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Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe
Collects seven folktales, one from each of Russia, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania, featuring commoners, kings, and dragons.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Antonia Barber
47 books28 followersAntonia Barber really knows about ballet - her daughter studied ballet from the age of three and attended the Royal Ballet School junior associate classes at Sadler's Wells. Antonia is well-known for such best-selling picture books as The Mousehole Cat (with Nicola Bailey) and Catkin (with J P Lynch). Her novel, The Amazing Mr Blunden, was runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. Antonia lived in Kent.
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Middlemarch by George Eliot
FAVOURITE SONG:
'Every Time You Say Goodbye' by Ella Fitzgerald
MOST TREASURED POSSESSION:
Family Photographs
FAVOURITE FILM:
The African Queen with Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart
--------------------------------------------------------
When did you start writing?
I wrote my first children's novel in 1966. My second, The Ghosts, written two years later, was a best-seller and was filmed as The Amazing Mr Blunden in 1972. Now a new film version is planned, as well as a stage musical version. My picture books for younger children include The Mousehole Cat about a fisherman and a cat who live in my Cornish cottage (see Favourite Place). Most recently I wrote Tales from the Ballet and then, for Puffin, the Dancing Shoes series about Lucy Lambert who wants to be a ballerina.
Where do you get your ideas?
Often from my own life or other peoples'. The Ghosts was inspired by a visit to an old house; The Ring in the Rough Stuff by going sailing with friends on an old Thames Barge; and The Mousehole Cat by a song I found in Cornwall. For the Dancing Shoes series I had help from my daughter Gemma, who did ballet lessons from the age of three until she was fifteen.
Can you give your top three tips to becoming a successful author?
1. You must be interested in people and all ages. To create good characters, you have to be able to imagine yourself in someone else's shoes and know how they would feel.
2. Read lots of books by good writers and try to see what it is that makes you enjoy them.
3. Write your story, then put it aside and do something different. Then go back to your story and try to read it as if someone else had written it. This makes it easier to see mistakes and to put them right.
Favourite memory?
A sailing holiday in the Greek Islands with my children and my husband, the summer before he was killed in a road accident.
Favourite place in the world and why?
My cottage in the little Cornish fishing village of Mousehole. We don't know how old it is, but it had to have a new roof after some marauding Spaniards set fire to it in 1590. It is small and snug and I can watch the blue-green sea and the little harbour from my window. I go there to rest and unwind and sometimes to work in peace because there is no telephone. It is full of happy memories of holidays with my children.
What are your hobbies?
Walking, especially along the cliffs in Cornwall. Gardening in my poison-free, wild-life garden in Kent. Going to the theatre, ballet, opera and cinema. Watching television, especially BBC classic serials. Best of all, reading books.
If you hadn't been a writer, what do you think you would have been?
I like the idea of myself as an actor or dancer... a painter would have been good too. Unfortunately I don't think I would have had enough talent for any of these. But really I love books, so if I couldn't write them, I think I would have a little bookshop in a small country town.
(courtesy Penguin website)
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Middlemarch by George Eliot
FAVOURITE SONG:
'Every Time You Say Goodbye' by Ella Fitzgerald
MOST TREASURED POSSESSION:
Family Photographs
FAVOURITE FILM:
The African Queen with Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart
--------------------------------------------------------
When did you start writing?
I wrote my first children's novel in 1966. My second, The Ghosts, written two years later, was a best-seller and was filmed as The Amazing Mr Blunden in 1972. Now a new film version is planned, as well as a stage musical version. My picture books for younger children include The Mousehole Cat about a fisherman and a cat who live in my Cornish cottage (see Favourite Place). Most recently I wrote Tales from the Ballet and then, for Puffin, the Dancing Shoes series about Lucy Lambert who wants to be a ballerina.
Where do you get your ideas?
Often from my own life or other peoples'. The Ghosts was inspired by a visit to an old house; The Ring in the Rough Stuff by going sailing with friends on an old Thames Barge; and The Mousehole Cat by a song I found in Cornwall. For the Dancing Shoes series I had help from my daughter Gemma, who did ballet lessons from the age of three until she was fifteen.
Can you give your top three tips to becoming a successful author?
1. You must be interested in people and all ages. To create good characters, you have to be able to imagine yourself in someone else's shoes and know how they would feel.
2. Read lots of books by good writers and try to see what it is that makes you enjoy them.
3. Write your story, then put it aside and do something different. Then go back to your story and try to read it as if someone else had written it. This makes it easier to see mistakes and to put them right.
Favourite memory?
A sailing holiday in the Greek Islands with my children and my husband, the summer before he was killed in a road accident.
Favourite place in the world and why?
My cottage in the little Cornish fishing village of Mousehole. We don't know how old it is, but it had to have a new roof after some marauding Spaniards set fire to it in 1590. It is small and snug and I can watch the blue-green sea and the little harbour from my window. I go there to rest and unwind and sometimes to work in peace because there is no telephone. It is full of happy memories of holidays with my children.
What are your hobbies?
Walking, especially along the cliffs in Cornwall. Gardening in my poison-free, wild-life garden in Kent. Going to the theatre, ballet, opera and cinema. Watching television, especially BBC classic serials. Best of all, reading books.
If you hadn't been a writer, what do you think you would have been?
I like the idea of myself as an actor or dancer... a painter would have been good too. Unfortunately I don't think I would have had enough talent for any of these. But really I love books, so if I couldn't write them, I think I would have a little bookshop in a small country town.
(courtesy Penguin website)
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 24, 2021
10 stars! What valuable and interesting fairy tales!
February 27, 2026
This book was way too short!
I have no doubt there are many, many more fairy tales like these. And not only in the countries these 7 came from.
When a book has more than one story in it, I try to pick my favourite. In this case I just couldn't, so I have 3 😁
The Twelve Months
The Shepherd King
The Chatterbox
All tell about different kinds of dealing with hardship and/or preparing for worse times, outwitting the 'enemy'.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and absolutely loved the illustrations!
I have no doubt there are many, many more fairy tales like these. And not only in the countries these 7 came from.
When a book has more than one story in it, I try to pick my favourite. In this case I just couldn't, so I have 3 😁
The Twelve Months
The Shepherd King
The Chatterbox
All tell about different kinds of dealing with hardship and/or preparing for worse times, outwitting the 'enemy'.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and absolutely loved the illustrations!
February 20, 2018
These seven fairy tales are like those from central and western Europe. “The Twelve Months” features a pretty girl being mistreated by her stepmother and ugly half-sister until the spirits act kindly towards her and are unkind to her tormentors. “The Hundred Children” describes a clever man called Bukur that encounters a powerful dragon and must outwit him by pretending to be so powerful that the dragon prefers to perform the tasks required of Bukur. “The Shepherd King” is about a king and his daughter shipwrecked in another kingdom and forced to work hard as ordinary people until the proper time comes for them to reveal their true social station.
The stories come from Slovakia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Russia, Croatia and Romania, covering most of eastern Europe. While the themes will be familiar to readers of other fairy tales, the stories in this collection are original enough that reading them will still entertain you.
The stories come from Slovakia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Russia, Croatia and Romania, covering most of eastern Europe. While the themes will be familiar to readers of other fairy tales, the stories in this collection are original enough that reading them will still entertain you.
June 28, 2011
I only wish this book could have been longer! Seven tales (each from a different country) felt like a nice introduction to Eastern European fairytales, and it was interesting seeing how they compared to the more popular Germanic fairytales, but I want to read more now. I particularly liked The Twelve Months (Slovakia) and The Shepherd King (Serbia). Oh, and the illustrations by Paul Hess were simply gorgeous!
September 3, 2017
Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe is a collection of seven stories from Slovakia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Russia, Croatia, and Romania. They all have nice morals and are fun to read. I highly recommend this book!
August 26, 2016
Some of the better tales I've read in a long time (more well written than Grimm's stories, for sure). Short, though. Only about five or six stories. All good, though.
August 1, 2019
Jim and I both have been to Eastern Europe and have such a heart for the people in this area of the world. It was so fun to read these stories with our kids and hear classics shared from generations there. I loved the wisdom in these stories and the life lessons we talked about at the end of each one.
Appropriately enough the last story was The Hundred Children from Romania. While we don't have a hundred, we're definiately a large family and I've been to Romania on a short term mission trip before. It was fun to hear the heart of the man and to see how he uses his cleverness to care for his family.
Every story is that way and it was so fun to read these together. It was also neat to see how God's truths stand the test of time, even when they are not recognized as his across cultures. Kindness winning over cruetly, choosing joy instead of misery, learning a trade and working hard so you can care for your family, seeking the wisdom of those older, discression with words and not being able to escape physical death all play a part of life in every culture.
I highly recommend this book!
5 stars for this fun cultural read
Appropriately enough the last story was The Hundred Children from Romania. While we don't have a hundred, we're definiately a large family and I've been to Romania on a short term mission trip before. It was fun to hear the heart of the man and to see how he uses his cleverness to care for his family.
