The Wild Swans by Jackie Morris

review  by Maryom 

About eighteen months ago, writer and artist Jackie Morris and publishers Frances Lincoln came together to produce a little gem of a book East of the Sun, West of the Moon 
beautifully written, exquisitely illustrated, bringing new life to an old folk tale in a format designed to appeal to both old and young. All it lacked was a companion or two. Now it has one - a re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson's The Wild Swans.
It's a tale familiar from childhood; eleven princes are turned into swans by their step-mother, and their sister, Eliza,  is the only one who can rescue them. Folk tale curses and enchantments are usually lifted by someone having to undertake a daunting, possibly life-risking, task or journey; here the task is maybe not so dangerous, but certainly very painful - Eliza must gather, thresh and spin nettles (bare-hand and footed) and then knit shirts from the thread, while never speaking a word to anyone! As Eliza goes about her task, more obstacles hinder her; sometimes people believing they're taking care of her, sometimes people wishing her harm. In the author's own words "It is a story about love, endurance, magic, silence and communication, misunderstandings, mistakes, courage". And it proves that the feisty young heroine isn't just an invention of modern fiction.

These books are perfect for those of us who, while still enthralled by folk or fairy tales, feel ourselves a little too old for 'children's books'. At 173 pages the story is longer than the brief version offered to small children, giving time for characters to be developed beyond the stereotypical doting sister, cursed prince or evil step-mother. Jackie Morris' illustrations are, as always, a delight - a fairy-tale world evoked in watercolours, and reproduced in several double-page spreads and smaller gems scattered among the text. This is above all a book that feels special, with attention to the little details so often skimped on - heavy pages, 'proper' binding, the title embossed on the slip-cover; a true gift of a book.



 See Jackie Morris reading from The Wild Swans here on You Tube

 Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - folk tale, age? almost any!

The Emperor's Nightingale and other feathery tales by Jane Ray

 review by Maryom/The Mole

Written and illustrated by Jane Ray, this book brings together 12 stories and poems from around the world with a 'feathery' theme; some familiar - The Owl and the Pussycat, Noah's Ark or Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince - some less so Heron and Hummingbird - a feathery Native American version of Tortoise and Hare - or The Jackdaw of Rheims.

Illustrated using a scraperboard technique that gives an image similar to engraving or woodcuts, the pages don't have that instant colourful look that attracts younger children but I think will appeal to older ones more.

Being a mix of stories and poems, they vary a lot in length - from as short as two pages to as long as thirty and not all of the stories enjoy happy endings which make some of them not suitable for bed time reading. Each tale has a short introduction explaining it's origins and many illustrations - some small, some full page - each with one or two colours.

The series is entitled "The Story Collector" and I am sure this book will appeal to an older generation of collectors who will be able to add to their collection in 2014 with The Little Mermaid and Other Fishy Tales  followed later by Hairy Tales and Whiskery Tales.


Publisher - Boxer Books
Genre - short stories, folk tales, children's illustrated story book

Buy The Emperors Nightingale and Other Feathery Tales from Amazon

Breaking the Spell: Stories of Mystery and Magic from Scotland by Lari Don

review by Maryom

Breaking the Spell is a collection of ten stories brought together by story-teller Lari Don, all with a special Scottish feel to them. Drawn from all over the country, from the Borders to Skye in the west and Orkney in the north, some are about traditional Scottish creatures such as selkies or kelpies, others have more universal origins such as riddle-guessing or the tales that account for the making of stone circles. Some I found familiar; some I hadn't heard before.

The stories include - School for Heroes, King of the Black Art, The Selkie's Toes, Tam Linn, Loch Fada Kelpie, Whuppity Stoorie, The Ring of Brodgar, The Three Questions, The Monster of Raasay and the Witch of Lochlann - all stories that the author has told many times at story-telling events in schools, libraries and elsewhere around Scotland. There are stories of witches and giants, warriors and fairy queens, and, of course, the human boys and girls who manage to out-wit them.

Accompanied throughout by quirky cartoon-style illustrations by Cate James, this is the sort of book that can be read for the very young, maybe as bedtime stories as like all good fairy stories they all have a happy ending, or older children could read them for themselves.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - picture book, folk tale, Scotland

 Buy Breaking the Spell: Stories of Magic and Mystery from Scotland from Amazon

Little Evie in the Wild Wood by Jackie Morris and Catherine Hyde

review by Maryom

Come with Little Evie  for a walk through the Wild Woods, as she carries her basket laden with jam tarts. The tension builds as Little Evie wanders further into the wood, till the sunlight is just a glimmer in the distance. What is waiting for her, hiding in the shadows beneath the trees..

