and Peg lay down on the floor, but she couldn't sleep. She twisted and turned all night, just couldn't get to sleep. There was something bad about that place, she could feel it right down into her bones. So she got up and she walked around the old woman's house. Now, she soon knew that the old woman was a witch, for in her kitchen she found a decanter that could never be emptied. She poured wine into it, turned it upside down, the wine flowed and flowed and flowed. Water same thing, milk same thing. Flowed and flowed. Never stopped. Then out in the barn, she found a lantern that could shine a half mile light. You didn't have to fill it. You didn't have to light it. All you had to do was touch it, and it shone for a half a mile. And touch it Peg did, and it shone for half a mile ... .Ð from Peg Bearskin Peg's big, ugly and hairy, but she has the wit, tenacity, and courage to outfox a witch and find husbands for her two beautiful sisters and one for herself as well. A typical folktale? Well, perhaps. But Peg is no typical heroine, and the ending of her story is no typical ending. This story was adapted by Philip Dinn and Andy Jones for "Jack-Five-Oh," a storytelling play written to mark the 50th anniversary of Newfoundland's entry into confederation with Canada; Mercedes Barry, who told the story in some versions of the play, helped refine the adaptation. Jones and Dinn created their version from that told by Mrs. Elizabeth Brewer of Freshwater, Placentia Bay, and collected in Herbert Halpert and John Widdowson's Folktales of Newfoundland. Elly Cohen's linocut illustrations perfectly capture the dark humour and beauty of the tale.

Peg Bearskin: A Traditional Newfoundland Tale

Children's Books

Jones, Andy

Dinn, Philip

Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths

Running the Goat

Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, not in your time, indeed not in my time, but in olden times, when quart bottles held half a gallon and houses were papered with pancakes and pigs run about with forks stuck in their backs seein who wanted a slice o' ham, there were two old people and they never had no children, and they figured they were too old to ever have any.So begins The Queen of Paradise's Garden, a wonderful adaptation of a traditional Newfoundland tale, and the first in an ongoing series that combines the telling wit and resonant language of acclaimed Newfoundland actor, writer and comedian Andy Jones with the charming illustrations of Slovenian-born puppeteer and artist Darka Erdelji. Of course, it's clear from the story's beginning that there are children on the way, and one of those children is Jack, the delightful, mischievous, big-hearted hero of so many Newfoundland tales. Told with the humour, warmth and sly wit that have made Jones one of the Island's finest and best-loved storytellers, The Queen of Paradise's Garden follows Jack on his way to the land of the Queen of Paradise, three miles this side of the end of the world, where he searches for a magic fruit to make his parents young again, and finds quite a few other handy things as well.The story is a free adaptation of a tale told by Albert Heber Keeping of Grand Bank, which he got from Billy Quann of Sagona Island; Keeping's version was published in Herbert Halpert and John Widdowson's seminal collection, Folktales of Newfoundland.

The Queen of Paradise's Garden: A traditional Newfoundland tale (A Jack Tale, 1)

Jack and the Manger retells the story of Jesus's birth as if it were a Newfoundland folktale. It's all seen through the eyes of Jack, the hero of many a story, who befriends a young couple on their walk to Bethlehem. There's a bit of 'angel talk', some gravel pit camping, an edge-of-your-seat birth drama, and the low-down on how Caesar Augustus's Ôcount-and-tax plan' brought them all together. It's a down-to-earth version of a heavenly tale.Gentle, playful, and very funny, Jack and the Manger is the second in an on-going series of Jack tales, combining the talents of Andy Jones, one of Newfoundland's finest storytellers and actors, and Darka Erdelji, one of its most distinctive artists. It was a Christmas sensation in St. John's when it was first published, and is sure to please even the most Grinch-like of readers.Erdelji, whose illustrations for The Queen of Paradise's Garden were widely praised, captures the sly wit, intelligence and great heartedness of Jones's tale in her pictures once again. Jack and the Manger is a fine Christmas tale for young and old alike.

Jack and the Manger: A Christmas Jack Tale (A Jack Tale, 2)

Jack and the Manger retells the story of Jesus's birth as if it were a Newfoundland folktale. It's all seen through the eyes of Jack, the hero of many a story, who befriends a young couple on their walk to Bethlehem. There's a bit of Ôangel talk', some gravel pit camping, an edge-of-your-seat birth drama, and the low-down on how Caesar Augustus's Ôcount-and-tax plan' brought them all together. It's a down-to-earth version of a heavenly tale.Gentle, playful and very funny, Jack and the Manger is the second in an on-going series of Jack tales, combining the talents of Andy Jones, one of Newfoundland's finest storytellers and actors, and Darka Erdelji, one of its most distinctive artists. It was a Christmas sensation in St. John's when it was first published, and is sure to please even the most Grinch-like of readers.Erdelji, whose illustrations for The Queen of Paradise's Garden were widely praised, captures the sly wit, intelligence and great heartedness of Jones's tale in her pictures once again.Jack and the Manger is a fine Christmas tale for young and old alike.