Every story is that way and it was so fun to read these together. It was also neat to see how God's truths stand the test of time, even when they are not recognized as his across cultures. Kindness winning over cruetly, choosing joy instead of misery, learning a trade and working hard so you can care for your family, seeking the wisdom of those older, discression with words and not being able to escape physical death all play a part of life in every culture.
I highly recommend this book!
5 stars for this fun cultural read
April 14, 2018
Multiple Folktales and Folklore that come from eastern Europe including stories about inner beauty, friendship and more. The book includes stories form eastern Europe that are not as common, but are fun and enjoyable for young children. The book also includes a variety of colorful images that are incorporated with the text. The strengths of this book are that the stories are short and the pictures are fun for children to be interested in reading the book. However, the language of the book is a little more sophisticated than the children who may chose the book to read. Overall, the book is a great way to teach folktales from another country and diversity in literature.
February 2, 2021
My 6yo: I loved it! The Hundred Children was my favorite story. I loved how all the stories came from different places on the same continent. I had fun searching for them on the map and learning about them and seeing pictures.
Mom: This is a lovely collection of classic tales from Eastern European countries. It was included with a history program I did with my older children, and I've saved it through multiple book purges. It was a delight to share it with Abby. 😊 I love how each story beautifully communicates what's truly important.
Mom: This is a lovely collection of classic tales from Eastern European countries. It was included with a history program I did with my older children, and I've saved it through multiple book purges. It was a delight to share it with Abby. 😊 I love how each story beautifully communicates what's truly important.
May 6, 2023
Very good book for children, teaches basic manners and principles through eastern folklore
January 26, 2024
We enjoyed this very much, the stories were interesting and a good peek at Eastern European culture.
September 30, 2026
This was a read-aloud during our Middle Ages studies!
November 7, 2020
Seven short tales from Eastern Europe.
The first could be contrasted with Cinderella or a part of retelling or rewriting traditional tales for 2nd through 5th grade. It could go in a classroom library for 2nd through 5th grade.
The first could be contrasted with Cinderella or a part of retelling or rewriting traditional tales for 2nd through 5th grade. It could go in a classroom library for 2nd through 5th grade.
July 30, 2015
This charming collection of little-known folktales is a find for those looking for Eastern/Central European background. The tales include:
"The Twelve Months" from Slovakia (a seasonal twist on the same themes as Diamonds and Toads, the Talking Eggs, etc.-- where being nice to those you meet when set on an impossible task earns you good results)
"Misery" from Poland (similar to devil or brownie tales: Misery lives with an old couple, but the old man is able to lure him away and trap him; the rich neighbor sees how happy and prosperous his neighbor becomes and...
"The Shepherd King" from Serbia, a tale so twisted it probably belongs in Andrew Lang, where shipwrecked but worthy king and his daughter prosper
"The Most Beautiful Flower" from Slovenia, a challenge-to-get-the-king's-daughter with added wise advisor tale
"The Chatterer" from Russia, how a wise man manipulated gossip for his own ends (with the usual badmouthing of women talking, though)
"The Happy Man" from Croatia: the king is dying but won't accept it. His doctors tell him if he can obtain the shirt of a completely happy man...
"The Hundred Children" from Romania, where a childless couple is suddenly overblessed by a wish granting, and have to use a certain amount of tall-tale heroism to gather money to support them.
"The Twelve Months" from Slovakia (a seasonal twist on the same themes as Diamonds and Toads, the Talking Eggs, etc.-- where being nice to those you meet when set on an impossible task earns you good results)
"Misery" from Poland (similar to devil or brownie tales: Misery lives with an old couple, but the old man is able to lure him away and trap him; the rich neighbor sees how happy and prosperous his neighbor becomes and...
"The Shepherd King" from Serbia, a tale so twisted it probably belongs in Andrew Lang, where shipwrecked but worthy king and his daughter prosper
"The Most Beautiful Flower" from Slovenia, a challenge-to-get-the-king's-daughter with added wise advisor tale
"The Chatterer" from Russia, how a wise man manipulated gossip for his own ends (with the usual badmouthing of women talking, though)
"The Happy Man" from Croatia: the king is dying but won't accept it. His doctors tell him if he can obtain the shirt of a completely happy man...
"The Hundred Children" from Romania, where a childless couple is suddenly overblessed by a wish granting, and have to use a certain amount of tall-tale heroism to gather money to support them.
February 4, 2014
Some great forgotten, or lesser known fables! I could see this being a timeless book my kids will like to hear over and over again.
October 27, 2014
Cute little book of stories for children.
October 2, 2016
Wonderful collection of Eastern European folktales.
January 8, 2016
Savannah was sad when it ended.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews