Seven Welsh Folk Tales

This is a slim volume full of wonderful stuff. The traditional tales mingle Welsh versions of universal themes, such as the worsting of a Rumpelstiltskin-like figure who rescues a woman from debt in exchange for her son, with stories specific to Welsh locations: we learn of the origins of Lake Bala in the drowning of a tyrant, and of how the Devil’s Bridge over the gorge of the Rheidol beneath Plynlimon was founded on a battle of wits between Satan and a wise woman. The tone is poetic (the Rheidol is scattered with ‘broken boulders as big as your bedroom’) but beautifully conversational. Eastwood makes you feel as if he’s sharing the stories with you over a relaxed pint, or as if he’s right there in the classroom entertaining the children. The mood is uniformly light-hearted, which deprives a couple of the stories of the poignancy of older and more sombre versions. Samuel’s simple but very striking colour and blacklead illustrations do, however, help to restore hues of menace and suspense.

If you want a set of cheerful and intriguing tales, this would be an excellent choice, and very good value for money.