Jack and the Manger: A Christmas Jack Tale

Holidays & Celebrations

Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves (A Jack Tale, 3)

Award-winning storyteller Andy Jones and acclaimed illustrator Darka Erdelji are back with another whimsical, wise, and witty 'Jack tale' -- the third in their on-going series. Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves finds Jack, that everyman of folktales, married to his sweetheart Mary, the best woman ever born and a mighty fine baker to boot. Their lives are as happy and successful as can be, until an underhanded sea captain and Jack's own bragging get the better of our hero. Jack is sent to work on Slave Islands, and Mary is turned out of house and home. But Mary is resolute and resourceful, and has plans to find Jack and restore their fortunes. With a hidden key, a storm at sea, and a singing mynah bird named Baxter who carries more than his share of tunes, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves will delight youngsters and oldsters alike. As a special bonus, the melodies of all of Baxter's songs are included, so that readers can learn them, sing them, and share them.

Award-winning storyteller Andy Jones and acclaimed illustrator Darka Erdelji are back with another whimsical, wise, and witty 'Jack tale' -- the third in their on-going series.  Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves  finds Jack, that everyman of folktales, married to his sweetheart Mary, the best woman ever born and a mighty fine baker to boot. Their lives are as happy and successful as can be, until an underhanded sea captain and Jack's own bragging get the better of our hero. Jack is sent to work on Slave Islands, and Mary is turned out of house and home. But Mary is resolute and resourceful, and has plans to find Jack and restore their fortunes.  With a hidden key, a storm at sea, and a singing mynah bird named Baxter who carries more than his share of tunes, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves  will delight youngsters and oldsters alike. As a special bonus, the melodies of all of Baxter's songs are included, so that readers can learn them, sing them, and share them.

Jude Traynor has served his time in prison and now he's heading back to his hometown on the Southern Shore of Newfoundland. But first, he has to come to terms with who he was and what happened one night, years before, when he was barely seventeen years old. Joel Thomas Hynes's stunning exploration of guilt and remorse, of love and regret, received raves as an award-winning stage play; this is the novella that inspired the play, available at last in print. Hynes's pitch perfect ear for voice and his remarkable sense of dramatic cadence combine to form a story of great power and ultimately great humanity. This is Newfoundland Gothic at its best. Cover image and other drawings by Gerald L. Squires.

Say Nothing Saw Wood

Literature & Fiction

Hynes, Joel Thomas

Literary

Jack, the King of Ashes (A Jack Tale, 4)

Award-winning storyteller Andy Jones and illustrator Darka Erdelji are back, with Jack, the King of Ashes Ð another riotously funny Jack tale. This time Jack spends all his time hove off in the coal box. Then one day he shakes off those ashes and sets out on an adventure that includes sneaky robbers, a "famous missing princess with reward attached", an always-surprising canine sidekick, a royal wedding, a lovelorn rooster-puppet, a conniving ship's captain, corpses, curses, kisses, coats and a whole lot more! Steeped in Newfoundland folk tradition, Jack, the King of Ashes shows CODCO alumnus Andy Jones at the top of his form. His quirky and delightful humour is unstoppable. Darka Erdelji's illustrations offer a wonderful, witty counterpoint to the story, enriching and embellishing it. Jones and Erdelji's last collaboration, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves won the 2012 BMO Winterset Award honouring excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador literature in any genre.

An Old Man's Winter Night: Ghostly Tales is the newest collection of ghost stories by Tom Dawe, one of Newfoundland and Labrador's most distinguished writers. The stories, all based on ones Dawe himself has collected across the province over the years, include tales of visitations both malevolent and benign. There are stories of ghostly galleons, of unsettling graves, of strange omens and fetches; an eerie tale of a notoriously haunted house - haunted, or built on a fairy path; and another of a ghostly sled dog that returns to save its master lost in a blizzard.Targeted to middle readers, the book includes original, deeply atmospheric illustrations by acclaimed artist Veselina Tomova. The images, as powerful as the stories themselves, fuse word and image, hauntingly.These are chilling tales - perfect for reading or telling by the fireside on a cold winter's night.

An Old Man's Winter Night: Ghostly Tales

Dawe, Tom

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Books by Running the Goat

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Running the Goat publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Peg Bearskin: A Traditional Newfoundland Tale

The Queen of Paradise's Garden: A traditional Newfoundland tale (A Jack Tale, 1)

Jack and the Manger: A Christmas Jack Tale (A Jack Tale, 2)

Jack and the Manger: A Christmas Jack Tale

Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves (A Jack Tale, 3)

Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves (A Jack Tale, 3)

Say Nothing Saw Wood

Jack, the King of Ashes (A Jack Tale, 4)

Jack, the King of Ashes (A Jack Tale, 4)

An Old Man's Winter Night: Ghostly Tales