some wool."

So, the wagtail went to a lamb and said:

"Please, dear lamb, give me some wool to take to the girl, so she’ll give me yarn, to take to the weaver, so he’ll give me cloth, to take to the seamstress, so she’ll give me a dress, to take to the old woman, so she’ll give me back my tail and I can fly to 

my children!"

The lamb took pity on the 

wagtail and gave her some 

wool. 

The wagtail brought the wool to the young woman, who gave her yarn. 

She took the yarn to the weaver, who gave her cloth. 

She took the cloth to the seamstress, who gave her a dress. 

Finally, she took the dress to the old woman, who, true to her word, gave back the wagtail’s tail.

Happily, the wagtail flew back to her nest, where her children were waiting for her.

                                            THE END

Suima Tetyana - Ukraine - Glove (Ukrainian folk tale)

A grandfather was walking and lost his glove.

Here comes a mouse, it got into that glove and is sitting there.

When a frog jumps and says:

— Who, who lives in a glove?

— I am a scratchy mouse! And who are you?

And the frog says:

— And I am a scratchy frog. Let me in.

And they began to live together.

Here comes a bunny and says:

— Who, who lives in this glove?

— Scratchy mouse, scratchy frog. And who are you?

And the bunny says:

— And I am a jumpy bunny! Let me in.

And they began to live together.

When a fox runs:

— Who, who lives in a glove?

— Mouse-scratch, frog-scratch, bunny-jump. And who are you?

The fox says:

— And I am the fox-sister! Let me in.

And they began to live together.

Uninvited, the wolf runs up:

— Who, who lives in a glove?

— Mouse-scratch, frog-scratch, bunny-jump, fox-sister. And who are you?

The wolf says:

— And I am the wolf-brother! Let me in. And they began to live together.

When the bushes crackle, the bear climbs out:

— Who, who lives in a glove?

— Mouse-scratch, frog-scratch, bunny-jump, fox-sister, wolf-brother. And who are you?

The bear says:

— I am a bear-bear! Let me in.

When the old man returns with the dog. The animals are scared and run away.