Stories from Around the World

by Anna Milbourne, Linda Edwards (Illustrator)

Traditional stories from all around the world gathered here in this magical collection. Tales of brave heroes and heroines are retold alongside tales of wonderful magic, of strange and faithful creatures, and of how things first began. These fascinating stories are narrated in such a way that young listeners and young readers will find them easy to understand and enjoy.

Genres: Fairy Tales

127 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Growing up in North West England and in Germany, Anna wrote plays about talking animals, and stories about naughty children, and drew on every available surface. After school, she did an Art Foundation course, then a degree in German Literature & Philosophy at Oxford University. In 1998 she found her perfect job at Usborne in London, writing about everything from curious penguins to trips to the Moon. Usborne.com

Reviews

[Rebecca Mallay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely collection of folktales that I read to my 4 and 6 year old for school. They enjoyed all of them immensely. Leyla and the Lamp, from Persia, was their favorite. They also liked that there was a map in the beginning of the book and that each story said where it came from, and we would look at it on the map.

I actually learned new things from this book, including stories I had never heard before and facts about the cultures I’m in contact with. For example, here in West Africa where I live, a popular motif in the art is a large bird grasping a tortoise set on a circular base. We have asked the local artists where this design comes from and what it means, but none of them could tell us.

Then, while reading the story “Stealing the Sun” in this book, we encountered the African story of how a chief’s son found that the Sun had been stolen by a rival tribe, enlisted some animals to help him steal it back, and accomplished his goal by having a tortoise grasp the Sun and a kite (bird) carry the tortoise away. It could be a coincidence, but I feel that this story or one similar may be the source for this common artistic image.

Some of these stories were familiar, but enough were new for it to be a fun adventure of a read. They almost all had a bit of a moral, but even more importantly, they were all very entertaining. Highly recommend.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of stories to introduce children to folklore from around the world. The book was very colorful and the stories were well written. My kids were always very excited to listen

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and captivating collection, though some do need editing by me for a sensitive child. Love the diversity of stories, yet find fascinating the common threads from every corner of the world. Fun, for young and old alike.

[Jessica Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice compilation of stories, with nice illustrations. I grew up with this and it is still nice to read as an adult. This book would be an excellent choice to read out of before bed or just out of enjoyment to children.

[Karen]

Sonlight PreK book list

[Paula Greenfield]

Wonderful stories from around the world.