From Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents (Condra Enterprises, 2005). One day, the Buddha and a large following of monks and nuns were passing through a village. The Buddha chose a large shade tree to sit beneath so the group could rest awhile out of the heat. He often…

About two hundred years ago, lots of people in North America and in Europe were discovering all kinds of wondrous things in the ground. They found coal to burn for fuel, iron for making machinery, nickel for creating tools and candlesticks and other useful items….

Adapted from Stories in Faith by Gail Forsyth-Vail, a Tapestry of Faith Toolkit book (Boston: UUA, 2007). Used with permission. Once there was a little girl named Cecilia who fell in love with the universe….

(Leader: Invite the group to join you in singing the chorus of “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Teach the words and tune, if needed. Tell them that any time during the story they hear you start to sing, they should join in.) …

Golden Rule versions from the book The Golden Rule. …

Adapted by Lynn Tuttle Gunney from Meet Jesus: The Life and Lessons of a Beloved Teacher by Lynn Tuttle Gunney (Skinner House, 2007), available from inSpirit: The UU Book and Gift Shop.This is the story of Jesus, a beloved teacher….

(C) Uma Krishnaswami, 2006 in The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha (Little Rock: August House, 1996). Reprinted by permission of the author.When Ganesha was a small child, he often amused himself by playing on the forested slopes of Mount Kailasa. Sometimes he would invent games,…

Once upon a time, in a land to the east, a Dervish holy man and their student were walking from one village to the next. Suddenly they saw a great huge cloud of dust rising in the distance. They stood and stared at a grand carriage, pulled by six horses approaching at a full gallop. Riding on top…

From The Everything Seed by Carole Martignacco, illustrated by Joy Troyer, (Berkeley, California: Tricycle Press, 2006). Used with permission. Carole Martignacco is a poet, singer, grandmother, and former RE director. A Unitarian Universalist minister, she currently serves as minister to the…

From CIRCLE ROUND by Starhawk and Diane Baker and Anne Hill, copyright (C) 2000 by Miriam Simas, Anne Hill and Diane Baker. Used by permission of Batman Books, a division of Random House, Inc.Circle round, and I’ll tell you a story about when the sun was born again ……

Based on a tale told in the 1700s by the Jewish teacher, Jacob ben Wolf Kranz, Maggid of Dubno….

From Does God Have a Big Toe? Stories About Stories in the Bible (HarperTrophy, 1993). Used with permission. Jacob cried a lot. Jacob cried when he was happy. Jacob cried when he was sad. But mostly Jacob cried when he saw beautiful things….

“We Got Here Together,” by Kim Stafford, is reprinted by permission of the author from We Got Here Together, by Kim Stafford, illustrated by Debra Frasier, published by Harcourt Brace in 1994….

Based on a folk tale from Madagascar….