Angela McAllister

A young snow leopard named Little Mist is introduced to the world in this lovely picture book from British author/illustrator team Angela McAllister and Sarah Fox-Davies. Following his mother out of their den into a bright blue and white world, Little Mist learns about the mountains and the streams around his home, about all the many animals, and about the qualities he himself will develop, when he grows to maturity. After this first foray out, mother and son return to the den to rest, but show more Little Mist cannot sleep, standing at the opening of his home and looking out at the world...

I've been on something of a snow leopard kick recently, reading some amazing non-fiction picture books about this species, from Justin Anderson's Snow Leopard: Ghost of the Mountains to Sandra Markle's Snow School, not to mention Sy Montgomery's wonderful work of natural history for somewhat older children, Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia. So it is that I sought out Little Mist, even though it offered a more fictional presentation on the subject. Here our feline friends are somewhat anthropomorphized, with the mother imparting wisdom to her cub through discussion, and by naming the qualities he will have. That said, it is based in fact, has a brief note about the Snow Leopard Trust on the colophon, and features absolutely gorgeous artwork from Fox-Davies! While on the whole I prefer Sandra Markle's Snow School, in which two snow leopard cubs learn actual skills like hunting by observing their mother, this would still make a lovely introduction to these animals, for younger picture book audiences. The beautiful visuals will certainly inspire admiration for the species! show less

In a Nutshell: A charming illustrated anthology of fairy tales and folk tales related to winter, taken from across the world. I continue to be a fan of Angela McAllister’s children’s story collections.

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This book has fifty stories themed around winter, each ranging from 1-4 pages. The tales have been distributed across six sections: Birds and Beasts, Tricks and Troubles, Ice and Snow, Quests and Journeys, Spirits and Magic, and Christmas.

As this is my fourth show more collection by Angela McAllister, I knew what I could expect from this themed work. And the book didn’t disappoint! In Mumbai, ‘October heat’ has begun, with the end of the monsoons resulting in the return of clammy days. So reading a bunch of winter stories somewhat helped in cooling me, at least virtually. The writing style reminded me of the storybooks I read in my childhood, so the collection also ended up making me feel quite nostalgic.

Every story is either a folk tale or a local legend from a specific region or culture, which is mentioned next to the title. The stories have been gathered from all over the world. Almost every human-populated continent (Australia being the sole exception!) is represented in the book. The countries are as varied as Argentina and Sweden, Mongolia and even Jamaica. It’s good to see such diverse countries represented in this anthology. There are many stories from the indigenous tribes of North America as well. (I appreciate how the credit for these tales mentions the tribe’s name rather than ‘USA’.)

Each of the tales is delightful as it contains an old-world kind of charm that is so typical of folk tales. The way in which winter plays a role in the plots varies. Some stories are merely set in the cold season, while some others have winter-based characters such as frost fairies and snow witches. The Jamaican and the Finnish stories in the last section had no direct elements of winter except that they were set during Christmas.

A children’s book, no matter how great in content, needs attractive illustrations as well. The sketches in this book match the requirements of the stories perfectly. Each graphic goes well with the region and theme of the tale, and adds the perfect flurry of cold elements to suit the winter theme. Every single story has at least one illustration, and some of the sketches are even full page ones.

Though a few of the tales were already known to me, I still enjoyed rereading them. I must mention the story ‘Alexander Jones’ from Scotland, which was hilariously frustrating. I simultaneously laughed and went ‘Aargh!’ at the end. show less

What a fabulous and eclectic collection this is!!! I loved it from the first page to the last!

This is a collection of 50 folktales and fables from around the world. And when this book says “around the world”, it does mean around the world, and it does so in a very fair manner. Unlike many other collections which contain most stories from the USA or European countries, some tales from Russia and just a couple of stories from elsewhere in the world, this book focusses on all parts of the show more globe equally. It groups the stories by regions such as Africa, Middle East, Australia and Oceania, North America, and so on. Within each region, the stories come from a variety of countries. Hardly any country is repeated. Thus what you get is a rich variety of culture and folklore from diverse narrative viewpoints. The stories too are distinct and most of them are not the typical fairy/princess kind of collection. You meet a whole variety of characters and encounter a vast range of situations. All this adds so much beauty and versatility to the book.

