Stories from different parts of the world —across cultures, religions, and times. We encounter fools and herb women, rabbis and Zen masters; the poor and the rich face one another; neighbors quarrel, friends save each other from drowning, and mysterious fruits hold seeds of hope. Sometimes poetic and gentle, sometimes cheerful and mischievous, these stories speak of empathy and tolerance, of justice, love, and friendship. They lead us to villages and kingdoms, into deserts and forests, to riverbanks and marketplaces — to places where people meet, misunderstand one another, argue, help, and reconcile.

Karin Tscholl is a collector and storyteller of folktales and stories from around the world. Her repertoire includes more than 150 stories, the shortest told in just 33 seconds and the longest lasting 50 minutes. Karin Tscholl lives near Innsbruck. This collection is her ninth book. 

Almuth Mota is an illustrator and book artist. She is especially inspired by simple line work and luminous colors, reminiscent of the intricate borders and patterns found in old books. This is the fourth collaboration between the author and the illustrator.