A World Full of Winter Stories

In the latest book in this wonderful series, Angela McAllister introduces her readers to a brilliant collection of stories, perfect for sharing on winter evenings. Gathered into six sections- Birds and Beasts, Tricks and Troubles, Ice and Snow, Quests and Journeys, Spirits and Magic and Christmas- there are fifty tales here from countries and cultures across the world.

Retold with great thought and care, each story is the perfect length for a bedtime story, offering plenty to enjoy and discuss. Each is accompanied by lovely illustrations which capture the frost and chill of the cold weather contrasting with the warmth and safety of indoors. There are so many wonderful tales here- ‘Salt on a Magpie’s Tale’, ‘The Silver Flute’, ‘The Ice Man’ and ‘The Spider and the Christmas Tree’. Some of the stories contain familiar characters- Anansi, Thor and Loki- whilst some seek to explain how or why things are as they are. There really is something to appeal to everyone in this collection!

The anthology also makes an invaluable addition to any teacher’s bookshelf. The stories are perfect for guided reading sessions, engaging and achievable with plenty to talk about and investigate. The stories are also wonderful for enjoying at the end of the day- and sure to encourage children to share traditional tales they have enjoyed at home.

I can’t recommend this series highly enough!

A World Full of Winter Stories:

50 Folk Tales and Legends from Around the World

Angela McAllister, illustrated by Olga Baumert

Frances Lincoln ISBN: 978-0711277908

You can read my review of ‘A World Full of Nature Stories’ here and ‘Once Upon a Hillside’ here.

Animal Tales from India

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of listening to Nikita Gill, talking at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival about her new book, ‘Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from the Panchatantra’. She explained how these stories had formed an essential part of her childhood and she now wished to share them with other children as her grandmother had shared them with her. Originally written in Sanskrit, these ancient stories are a collection of interwoven animal fables, full of wonder and wisdom, humour and heart.

Each tale speaks directly to the reader, creating that intimate feeling of storytelling which is such a feature of old stories, told and re-told through the generations. As with all fables, there is a clear moral to each tale, a thought which is presented at the end of the story, often with a touch of humour, keeping the tone light hearted. ‘The Blue Jackal’, Nikita’s favourite, reminds the reader about the importance of loyalty and family whilst ‘The Monkey and the Crocodile’ is about choosing your friends carefully. The stories are a joy to read aloud with plenty of opportunities to ‘do the voices’ and so much to discuss and enjoy!

The book itself is a thing of beauty. The jacket is wonderfully tactile with gold embossing, but this lifts off to reveal a glorious orange hardback with purple lettering and illustrations. An orange ribbon bookmark means you will never lose your place and every spread is beautifully illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat whose pictures are delightful.

This is a treasure of a book, perfect for sharing time and again, but also a collection of stories which will be revisited independently, as familiar friends.

Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from the Panchatantra

Nikita Gill, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

Nosy Crow ISBN: 978-1839944628

Rebel Folklore

Folklore or the stories ‘of the folk’ are central to all societies. Re-told and embellished with every telling, these tales are passed from generation to generation and are usually bursting with larger than life characters. In this fascinating collection, readers are introduced to 50 stories of ‘spirits, witches and other misfits’ and in the introduction, the author acknowledges the importance of reading the tales with ‘their original contexts in mind’, both to fully understand them and also to respect the cultures they emerged from.

The stories are gathered by continent, with the country of origin also indicated. A dramatic illustration accompanies the information about each character and with my copy, I received some lovely cards featuring these. Each section is really well written, offering plenty of information, making links between figures from one culture or time and another and encouraging readers to reflect on the role of these characters who are considered outsiders or misfits in some way.

A completely absorbing, engrossing collection for anyone with an interest in folklore -or for anyone who is intrigued by something a little different, this is perfect for a slightly older audience. It is a book which I will return to again and again!

Rebel Folklore:

Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga

Icy Sedgwick, illustrated by Melissa Jarram

DK ISBN: 978-0241623008

Blog Tour: Strange Tales- Bear Sister, Wolf Sister

I have had the great pleasure of hearing amazing storyteller, Daniel Morden, perform more than once, most recently at Hay Festival this year (you can read about it here), so I was delighted to be invited to take part in the Blog Tour for ‘Strange Tales’. This new collection focuses on the spookier side of life, offering deliciously dark stories to read, enjoy and re-tell again and again.

In the second story in the book, ‘Bear Sister, Wolf Sister’, a dark magician decides he wishes to marry one of two sisters who live at the foot of a mountain. Having turned her livestock into rocks and stones when she declined him, the magician turns the object of his desire into a bear and her sister into a wolf. When they find a human baby, the wolf sister sees it as food whilst the bear sister decides to nurture it and so they care for the child. Meanwhile, at the palace, the young prince has gone missing…

Skilfully told with themes of good and evil, of not being deceived by appearances and actions having consequences, this tale- like all those in this collection- begs to be read aloud. Committed to the page in very much the same way as a storyteller might perform it, there is an immediacy and energy which makes it a joy to read aloud- or to adapt and ‘tell’ in turn.

The story is sure to provoke much discussion. Every spell comes at a cost- the magician fails to realise that his casual use of magic to fulfil his own wishes is unwise and suffers the consequences. So many actions need consideration and those which grant our ‘wishes’ might not be the best path to follow! The ending of this story also offers an interesting twist- one sister chooses to stay in her animal form, feeling that this better suits her true nature…

With Hallowe’en and darker nights drawing nearer, ‘Strange Tales’ is perfect for this time of year. However, it is by no means limited to a seasonal treat. These tales speak of darker deeds, of stranger happenings, of twists of fate, of mystery and magic. It’s a wonderful collection, sure to be returned to again and again.

Strange Tales Daniel Morden

Firefly Press ISBN: 978-1915444172

Thank you to the lovely Firefly Press for asking me to take part in this tour. Make sure you follow on to find out more about the other stories in this collection.

Stories of Peace and Kindness for a Better World

Well known for her excellent writing, Elizabeth Laird has re-told seven inspirational stories from around the world which illustrate the values of generosity, love and kindness. The importance of remembering and discussing these values has never been greater, making this collection perfect for sharing both at home and at school. It is a beautiful book- a real must have for all story-lovers!

Folk tales are the ancient wonders of the world…

In her introduction, Elizabeth Laird explains why she has chosen to include each of these stories and notes at the end of the book show the sources she has drawn on for her versions. ‘The Dog Fight’, for example, was narrated to her. This wonderful story would be perfect for sharing with a class after one of ‘those’ playtimes where the most trivial event has divided children and caused problems!

Full of fabulous illustrations, this collection would work really well for Guided Reading- or a short texts to use with a whole class. There is plenty to explore in each one, with vocabulary as well as ideas to discuss, lots to inspire writing in role and links to be made with other areas of learning. But perhaps these stories are best enjoyed in the way they always been enjoyed- as tales told to an enraptured audience!

Stories of Peace and Kindness for a Better World

Elizabeth Laird, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini

Otter Barry Books ISBN: 978-1913074296

Meet Angela McAllister

Author of more than 50 books, Angela McAllister is a very talented and versatile writer of work for all ages. Her series of ‘Full of’ books- collections on different themes- are very popular and it was when ‘A Year Full of Stories’ was shortlisted for the North Somerset Teachers’ Book Awards Quality Fiction Category in 2017 that I met Angela. I was delighted when she agreed to join me on the Bookshelf today.

Photo: Emily Beale Photography

1.       What three things would you like your readers to know about you and what one secret are you prepared to share?

When I was young, I didn’t have many books of my own, but I was often taken to the library. It was a great excitement to carry home a pile of adventures in my arms. Opening the cover of each book felt like opening a door into a new world and I’ve never lost that thrill of anticipation – where will a book take me, who will I meet, what will happen?    

We didn’t have computers when I grew up, or lovely notebooks to write in, but I was so keen to capture the stories in my head that I’d scribble them down on anything I could find - bus tickets, paper bags, old envelopes - and when I had nothing else, I’d take one of my parents’ books from the shelf and write on the blank pages at the end of that!

My greatest passion outside writing is archaeology. I’m fascinated by the past and get involved with local surveys and excavations. I have a precious collection of prehistoric artefacts, one of which – a flint arrowhead - appears in my new book, ‘Once Upon a Hillside’. My happy place is a muddy hole with a trowel in hand.

The secret I’ll share is that I wrote a novel called ‘The Tide Turner’, which is set beneath the ocean - but when I swim I never put my head under the water! That shows where imagination can take you.

 2. Leon and the Place Between and Winter’s Child are two of my favourite picture books. What was the inspiration for ‘Leon’?

Although I’ve written about many subjects, I’d always kept away from magic because it seemed tricky - if you have magic you can do whatever you want in a story so you have to use it with great care. Eventually, however, I couldn’t resist, but I had to find my own way of approaching it. As a writer I’m interested in the edge of things, in boundaries where you meet the limit of what you know, because that’s the place where you can look beyond and discover something new about yourself or about the world, so I started to think about the edge of magic…the boundary between reality and what lies beyond…and that gave me the idea for the Place Between.

3. Your ‘Full of’ series is incredibly popular. Are there going to be more titles in the series?

Yes, I’ve written seven so far and now I’m working on ‘A World Full of Winter Stories’. All through the hot summer I was lost in the icy realms of the Frost King with polar bears, snow maidens, winter witches and Christmas trees! It’s a privilege to share these ancient folktales, which still speak their wisdom and wit to us today. I love the fact that we’re creating a library of stories for families to enjoy and like to encourage everyone to learn one or two and tell them on.

4. Each of these collections must be a massive undertaking. How long does it take to choose the contents, research the stories and then write your own versions?

A long time! It takes several months to find 50 stories for each collection that sit well together and are a good spread geographically. I read hundreds of stories to make each selection. I have to consider the theme of the collection and the age range, ensure a variety of styles and story lengths and avoid repetition of plot or character from a previous book. The shaping of a collection has become intuitive over time. I have to consider how well a story will ‘translate’ into a re-telling and weed out actions and attitudes that aren’t acceptable today. Some of the old tales are very brutal! The ‘spooky’ collection was particularly challenging on this account - I needed to offer that frisson of fear without terrifying the reader! There are choices to make about vocabulary too as I’m aware that some families read these stories with children of mixed ages together - I try to keep vocabulary simple even when the subject of a particular story is complex so that everyone can grasp the sense of it. The books are sold all over the world and it’s important to include a good balance of cultures. Fortunately, I have an extensive library of folk tales to draw on.

5.       Your books have been illustrated by some amazing artists- Grahame Baker-Smith, Christopher Corr, Nathan Reed to name a few. Is there anyone who you would love to illustrated one of your books?

Yes - the masterful Lisbeth Zwerger, who has illustrated many classics. Her draughtsmanship is sublime and her unique vision is always striking. I can’t imagine it would ever be possible but I would love to write for her. It was also a great delight to have ‘The Ice Palace’ illustrated by Angela Barrett and it would be wonderful to work with her again.

6.       What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve just finished a collection of my own stories called ‘Once Upon a Hillside’, which has been a dream to write. I lived for 30 years on the chalk downland of Cranborne Chase, with a fabulous nature reserve for a back garden. One day, before the pandemic, an editor who has been a friend for many years, came to visit and walk with me there and we talked about the stories of that landscape, the skylarks, the wildflowers, ancient barrows and ditches and the evidence of the past beneath our feet. Something of that walk and that place must have stayed with her because a few months later she rang and asked if I’d like to write about it. I must say she opened a door to my heart – it was the most marvellous commission and I was thrilled that she’d been moved by the magic of that place. It also seemed a timely book to write, due to the restrictions of the pandemic when so many of us focused on our local green spaces and found hope and the healing power of nature there. There are seven stories, set in the same valley over six thousand years. The books starts with the first Neolithic people to walk across the hillside and the stories continue through time, with Roman twins who find a wounded hare, a medieval herbalist and her daughter, a seventeenth century shepherd and an orphan boy, a Victorian archaeologist and his granddaughter, three children sent away into the country in the 1930’s and a contemporary family facing a modern challenge. Objects link the stories together and the healing power of nature comes through them all – in fact nature itself is a character throughout. It’s illustrated by Chiara Fedele who has really captured the wild, windy character of the Downs. ‘Once Upon a Hillside’ will be published on 10th November.

7.       And lastly- and most importantly according to my niece- what is your favourite cake?

At the moment, it’s Persian Love Cake, made with rose petals and pistachios, which I buy from our local deli. Utterly moreish!

Many thanks to Angela for joining me today. Can’t wait to try that cake!

You can find her on Instagram @angelamcallisterbooks

You can read my review of ‘A World Full of Nature Stories’ here.