A few of the stories were known to me and made me feel very nostalgic as I remembered my childhood books. Most of the stories, however, were absolutely new to me. (Including the one from India! Supparaka the Mariner is a story from the Jataka fables but somehow, I had never heard of it before.) What I liked is also how the authenticity of the stories is maintained. For instance, the tale of Aladdin is exactly as the original Arabic folklore version and not the Disney movie version that so many books include. (You would know this if you know that the original Aladdin story contains two distinct genies, one from the lamp and the other from his ring.)

What works as the perfect icing on this scrumptious cake is the illustrations. They don’t overpower the stories but add subtly to their charm.

If you are looking for a beautiful bedtime stories collection for any little one in your life, this would be the perfect option! Heartily recommended to all parents and guardians and libraries and schools. (Of course, I’m not recommending it to schools as a bedtime story collection. But if teachers want an interesting and diverse story resource to narrate tales to their students, this book is perfect!)

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group, Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley for the ARC of “A Bedtime Full of Stories - 50 Folktales and Legends from Around the World”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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Confession time. Once August knocks on our door and long before my summer holidays are completed, I begin to think of Halloween reads, Halloween decorations, Halloween films and pretty much Halloween everything. This beautiful volume is a perfect addition to the autumnal festive atmosphere (and yes, I am hasty and weird…) of the most wonderful time of the year and an exciting choice for the fairytales/myths aficionado.

Tales of the woods and the water. Enchanted places, farms and fields, show more oceans and frozen lands. Stories of spirits, graveyards and the strangers at the door, from every corner of the world. Absolutely beautiful illustrations by Mandalina Andronic. They reminded me of the decorative pictures found in Medieval manuscripts and made the book a pure joy to read.

The reader finds classics like Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin from Germany, Vasilissa the Beautiful from Russia, the Scottish tale of Tam Lin and the Elf Queen, the Seal Wife, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. But the real treasure of this collection lies in lesser - known gems a few of which I’ve chosen to present you:

Yara: A spirit of the forest lures young men on the eve of their wedding. A tale from Brazil.

The Cold Lady: A sad wintry tale from Japan.

Morag and the White Horse from Scotland.

The Dance of Death: A tale of a young girl’s foolishness from Canada.

The Water Witch: A French tale of transformations and the intelligence of a brave girl.

The Enchanted Apple Tree: A tale from Flanders. An old lady called Misery, who tricked Death, bargained with him and gained immortality. If you’ve ever wondered why there is still such an awful misery in the world, you’ll find one of the answers in this tale.

The Blacksmith and the Devil: ‘’If I respect God, I ought to respect the Devil too’’, said an old blacksmith. But his son had a different idea...A very interesting tale from Russia.

The Blind Man and the Demons, an eerie tale from Korea.

Old Nick and the Girl: A battle of dances, running races and wits, from Norway.

Herne the Hunter, a haunting tale from England.

Counting Out the Bodies: A funny tale of misunderstandings from Bermuda.

The Giantess and the Stone Boat, an Icelandic tale of an unfortunate queen.

Esteban and the Ghost, a humorous tale from Spain.

The Old Ogre: The story of a brave mother from Tibet.

These are only a handful of the beautiful tales, legends and didactic myths included in the collection. My only gripe is that I would have loved to see tales from the Balkans. Greece, Serbia and Romania have given birth to some of the darkest tales and yet the Balkan region was totally overlooked…

Angela McAllister has included a handy Sources section and overall, she has done a marvelous job. Many of the stories don’t have a traditional happy ending and I loved that. Life itself isn’t a particular friend of happy closures, after all. Having said that, I am not certain that young children will be able to fully comprehend and appreciate the themes of the stories but middle-graders will definitely adore them. The writing is vivid and not simplified and I intend to use the volume for my classes.

This is a book that is pleasing and special both in terms of writing and aesthetics. A brilliant work by two very talented artists.

Many thanks to Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less