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You are here: Home / Archives for tales

Illustrated Tales of Dwarfs, Gnomes and Fairy Folk ill. Daniela Drescher ed. Ineke Verschuren

January 14, 2022 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 14 Jan 2022

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Meet helpful dwarfs, mischievous gnomes and powerful fairy folk in this sumptuously illustrated storybook anthology of classic European folk tales.  Much-loved stories such as ‘Kate Crackernuts’, ‘Tom Tit Tot’ and ‘The Griffin’ take readers on a journey through Europe as they climb snowy mountains, delve deep underground and wonder at beautiful palaces.

This unique collection celebrates the rich folklore tradition of Europe, including dwarfs from Flanders, fairies from Scotland and gnomes from Austria, splendidly illustrated by Daniela Drescher, one of Germany’s best-loved illustrators. A treasure of a book.

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

 

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A post shared by Daniela Drescher (@danieladrescher_studio)

Filed Under: BookOfTheDay, Classics, Gift, Illustrated, Poetry/Tales Tagged With: Europe, folklore, tales, traditional

The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales by Alice & Martin Provensen

November 8, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 9 Nov 2021
Spectator Best Children’s Books 2021

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Back in print some half a century after it first appeared, thanks to the New York Review Children’s Collection.

Alice and Martin Provensen were one of the most talented husband-and-wife author-illustrator teams of the twentieth century. A long-out-of-print cult classic, The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales is a treasury of illustrated fairy tales from authors such as A. A. Milne, Hans Christian Andersen, and Oscar Wilde. Here too are clever retellings and newly imagined tales: refined old favourites like Arthur Rackham’s “Beauty and the Beast,” feminist revisions like Elinor Mordaunt’s “The Prince and the Goose Girl,” and sensitive stories by literary stylists like Henry Beston’s “The Lost Half-Hour” and Katharine Pyle’s “The Dreamer.”

Alice (1918-2018) and Martin Provensen (1916-1987) illustrated more than forty books together, nineteen of which they also wrote or edited. They were runners-up for the Caldecott Medal in 1982 for their illustrations of Nancy Willard’s A Visit To William Blake’s Inn and won the award outright two years later for The Glorious Flight, a book they wrote and illustrated themselves.

Alice Provensen obituary (NYT)
Martin Provensen obituary (NYT)

 

Filed Under: BookOfTheDay, Classics, Illustrated, Poetry/Tales Tagged With: classics, reissue, stories, tales

Welsh Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends – Scholastic Classics by Claire Fayers

May 11, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

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This book includes traditional favourites and classic myths and legends from Welsh folklore. 18 Welsh fairy tales, myths and legends in a perfect, child-friendly package. Beautiful new edition of retellings – including the story of how the Welsh flag came to have a red dragon on it, and other home-grown magical myths and legends

Look out for the others in the series: Irish Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends, Scottish Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends, and Stories From Around the World

Filed Under: Classics Tagged With: legends, myths, tales

The Lost Fairy Tales retold by Isabel Otter ill. Anna Sender

September 2, 2019 By achuka Leave a Comment

This enchanting anthology of 20 overlooked and forgotten fairy tales has been collected from different cultures around the world. Every story features a strong female heroine, who approaches life with humour, wit, cunning and bravery. None of these heroines needs rescuing.

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Filed Under: Poetry/Tales Tagged With: tales

How About: A Pair of Traditional Scottish Tales

December 7, 2014 By achuka Leave a Comment

TamLinn

Published in Floris book’s Picture Kelpies: Traditional Tale series, this is a very satisfactory retelling, sumptuously illustrated, handsomely presented and attractively priced. Recommended for all children’s and school libraries but also as an individual gift.

Another equally good title in the same series:
The Dragon Stoorworm, retold by Theresa Breslin, ill. Matthew Land

And here is a video showing Philip Longson at work on the illustrations for Tam Linn:

http://www.achuka.co.uk/reviews/?p=506

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: illustration, Scottish, tales, traditional, video

How About: These Three From Frances LIncoln

September 16, 2013 By achuka Leave a Comment

book jacket

Breaking The Spell: Stories of Magic and Mystery from Scotland

by Lari Don ill. Cate James

A wide-ranging collection, perfect for reading aloud.

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book jacket

Two Nests

by Laurence Anholt ill Jim Coplestone

I found this really delightful. It’s a rhyming picture book that very gently addresses the topic of parental separation. Anholt’s rhythmic verse is pitch-perfect.

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And thirdly

A B C London

by James Dunn & Kate Slater

a city-themed alphabet

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: aloud, Scotland, Scottish, story-telling, tales, traditional

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