Magic Beans: A Handful of Fairy Tales from the Storybag

This book is a compilation of 14 fairy stories, some well known and some less so. Originally produced by Scholastic in 1998 as ‘Everystory’ readers in celebration of the National Year of Reading, they are published together here for the first time. The star-studded author list includes Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman, Tony Mitton and Michael Morpurgo.

The magic and mystery of traditional fairy stories are given a modern lease of life in the hands of such skilled writers. Notable stories from the fine collection include Philip Pullman’s colloquial rendering of ‘Mossycoat’, an old English folk tale recorded in the nineteenth century which bears more than a passing resemblance to Cinderella, and Jacqueline Wilson’s retelling of ‘Rapunzel’. Tony Mitton’s rendering of ‘The Seal Hunter’ in verse is also notable.

It is rare to find 14 such distinctive and varied writers in one volume. For that reason alone it would make a valuable addition to a child’s bookshelf. The re-telling of traditional stories is an extra bonus.