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

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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:

Rabunzel: Fairy Tales for the Fearless by Gareth P Jones ill. Loretta Schauer

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A uniquely silly and rebellious twist on a favourite fairy tale – with a fabulously foiled cover!

“Rabunzel, Rabunzel, let down your ears!…”

Rabunzel has a teeny tufty tail, a twitchy nose and two wide brown eyes. She also has VERY long ears – so long that her mother worries they will make her easy bait for the hungry creatures of the forest. The answer? Rabunzel must be kept safe … in towering hutch, high in the sky. Here Rabunzel waits grumpily for her mother’s daily visit with carrots and fresh lettuce, letting down her ears so she can climb up the tower. But one day, it isn’t her mother who climbs up Rabunzel’s very long ears…

How About: A Pair of Traditional Scottish Tales

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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

How About: These Three From Frances LIncoln

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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

Mark Coker: New Smashwords Research Helps Authors and Publishers Sell More Ebooks

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Short extract from the findings of an interesting, indepth survey into ebook sales and pricing. Highly recommended:

huff

An indie ebook author earns about $2.00 from the sale of a $2.99 book. That book, on average, will sell four times as many units as a book priced over $10.00. In order for a traditionally published author to earn $2.00 on an ebook sale, the book must be priced at $11.42 (if the publisher has agency terms, as Smashwords does) or $16.00 (if it’s a wholesale publisher). Remember, traditionally published authors earn only 25% of the net, whereas Smashwords authors earn 85% net. If your book is traditionally published, and your publisher sells under the wholesale pricing model, you earn only about $1.25 for a book priced at $9.99, whereas an indie ebook author would earn $6.00-$8.00 at that price.

If a reader has the choice to purchase one of two books of equal quality, and one is priced at $2.99 and the other is priced at $12.99, which will they choose?

via Mark Coker: New Smashwords Research Helps Authors and Publishers Sell More Ebooks.