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Tales of Mystery and Magic
A bewitching world of mystery and magic awaits you! Meet singing elves with magical feet; skeletons that move of their own accord; and a heroic blackbird who outwits a powerful king. Master storyteller Hugh Lupton is at his exceptional best as he shares the most mysterious tales in his repertoire. Features stories from Chile, Greenland, India, Nigeria, North America, Russia and Scotland. Ideal for Hallowe'en and for Christmas. Seven unputdownable stories each with an uncanny edge.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
About the author
Hugh Lupton
41 books12 followersHugh Lupton is a prominent figure in the tradition of oral storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 19, 2010
Reason for Reading: I love reading illustrated books of fairytales, myths and legends. The tales mentioned in the publisher's summary didn't sound familiar to me so this book intrigued me.
A fabulous collection of fairytales (and a couple of legends) that all involve elements of magic or unexplained happenings. Some have happy endings, but not all. This collection was all new to me except one, and not knowing the originals I cannot say whether they have been watered down but I doubt it because of the elements that are included. We have a disembodied body, a reanimated corpse and a couple of elves who cut off their feet! And sometimes someone learns there lesson the hard way.
These tales are all perfect for even the youngest listener and perfect for reading aloud as they are written in a storyteller voice and these tales all include the element of repetition in various formats. One story uses the sing song phrase which gets repeated over and over throughout the tale, another has an animal walking along and asking a question, the answer is yes, then another animal comes along and so on until at the very end things change when the answer is no. Then there's the scenario where one goes out and tries one thing for a certain result and that doesn't work, so they do another thing and that doesn't and so on. These repetitious tales are always favourites for younger children and I've found them the most fun to read aloud. If you are not into reading aloud, then you are in luck as the book comes with an audio CD with all the tales narrated by the author Hugh Lupton, a professional storyteller.
Besides the repetition, another thing that makes this selection unique is that not one of the tales is common. I read a lot that I can't be sure I haven't heard some before once, but out of the seven stories I know, for sure, only one. The average person will not know any unless perhaps they are from the culture the tale comes from. Each tale originates from around the world and present here are: India, Chile, Inuit, Seneca Natives, Scotland, Russia and West Africa. My favourite was the last story from West Africa which is the one that involves the reanimation of a corpse, but it has a very touching ending. It's original title is "The Cow Switch Tail" and I should remember it as I've read "The Cow-Tail Switch, and Other West African Stories" by Harold Courlander, a Newbery Honor winning book, but that was a long time ago. Due for another read I guess! The illustrations are all done in digital collage and nothing more can be said than that they are wonderful to behold and this is a fine book both visually and textually.
Finally, the book ends with a little goldmine. The author tells us the source from which he took the original tale before he wrote his retelling. Here we are introduced to books from the '30s and '60s, some long out of print, others not, but great additions to fairy tale enthusiasts list. Also another random bit of information is imparted here. Hugh Lupton is the great-nephew of Arthur Ransome, whom he used to visit as a boy. He even recommends Ransome's Old Peter's Russian Tales as the book from which his Russian tale is told. This is the one I knew beforehand. Recommended for all ages. Young and old who love fairy tales & legends.
A fabulous collection of fairytales (and a couple of legends) that all involve elements of magic or unexplained happenings. Some have happy endings, but not all. This collection was all new to me except one, and not knowing the originals I cannot say whether they have been watered down but I doubt it because of the elements that are included. We have a disembodied body, a reanimated corpse and a couple of elves who cut off their feet! And sometimes someone learns there lesson the hard way.
These tales are all perfect for even the youngest listener and perfect for reading aloud as they are written in a storyteller voice and these tales all include the element of repetition in various formats. One story uses the sing song phrase which gets repeated over and over throughout the tale, another has an animal walking along and asking a question, the answer is yes, then another animal comes along and so on until at the very end things change when the answer is no. Then there's the scenario where one goes out and tries one thing for a certain result and that doesn't work, so they do another thing and that doesn't and so on. These repetitious tales are always favourites for younger children and I've found them the most fun to read aloud. If you are not into reading aloud, then you are in luck as the book comes with an audio CD with all the tales narrated by the author Hugh Lupton, a professional storyteller.
Besides the repetition, another thing that makes this selection unique is that not one of the tales is common. I read a lot that I can't be sure I haven't heard some before once, but out of the seven stories I know, for sure, only one. The average person will not know any unless perhaps they are from the culture the tale comes from. Each tale originates from around the world and present here are: India, Chile, Inuit, Seneca Natives, Scotland, Russia and West Africa. My favourite was the last story from West Africa which is the one that involves the reanimation of a corpse, but it has a very touching ending. It's original title is "The Cow Switch Tail" and I should remember it as I've read "The Cow-Tail Switch, and Other West African Stories" by Harold Courlander, a Newbery Honor winning book, but that was a long time ago. Due for another read I guess! The illustrations are all done in digital collage and nothing more can be said than that they are wonderful to behold and this is a fine book both visually and textually.
