TITLE: Forest Folk Tales for Children
AUTHOR: Tom Phillips
PUBLISHER: The History Press, 2019
ISBN: 0750991410
PODCAST EPISODE: Feature on the Folklore Podcast Book Club
REVIEWER: Tracey Norman
This is a visually attractive book with striking woodcut-style illustrations and a large, clear font. The author is a storyteller and presents the stories in a familiar, chatty style, prefacing each one with a description of the area from which they originate and the folkloric figures appearing in them.
I was delighted to find that all of these stories were unfamiliar to me, although I knew many of the creatures and human characters, which include hobs, dragons, fairies and Robin Hood. The stories are engaging and easy to read, and the author’s style is delightful – it’s almost as though he is in the room with you, giving you a private performance. There is nothing preachy or condescending about it, either; while the stories may have moralistic aspects to them, the telling of them does not. It is perfectly pitched – fun and entertaining as well as informative.
Each story is followed by a related fact and an activity for the readers to undertake which gets them outdoors and, specifically, into the forest. One suggests looking for tracks on the ground and following them; another asks readers to find out what native trees grow near their home.
There were only three occasions when I was pulled out of this collection of stories. There was one use of “where” instead of “were” and two uses of “grizzly” when the author meant “grisly”, but beyond that, this is a truly beautiful book which will not only engage young people with reading, but also encourage them outside to interact with the natural environment.
AUTHOR: Tom Phillips
PUBLISHER: The History Press, 2019
ISBN: 0750991410
PODCAST EPISODE: Feature on the Folklore Podcast Book Club
REVIEWER: Tracey Norman
This is a visually attractive book with striking woodcut-style illustrations and a large, clear font. The author is a storyteller and presents the stories in a familiar, chatty style, prefacing each one with a description of the area from which they originate and the folkloric figures appearing in them.
I was delighted to find that all of these stories were unfamiliar to me, although I knew many of the creatures and human characters, which include hobs, dragons, fairies and Robin Hood. The stories are engaging and easy to read, and the author’s style is delightful – it’s almost as though he is in the room with you, giving you a private performance. There is nothing preachy or condescending about it, either; while the stories may have moralistic aspects to them, the telling of them does not. It is perfectly pitched – fun and entertaining as well as informative.
Each story is followed by a related fact and an activity for the readers to undertake which gets them outdoors and, specifically, into the forest. One suggests looking for tracks on the ground and following them; another asks readers to find out what native trees grow near their home.
There were only three occasions when I was pulled out of this collection of stories. There was one use of “where” instead of “were” and two uses of “grizzly” when the author meant “grisly”, but beyond that, this is a truly beautiful book which will not only engage young people with reading, but also encourage them outside to interact with the natural environment.