Review Detail

CELTIC FOLK AND FAIRY TALES is a beautifully illustrated collection of tales, perfect for young middle grade readers. The book includes 10 stories, as well as background information about the tales, an introduction, and a glossary.

What I loved: This is beautifully illustrated with images on every page spread. They compliment the stories well and really help to pull young readers into these stories. I loved some of the full page images, such as the one at the end of THE MONSTER TRAP, where the girl (Sian) and monster (Afanc) are spending time at the lake. The image of THE FAIRY BABYSITTER was also really beautiful with so much detail and an ethereal figure that captures the story well. Across the book, the use of color and detail in the images is simply stunning! They really help to bring the stories to life and pull young readers in.

The stories themselves were all fascinating with plenty of magic and intrigue. These were all new to me, so it was really interesting to read and explore. My personal favorite was THE MONSTER TRAP, but they were all compelling reads. The collection of ten is a great length with each being able to be read on its own. A table of contents at the front makes them easy to find when looking for a favorite, and it was cool to see exactly where they came from.

Some of the stories can be a little scary for sensitive readers. This will be very child-specific, but some of the stories had some frightening elements that might not work for young readers, such as the changeling replacing the baby (HOW TO TRICK A CHANGELING) or the children being turned into swans (THE CHILDREN OF LIR). The stories generally end well, but sensitive readers may want to take care.

Final verdict: CELTIC FOLK AND FAIRY TALES is a beautiful collection of stories that will enchant readers with sweeping illustrations and plenty of magic! Recommend for young middle grade readers.