A story from Ms Banks' delightful anthology “The Magic Hare” in which the magic hare is snared by an orphan for dinner. The hare continues to suggest ingredients that would make him taste better but the final one is through the dark forest where the orphan has never gone. The hare leads the way, the orphan overcomes her fear and both live happily, but separately, ever after.

When Conal builds his castle on a hilltop he is not aware that he is intruding in the domain of the powerful fairy, Duine Sidhe. Cursed by the fairy, Conal and his family find no happiness until Conal’s son is befriended by a weaver who weaves a magic tapestry that can lift the curse.

After John Robert found a dragon’s egg down by the swamp, he and his Grandpa Riley kept it a secret from Aunt Bess whose life was too hard to care about such things. That is until it hatched, grew to 14 feet in two months and drank all the coal oil in the barn. Well, something had to be done. Lucky for John Robert and Grandpa Riley it was the flyin’ kind…

A story from Ms Banks delightful anthology “The Magic Hare” in which the magic hare hears tiny bells after every good deed and discovers they are applause from a sad, unnamed flower. In gratitude, the magic hare gives the flower a name, ‘harebell,’ or ‘Campanula rotundifolia.’

When Derek’s kid brother finds bunches of mistletoe on the ground in an orchard, he decides to sell them to earn money to buy Derek a much needed guitar case. Little does he know that Derek is the one cutting the mistletoe trying to earn enough money to buy him the wooden recorder he has always wanted. Nicely reminiscent of O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.”

When a stranger comes to the city of Chelm, he claims that he can make his own latkes with nothing but his magic spoon. To make them even better, the folk of Chelm start to loan him ingredients until they are feasting on the perfect latkes.

Young Kotoshi is supposed to be the yearly sacrifice to appease the local dragon. But when she finds the dragon grief-stricken over her dying pup, she uses her healing skills to save the pup.  In gratitude, the dragon promises that no harm will ever come to the village.

Young Kate Fotheringay is refused entrance to Miss Perkle’s School for Young Witches, until one of her spells saves the school and causes Miss Perkle to reconsider.

Young Hamid, is bound as a servant to rug merchants that he believes are his aunt and uncle, until one day a beautiful but ghostly figure hands him an old carpet. Both the woman and the carpet seem remotely familiar and, indeed, they lead to Hamid being reunited with his father, a prince, while the abusive couple get their comeuppance.

When a young orphaned girl comes to live with Old Vanka, he tells her of his yearly search for the goat that leaves jewels wherever he stamps his silver hoof.

Rooster is wondering how to untangle his lucky bobber when mean Old Man Bockenweiler comes strolling down the path. While Rooster hides, his dreaded enemy stops, untangles the bobber, neatly rolls the line and leaves Rooster’s fishing pole by his can of worms, showing Rooster a surprisingly kind side of the Old Man.

A lovely verbal rhythm develops as three squirrels, foot, foot-foot and foot-foot-foot, attempt to eat all the nuts on the tangliest ol’ giant of a nut tree in the bottom of the holler.

Farmers Abel, Nagel and Zeke could argue about anything, and did. But when they started to argue about which of them owned the moon, their wives said enough was enough and demanded they go into town and talk to the Teacher who settled their argument in a very clever fashion

A grumpy and friendless old woman begrudgingly gives a weary traveler a bed for the night. In exchange the traveler gives the old woman a magic kerchief. Wearing her new kerchief, the old woman’s curt and hateful words come out compliments as warm as sunshine, bringing with it the riches of new found friends.

For a minor crime, Howard and Francis must stay at their desks for recess. Left to their own devices, they climb through the trap door above the cloak room only to find W. T. Mellon, founder of their school and dead these many years, living in a room filled with books and overflowing with information, including where teachers come from.

When the emperor dies, no man in the kingdom is brave enough to be tested by the great dragon. It is only the emperor’s daughter Si-Ling who has the courage to face the dragon and test her skill against his riddles. Solving the three riddles she ascends the throne with the dragon’s best wishes and rules with courage, heart and wisdom the rest of her days.

While eating his morning cereal, Jamie is confronted by two 5 centimeter aliens named Zzyxc and Xthyyz. Jamie suggests that there lives would be a lot simpler if they had names like Alan. The aliens think this a brilliant idea, give up their plan of conquest and head home to rename their planet, and all of its inhabitants, Alan.

Dahoe, Maine boasted its very own evil wizard—it said so right on the sign over his door, "Evil Wizard Books, Z. Smallbone, Prop." But Mr. Smallbone’s apprentices never stayed long, that is until young Nick Chanticleer arrived.

In a modern day twist on a well known fairy tale, Cinderella can’t seem to convince her fairy god-mother that she just wants to stay home and read a good book.

When a young couple moves into a remote valley, they assure the local trolls that they mean no harm. As the years pass the trolls come to love the couple and they the trolls. Unfortunately the family’s prosperity brings development to the valley and eventually the trolls have to move north, leaving behind a precious gift for their friends.

It’s always a good day to fight pirates, especially if you’re a dragon and a boy, friends for life. Even if you mother keeps telling you that the is no such thing as “people” and that you must curb your dragon imagination.

Gyffes Llaw is the finest shoemaker in Wales and the Princess of Wales goes barefoot for lack of good shoes. But it won’t be easy for Gyffes to win her heart. “I will marry, but the man I wed must come to me neither on horse nor on foot.  He must welcome me neither inside nor out.  He must stand above me yet remain beneath.”

The first of three lovely, interconnected stories about nurse Mary Breckinridge who created the Frontier Nursing Service and spent her life riding the isolated hills of Appalachia bringing medicine to their poorest residents and building clinics.

Arcite, the coldest queen, feels neither joy nor sorrow. At the suggestion of her High Counselor, Arcite sets out on an adventure in hopes of finding both. In her chance encounter with the great Bully Legged Bogle, she finds, at last, both sorrow and great joy.