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Hansel and Gretal¦ The Goose Girl¦ Grey Wolf, Prince Jack and the Firebird¦ The Three Heads in the Well¦ The Six Swan Brothers¦ The Snow Queen¦ The Seal Hunter¦ Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana!¦ Mossycoat¦ Rumpelstiltskin¦ Rapunzel¦ The Twelve Dancing Princes

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BfK No. 115 - March 1999

Cover Story
This issue’s cover is from The Lion Treasury of Children’s Prayers compiled by Susan Cuthbert and illustrated by Alison Jay. Thanks to Lion Publishing for their help in producing this March cover.

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Hansel and Gretel

Henrietta Branford
 Lesley Harker
(Scholastic)
48pp, 978-0590543835, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "Hansel and Gretel (Everystory)" on Amazon

The Goose Girl

Gillian Cross
 Jason Cockcroft
(Scholastic)
64pp, 978-0590543842, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "The Goose Girl" on Amazon

Grey Wolf, Prince Jack and the Firebird

Alan Garner
 James Mayhew
(Scholastic)
48pp, 978-0590543897, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "Grey Wolf, Prince Jack and the Firebird (Everystory)" on Amazon

The Three Heads in the Well

Susan Gates
 Sue Heap
(Scholastic)
48pp, 978-0590543873, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "The Three Heads in the Well (Everystory)" on Amazon

The Six Swan Brothers

Adèle Geras
 Ian Beck
(Scholastic)
18pp, 978-0590543880, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "The Six Swan Brothers (Everystory)" on Amazon

The Snow Queen

Berlie Doherty
 Siân Bailey
(Scholastic Hippo)
48pp, 978-0590543859, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "The Snow Queen (Everystory)" on Amazon

The Seal Hunter

Tony Mitton
 Nick Maland
(Scholastic)
48pp, 978-0590543903, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "The Seal Hunter (Everystory)" on Amazon

Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana!

Michael Morpurgo
 Michael Foreman
(Scholastic Hippo)
48pp, 978-0590543910, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "Cockadoodle-doo, Mr.Sultana (Everystory)" on Amazon

Mossycoat

Philip Pullman
 Peter Bailey
(Scholastic)
64pp, 978-0590543927, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "Mossycoat (Everystory)" on Amazon

Rumpelstiltskin

Kit Wright
 Ted Dewan
(Scholastic)
64pp, 978-0590113649, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "Rumpelstiltskin (Everystory)" on Amazon

Rapunzel

Jacqueline Wilson
 Nick Sharratt
(Scholastic)
64pp, 978-0590113632, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "Rapunzel (Everystory)" on Amazon

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Anne Fine
 Debi Gliori
(Scholastic)
64pp, 978-0590543866, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Everystory)" on Amazon

Aesop's Fables

Malorie Blackman
 Patrice Aggs
(Scholastic)
64pp, 978-0590543828, RRP £1.00, Paperback
5-8 Infant/Junior
Magic Bean series
Buy "Aesop's Fables (Everystory)" on Amazon

Almost all the distinguished retellers (contemporary writers or poets to a person) do more than justice to their respective story in this new series of traditional tales. Garner's Grey Wolf, Prince Jack and the Firebird, Cross's The Goose Girl, Fine's The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Doherty's The Snow Queen amongst others combine simplicity with taut and gripping narratives that will have young readers or listeners on the edge of their seat.

Wilson's Rapunzel fits uneasily into this company with such infelicities as 'the husband and wife steered well clear of their neighbour' and 'by the time she got to eleven it was obvious (Rapunzel) was growing into a stunning beauty'. Such cliched modernity strikes a jarring note. Mitton's selkie story, The Seal Hunter, is told in verse and just about carries it off; it will read aloud better than it reads on the page.

One might have hoped for some acknowledgement of Andersen and the other sources for the tales in these books. The spines are blank and while it is difficult to print a title onto the spine of a 48pp paperback, booksellers may find this an irritation. These are, however, cavils. The books are attractively illustrated with decorative borders and vignettes and the typeface is large. Above all, thirteen traditional tales at a £1 each is amazing value given the overall high standard of retelling from authors skilled at their craft. An eminently collectable series and a bold publishing venture.

Reviewer: 
Rosemary Stones
5
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