Finally, the book ends with a little goldmine. The author tells us the source from which he took the original tale before he wrote his retelling. Here we are introduced to books from the '30s and '60s, some long out of print, others not, but great additions to fairy tale enthusiasts list. Also another random bit of information is imparted here. Hugh Lupton is the great-nephew of Arthur Ransome, whom he used to visit as a boy. He even recommends Ransome's Old Peter's Russian Tales as the book from which his Russian tale is told. This is the one I knew beforehand. Recommended for all ages. Young and old who love fairy tales & legends.
Read
May 8, 2021The blackbird and his wife. India
Winter and Summer. Seneca
The Hunter's Five Sons. West African. Cata vreme cineva isi aminteste de un om, omul acela nu e mort.
The mightiest mouse that ever nibbled fat. Inuit
Who lives in the skull? Russian. Cand nu e bine sa minti ca nu e nimeni acasa.
The strange visitor. Scottish. Cea mai misterioasa. Singuratate.
The two little elves. Chilean. Ai grija ce iti doresti.
Winter and Summer. Seneca
The Hunter's Five Sons. West African. Cata vreme cineva isi aminteste de un om, omul acela nu e mort.
The mightiest mouse that ever nibbled fat. Inuit
Who lives in the skull? Russian. Cand nu e bine sa minti ca nu e nimeni acasa.
The strange visitor. Scottish. Cea mai misterioasa. Singuratate.
The two little elves. Chilean. Ai grija ce iti doresti.
February 6, 2014
This book is a cultural foray representing unusual folklore from many corners of the world. I love the cover and enjoyed illustrations. I'm conflicted over the stories.
The stories are unique and do not sugar coat the world. Yet they are presented in such a way that one might mistakenly assume they are appropriate for toddlers and Pre-K.
These are definitely stories for children 7/8 and older. The content could be confusing and/or frightening for some very young children. Not all of the stories are edgy but the ones that are feature: elves that cut of their feet to grant wishes, body parts that come together to whisk an old woman away, and a bear that possibly crushes some animals to death and gets splinters in his bottom.
I applaud the lack of sugar coating, but advise that these be saved for children with decent logic and rationalizing skills.
The stories are unique and do not sugar coat the world. Yet they are presented in such a way that one might mistakenly assume they are appropriate for toddlers and Pre-K.
These are definitely stories for children 7/8 and older. The content could be confusing and/or frightening for some very young children. Not all of the stories are edgy but the ones that are feature: elves that cut of their feet to grant wishes, body parts that come together to whisk an old woman away, and a bear that possibly crushes some animals to death and gets splinters in his bottom.
I applaud the lack of sugar coating, but advise that these be saved for children with decent logic and rationalizing skills.
July 1, 2016
The stories in this book are fantastic, and I hadn't heard most of them before, but the illustrations are what really did it for me. I just love every visual aspect of this book, from the cover to the last page. The illustrations have something of a collage look, with beautiful colors and patterns. I think my favorite story was the first one, the Indian story of the blackbird who goes to fight the king who has stolen his wife from him. If you're looking for a good Halloween story, though, the Scottish one - "The Strange Visitor" - is perfect. Most of the others aren't very spooky.
November 12, 2010
This is a wonderful collection of stories, some strange, some a little creepy, some funny. It includes a CD with the stories narrated by the author, which gives it more of an English flavor with his accent. Our girls really enjoyed the stories and while it's not a Halloween or an Autumn-specific book, the cover and the stories lend themselves well to that time of year.
November 3, 2016
3 1/2 star
This book is made up of several stories all about three to five pages long with illustrations. They are all legends or folk tales the author had collected throughout travels. Some of them teach a lesson others are just kind of eerie, and others are just odd. I read these out loud to my adult special needs son and we both enjoyed it.
This book is made up of several stories all about three to five pages long with illustrations. They are all legends or folk tales the author had collected throughout travels. Some of them teach a lesson others are just kind of eerie, and others are just odd. I read these out loud to my adult special needs son and we both enjoyed it.
Read
November 8, 2013Travel the world with tales of old. These legends and stories are silly, smart, shocking, and splendid. Each tale holds a valuable lesson and each page is adorned with beautiful illustrations.
October 29, 2016
A collection of fairy tale stories from around the world. A little dark and creepy so not for a younger audience. The illustrations are goregous and bring the culture of these stories to life.
October 28, 2019
The story that I enjoyed the most was the last one in the book. - The Hunters 5 sons. I will add that story to my list of oral tales.
November 26, 2018
最終的に達成したからびっくりして感心した！
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews