The Big Big Big Book of Tashi

Tashi #1-7

by Anna Fienberg, Barbara Fienberg, Kim Gamble (Illustrator)

Addressing themes of courage, curiosity, adventure, daring, and good triumphing over bad, this compilation contains the first seven books of the Tashi series in one great big volume. He's brave. He's bold. He's the best! Tashi is too cunning for the warlord and the wicked baron and far too clever for giants, ghosts, witches, and demons. Best of all, Tashi tells the most fantastic stories. Included here are 14 of his daredevil adventures and a map of Tashi's village and its surroundings.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Kids, Chapter Books

434 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Anna Fienberg grew up in a house filled with books. Her mother was a teacher librarian who relished stories as much as chocolates. 'On Sunday mornings we'd all lie in bed with our books, lost in magical wardrobes, witches’ spells, genies’ magic… What we were going to read next was just as important in our family as what was for lunch!' says Anna.

Anna started writing stories when she was eight, but never imagined being an author. She studied psychology, fascinated by the dark world of dreams. She gave up counseling after an unfortunate incident with an enraged man and a chair (he missed!), began writing and scored the best job in the world. 'Working for School Magazine was a treat,' Anna says. 'I couldn't believe you could get paid for sitting back comfortably in your chair, cappuccino in hand, reading over a thousand books a year. Heaven!' Of course, as an editor she also had to write reviews and articles, stories and plays. One of those stories for School Magazine later became her first book.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

My seven-year-old, who has read all 400 pages of this book twice in two days, says:

"Tashi is a book for boys and girls, and it's kind of a fairy tale. It has fairy-tale creatures and not-fairy-tale creatures in the same book. I love how there's the big actual story, which is this little elf man called Tashi comes to a new country after he's been sold to this really mean warlord by his parents for some reason, and then Tashi meets Jack, his new friend, and this Jack has his own garden and when he goes up the tree he tells stories, at lunch, and he tells Jack stories, and Jack tells stories to his mom and dad, and his dad is all worried about socks in one story. That's why dad is kind of funny."

Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...

[Eddie Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the rare books I actually look forward to reading to my 5 year old, and she likes it too. It is a very fluid read, with an ideal amount of words and images per page, so it keeps my daughter visually engaged while I read to her; and it reads almost like a graphic novel, with the words and images integrated into a harmonious whole. As the stories go they are classic tales of adventure and discovery, with fantastical Tashi spinning tales of giants and warlords and dragons, etc. for his friend, who has lived a far less adventurous life, but whose life takes on a kind of contact adventurousness. A wonderful embodiment of and stimulant for the imagination.

[Bianca]

While I didn’t read this per say, it was read to me by an enthusiastic 7yo reader who loved the stories and adventures of Tashi. So lovely to be read to, instead of the one doing much of the reading. 💗

[Bryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has lots of Tashi stories. I like the Mountain of White Tigers the best. And the Demons and the Tree is sort of funny. And the Baron should be in jail by now.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this to my year 3 class and they loved it! It was also a lot of fun to remember how much I enjoyed this book as a kid (still holds up!)

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series as a child!

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations caught my eye. What fun! Folk-tales and adventure in a modern mash-up. Squirt will love this a few years from now.

[Tegan (Slant Postscripts) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s with great disappointment that I have to give this (much-beloved-in-my-childhood) book a poor rating upon rereading. 1 whole star is for the nostalgia and the small seed of magic or whimsy that is there.

But in short, this collection is culturally appropriative at best and just racist at worst. As a fantasy book Tashi could have come from any make-believe land but instead it uses derogatory Asian stereotypes. Especially in the names of characters and in the illustrations.

That’s probably what you get from a children’s book that begins with the title character being sold to a warlord by his parents…

[Ilaria Guzzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una serie di racconti per bambini, molto carini da leggere magari come favole della buonanotte.
Tashi racconta al suo amico Jack delle sue avventure e di come ha sconfitto nemici grandi e potenti con il solo uso della sua intelligenza e creatività.
La scrittura è ovviamente semplice, con periodi brevi e moltissimi disegni in bianco e nero, le storie sono originali e simpatiche, fatta eccezione per l'ultima, che è palesemente un plagio della celebre fiaba de "il pifferaio magico".

[RYAN DOJIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tashi had a friend called Jack as they pass on stories about Tashi's adventures. His parents sold him [They were desperate] to the war lord as he rode on a swan's back to reach his family. the war lord came to take Tashi back, but he hid behind the wings of a swan. the swan outsmarted the war lord, and he rode the swan to his palace. He also fought a dragon, giants, bandits, ghosts, the baron, a genie, a baba Yaga, white tigers and demons.

[Tassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time I read this was in primary school when I was about 10-12 years old. I loved it and it quickly became my favourite little series. I’m now 22 in a couple weeks and not long ago bought it again to read it for nostalgic reasons! 🤍 Would recommend for anyones littles or even yourself as it such a great book!

[Ella W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for maybe 7 years? One of my relatives gifted me this book and I still have it ♡

Honestly such a timeless book, with creative twists on fairytales. Tashi is iconic.

Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for simple, bedtime story reads or want to gift it to a young person that you know. They’ll cherish it.

4 stars!

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these to jack and he loved them but tbh I would have preferred to wait till he was reading himself and I didn't have to read it all oitloid because it is a huge book. So many nights reading it.

[The_Witch’s_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

È stato grazie a questo libro che mi sono appassionata alla lettura❤️. Trovato per caso nella biblioteca della scuola, letto e amato ho fatto fatica poi a trovarlo in una libreria ma dopo averle girate tutte l’ho finalmente trovato ed è stato di nuovo amore a prima vista💞

[✨ aida ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

look idk lol i just felt like eating some childhood books and yes maybe i’ll read the rest of them i may or may not have the full boxed set u can’t prove it

anyway tashi.... who is he . these stories are so stupid sjsjsjs but i loves them as a kid

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favourite book when I was 7/8. I STILL LOVE IT!!!! :D

[Pamrla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great adventure book for grandsons aged 5 to 7 years . Enjoyed reading this book to the boys . Created lots of questions along the stories thanks .

[Gabrielle Geddes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! So much fun to re-read. I loved the whimsy of these books and the illustrations are gorgeous, I only wish they were in colour!

[michelle]

TASHI

[Charlotte Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

a childhood favourite

[Immy Jayne]

My five year old absolutely adores Tashi, we have read a tale each bedtime. Time to find the second collection.

[Deanna Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I’m sure plenty of kids would love the Tasha stories.

[Saffron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed how this was broken up into short stories, and also how creative it was.

[apo.fra apo.fra apo.fra · Rating 5 out of 5]

il mio primo libro grande, pietra miliare

[Anna Burbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ive lost the plot

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

fav book in primary school (my speech language pathologists recommended to help me speak 😭)

[Emily Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this at an op shop and I’m so glad I did because I enjoyed going back to my childhood. I loved these books as a kid and it was comforting read as an adult.

[Rani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood memories 🌻

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tashi is the (imaginary) friend of a modern Australian boy named Jack, who loves hearing about Tashi's magical, folk tale-ish scrapes with danger. The reader never witnesses Tashi's adventures or sees Tashi directly, but instead hears stories about Tashi as Jack relates them to his parents as something that Tashi told him earlier that day. It's a charming story-telling device, and the stories are great for young readers, simply and cleverly told, crammed full of giants, dragons, and mischief, and accompanied by neat black and white illustrations.

I didn't read the whole thing, just a few chapters during a thunderstorm when I was in the mood for something fantastical, but I would definitely read this to young kids at bedtime someday.

[Kash · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, when I was in year 2, my teacher started reading this book to our class every day at reading time, and I became obsessed. I thought the story was so creative and exciting and I loooooved how Tashi always managed to outsmart his enemies. I remember we even had a painting of Tashi on one of our walls that the teacher's assistant put up because our whl class was soo exciteed and obessed with the books.

And then I started borrowing the books from school and asking my mum to read them to us, and sometimes i would even read it to myself. But then, i had to do all the voices of the different characters myself... which was hard.

I just really loooved this book and thsi series!