A Year of Fairy Tales

The enduring appeal of traditional stories is not just their power to captivate and enchant readers, transporting them to magical lands, but because they explore shared human experiences, reflecting the similarities between people across cultures, time and place, offering hope and comfort as well as pleasure.

In A Year of Fairy Tales, Sophie Anderson captures the joy and magic of these tales in a mixture of original stories which draw on this tradition and reimagined tellings of some familiar favourites, creating a collection to be treasured.

Whether drawn from the traditional tales of different countries or retold in a fresh style, these stories are beautifully written, using a rich, descriptive vocabulary and evocative details, making them a joy to read aloud as well as for basking in alone. Although there is a story for each month of the year, no one will be able to wait long before being tempted back for another tale!

Notes at the end of the book show the inspiration behind each story, encouraging readers to explore further and read other versions of these stories and perhaps inspiring them to create their own versions whether oral or written.

Great care and attention has been paid to the presentation of this book, making it very appealing and the perfect gift! From its tactile cover with a cloth edge, it is beautifully illustrated. Each month has a different colour theme, leading to a subtle rainbow colour effect on the edges of the pages when the book is closed and adding to the feeling of the passing seasons as the pages are turned. A simply gorgeous book, bursting with magic!

288 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+