The following three tales are adapted from stories told by the peasants in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. They are drawn from some books I found in shops when I visited the former U.S.S.R. in 1988 as part of a citizen diplomacy group.

These stories share a common theme —the poor peasant is able to succeed despite obstacles against an unfair ruler. He does so by being wise and generous, and having a strong desire to help and protect his family. Generally, the rich merchant or powerful ruler is foiled by his own greed and stupidity.

The following stories come from the Ukraine, Latvia, and Turkmen. These are three of my favorite stories.

GINI GRAHAM SCOTT, Ph.D., J.D., CEO of Changemakers Publishing and Writing, is an internationally known known writer, speaker, and workshop leader. She has published over 50 books with major publishers on various topics and has written over 3 dozen children's books. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She does workshops on self-publishing and creativity, and she helps clients write books and self-publish them or find publishers and agents.