Booky Advent Calendar 2017 Day 7: "Greatest Magical Stories" chosen by Michael Morpurgo (OUP / Oxford Children's Books)

Anthology books were always a huge part of Christmas for me as a child. At least one relative would find a huge book of stories and make sure it ended up in my Christmas stocking...
I always thought tastes had changed and that these sort of books had (sadly) fallen out of fashion. But it's fantastic to find the perfect example to include in our Christmas Booky Advent Calendar, the sort of book that's going to be read and re-read for ages to come.

"Greatest Magical Stories" curated by Michael Morpurgo but showcasing some of the most amazing authors and illustrators working in children's publishing today, really is a dazzling collection.

Favourites such as Adele Geras, Ian (Archie) Beck, Chris Powling, Violeta Dabija and of course Michael himself retelling a brilliant version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" all contribute to this amazing compendium of tales with a touch of magic about them.

"The Pied Piper" - an awesome story and definitely one for a great collection such as this

We loved the different approaches to retelling classic tales such as "The Pied Piper", "The Frog Prince" and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon"...

"East of the Sun, West of the Moon" beautifully retold with gorgeous illustrations

The whole collection is beautifully presented, and kids will soon find a favourite amongst the diverse collection of stories from around the world.

"Greatest Magical Stories" curated by Michael Morpurgo is out now, published by OUP / Oxford Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).