The Big-Wide-Mouthed Toad-Frog and other stories; The King with Dirty Feet and other stories

In each of these books, Mary Medlicott has taken a handful of stories from a range of different cultures in versions by modern storytellers. These retellings retain the directness and lively rhythms of the oral tradition, and are excellent for reading aloud. They encompass moral tales and nonsense tales, a lie-telling yarn or two, and a range of explanatory myths about the origins of natural features. Sue Williams' illustrations are bright, gentle and uncomplicated, illuminating the rainbow like radiance of these tales. I would recommend these books very highly as a reading aloud resource, and for newly fluent readers to enjoy on their own.