Treasures of the World

Grab your passport, pack your bags, and buckle up. We're headed for a trip around the world--and we'll be back before the bell rings!

Treasures of the World is a fast-paced interactive storytelling program for elementary students featuring folktales from all over the world. Each story contains a virtue and offers a glimpse into the culture from which it comes.

Treasures of the World Snacks and Recipes

Treasures of the World Curriculum Ideas

Treasures of the World Activity Sheets

Treasures of the World Teacher Preparation Packet

Each of the Treasures of the World stories comes from a different continent, and have a "treasure"--a virtue--exhibited by one of the characters.

Stories include:

"The Roly-Poly Rice Ball" from Japan. In this story, a kind man and a greedy man who are neighbors to each other each have an encounter with a mouse after dropping rice balls in the woods. The kind man is rewarded with a magic box which provides for him and his wife for the rest of their lives. The greedy man receives a box of scorpions, snakes, etc. Treasure=Kindness.

"Gecko" from the Lango and Acholi people of Sudan and Uganda is the story of a determined little gecko that keeps stomping for water in spite of his small size and funny looks. His persistence not only provides water during a drought, but also wins him the lion's treasure box! Treasure=Determination.

"The Barking Mouse" from Cuba is a short and funny story about two mice who disobey their parents and tease the local cat. They are saved by their mother, only because she speaks "dog" and scares the cat off. Treasure=Courage.

"The Apple Dumpling" from England is the story of a generous woman who is hungry for an apple dumpling. She shares the plums she has. Throughout the story, she gives away what she has, and receives something in return, ending up, of course, with an apple and the joy of having helped many others along the way. Treasure=Generosity.

"Clever Katya" is a Russian story of how a wise little girl helps her father answer the Tsar's riddles, and keep a colt that his brother tried to claim as his own. Treasure=Wisdom.

"Chardae's Thousand and One Nights," popular in Iraq, is an adaptation of the story from which the 1001 Arabian Nights tales spring. Treasures=Courage, Wisdom, Creativity.

"The Singing Snake" is a folktale about how Snake tries to win a singing contest in Australia by trapping Lark in his throat. Treasure=Honesty.

"Old Joe and the Carpenter"from Appalachia. Old Joe and his former best friend and neighbor Jess have an argument over a calf that leads to one of them digging a "crik" between them and the other hiring a carpenter to build a wall. After the carpenter builds a bridge, they offer each other forgiveness. Treasure=Forgiveness.

Not all stories are told at each performance.