   "Great eyes, the better to see her with
     Great ears, the better to hear her call ...."


Drawing inspiration from Little Red Riding Hood, here is a tale that shows that wild places are not necessarily full of danger.  

This is the first joint project from two of my favourite artists. Catherine Hyde's dark, brooding style of painting perfectly complements Jackie Morris' poetic prose, both evoking the shadowy world of the Wild Wood, pierced by shafts of sunlight, filled with the rustlings of birds and small creatures.

This is a book to share in many ways; an ideal 'happy ending' bedtime story to read to a small child, or for an older one to read to themselves or search out the woodland creatures hiding in the forest's depths, or maybe - and this what I'd like to do - take it out to your nearest wood and share the things that Little Evie sees and hears; listen to

    "the birdsong
       and the sound of the greenwood,
         leaves growing, twigs cracking,
           the rustle of beetles
             and the buzzing of bees"

A gorgeous book that I'm sure many children will treasure for years and years.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - picture book, folk tale,  

You can of course buy Little Evie in the Wild Wood from Amazon but the authors are running a special competition through a selection of independent retailers - details of which can be found here along with more pictures of Little Evie.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Jackie Morris

 review by Maryom

Most of us have heard this story of the prince, changed by a troll into a bear and only able to be released, under certain strict conditions, by a young girl who loves him. When the conditions aren't met, he is imprisoned and the girl must search for the castle, east of the sun and west of the moon, to free him. Here Jackie Morris brings us a new twist on this old folk tale.

I've long been a fan of Jackie Morris's delightfully illustrated children's books but this is bit of a departure for her - aimed at an older readership, this time the emphasis is on words not pictures and proves that the author can conjure up images with both! I can't sum up the tale better than Jackie Morris herself, as quoted on the fly-leaf ; "It is a coming of age story, a love story, a leaving home and going out into the world story. It is a journey, an adventure, a love story that in the writing took unexpected turns".

East of the Sun, West of the Moon is a gorgeous little gem of a book, just over 160 pages long, 6 by 7 inches, stitched together in the old-fashioned way, which had me enthralled and enchanted. The achingly beautiful story of finding love and freedom moves from the dirty city back-streets of the 'real' world to 'fairy tale' landscapes of desert or woods or ice, interspersed with beautiful full page and smaller illustrations.

A rare book that is as lovely to look at and hold as it is to read.


Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - folk tale, 11+, adult
The publishers suggest a target age of 11 to 14 but this is a book that will very much appeal to adult lovers of folk stories too.

The Famous Adventures of Jack by Berlie Doherty

Review by The Mole

We've all heard the story of Jack haven't we? Well, we've all heard stories of at least one Jack be it Uncle Jack, Daft Jack, Jack the Giant Killer or one of the many other Jacks. This is the story of some of them. When Jill asks for Jack then Mother Greenwood tries to find out which Jack by recounting some of the stories and, naturally, we are privileged to listen in too.

But the retelling is not done as a disjointed separation of Mother Greenwood's telling and the separate story of Jill but rather as one smooth flowing narrative that makes the reading a true delight and extremely engaging.

A wonderful balance of light hearted reading. One for young children to enjoy time and again or to be shared, occasionally, as a bed time reader.

Publisher - Catnip
Genre - Children's Fairytale Fiction, 7+

Buy The Famous Adventures of Jack from Amazon

Firebird by Saviour Pirotta with paintings by Catherine Hyde

Stunningly Illustrated Folk Tale
review by Maryom

The Firebird is a traditional Russian folk-tale, the inspiration behind Stravinsky's ballet of the same name, retold here by renowned children's author, Saviour Pirotta, and complimented by a series of stunningly atmospheric paintings by artist, Catherine Hyde.
The story tells of King Vaslav who finds his golden apples are being stolen, one by one, and he wants the culprit caught. His three sons set about trying to catch the thief but it's only his third, and "useless", son, Ivan, that has any success. Befriended by a grey wolf, Ivan sets out on a quest to find the Firebird and, as in all good tales, rescue a princess. But can he resist the temptations that lie in his way?

Saviour Pirotta's prose is clear and traditional, while maintaining the necessary poetry of a folk tale. Catherine Hyde's beautiful, moody paintings capture the ethereal, shadowy half-world of magical, talking, shape-shifting beasts complimenting but not detracting from the spell-binding story. The two aspects combine to create a very special book, likely to appeal to both children and adults but if you're looking for bright primary coloured, cartoon style illustrations then this is NOT the book for you!


Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Templar
Genre - Folk tale, Children's

Buy Firebird from Amazon

You might also like The Princess' Blankets with words by Carol Anne Duffy and illustrations by Catherine Hyde

Robin Hood by David Calcutt

illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith
Review by Maryom and The Mole

David Calcutt retells nine of the best known tales of Robin Hood starting with how he became an outlaw, his meetings with Little John and Maid Marion, Friar Tuck and Allan-a-dale, his skirmishes with the Sheriff and his men, and, of course, Robin's amazing skill with bow and arrow.

I have always wondered where the stories originated and what basis new stories had. Calcutt explains the original sources as being ballads contemporary to the the time and then rather than retelling the stories in the way we all know and repeat them, he has gone back to the Victorian collections and then retold them in his own words.

These are all tales I feel I've known for ever  - I come from Nottinghamshire and played inside the Major Oak as a child and had several collections of Robin Hood stories but I've never seen such a gorgeously illustrated collection. Every page is not just illustrated but each page almost looks watermarked with a woodlandy feel.

I'm not quite sure whether to describe this as a picture book. It IS illustrated throughout but 'picture book' doesn't really seem to do it justice.

The stories of Robin Hood are amongst those that every child should know and enjoy in their own collection and this is the nicest collection that I have ever seen.

Our Review - 5 stars
Publisher - Barefoot Books
Genre - Folk/Fairy Tales, Picture Book

Buy Robin Hood from Amazon

The Wish-Bringer by Geraldine McCaughrean

Illustrated by Jana Diemberger
Review by The Mole

Monacello is a character from Italian folk tales, who came from Naples and was seen to bring luck, sometimes good but sometimes bad. Not a pretty little chap, he dressed a little like a monk and had two caps, one black for mischief and one red for good luck.

This book is the second of a trilogy and tells various tales of his naivety and mischief making around Naples.

Aimed at the 8-10 year old reader, the illustrations depict an unattractive monk-like figure that oozes mischief - something that will appeal to it's readers and while Monacello brings good luck he doesn't do it very well and prefers his mischief. The illustrations are dark and spooky but depict the tone of the story and the under city in which Monacello lives.

The telling is light hearted and appealing and perhaps a little reminiscent of AA Milne's Winnie The Pooh while all the time underlining the darker side of Naples' life at that time.

A story that will appeal to children who like the darker side of stories (ghosts, vampires and stories of revenge) and the underdog winning through.

Publisher - Phoenix Yard Books
Genre - Children 8-10, Folk Tales, illustrated story book

Buy The Wish-Bringer (Monacello) from Amazon

Grimm's Fairy Tales by Saviour Pirotta

The Return of an Old Favourite
review by Maryom

Much like a golden-oldie record this story collection is having a re-release. We bought it under its old title of The Sleeping Princess, many years ago when our youngest daughter was a toddler and it was in great demand as a bedtime storybook. It's now back in the shops with a new cover and title but the stories remain as enchanting - and frightening - as ever.
Saviour Pirotta retells ten of Grimm's well known folk tales, including favourites such as Rumplestiltskin, Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel, all of which are vividly brought to life by Emma Chichester Clark's lively colourful illustrations. Fairy tales are always in fashion, remaining firm favourites with parents and children alike, despite passing trends.

Our copy was much loved and read, and hopefully this new edition will find loving homes with many more children.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Orchard Books
Genre - childrens, fairy stories

Buy The Orchard Book of Grimm's Fairy Tales from Amazon

The Princess' Blankets - words by Carol Ann Duffy, paintings by Catherine Hyde

Total Enchantment
review by Maryom

This is a gorgeous little number I treated myself to when I met Catherine Hyde, the artist behind the illustrations, at Art in Action last month. I've been a fan of her paintings for a while but have neither the money nor the wall space to indulge myself in buying all those I like. I knew she'd painted the illustrations for this book but had been unable to find it anywhere in a bookshop and, wanting to see and handle it first, didn't want to buy it over the web.

The story by Carol Ann Duffy tells of a princess who is always cold and of the hard-eyed stranger who attempts to warm her - with devastating consequences. A fable for modern times, set in the timelessness of fairy-tale but with a pertinent message about destruction of the environment.
Interpreted throughout by Catherine Hyde's wonderfully atmospheric paintings - highlighted in foil with spot varnish to make them shimmer and shine, it isn't possible to reproduce the beauty of the illustrations via the web.
The Princess' Blankets is a real treasure of a book, a thing of beauty in itself, that will appeal equally to children and adults. I could imagine reading it to an entranced toddler at bedtime but fortunately don't have one to try to claim MY book off of me.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Templar
Genre - Picture book? Children's? - yes, but so much more than a mere bedtime book.

Buy The Princess' Blankets from Amazon