ReadItDaddy's Second Book of the Week - Week Ending 16th August 2019: "Nordic Tales" by Ulla Thynell (Chronicle Children's Books)

We are very much liking the trend at the moment for gloriously produced anthology books, particularly ones that tap straight into folklore and tales we're already completely fanatical about.

"Nordic Tales" by Ulla Thynell brings together 16 amazingly diverse and completely magical tales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark.

As you'd expect from that collection of countries, there's a rich heritage of both oral and written storytelling, and the utterly glorious landscapes you'll find in these places lend themselves well to mystical and atmospheric storytelling.

Working from translated and transcribed works from the 19th Century, Ulla has drawn the stories together with some utterly stunning illustrations as themes range from mystical princesses to brave warriors, mythical beasts to places where other worlds meet.

It's a thing of beauty this book, not just because of the stories or the illustrations but because of the presentation too. Cloth bound with a ribbon marker to keep your place, this is absolutely perfect for before-bed storytelling, perfect for children who want something a little different than the normal bedtime reads.

Stunning, stunning stuff!

Sum this book up in a sentence: A hugely atmospheric and gloriously imaginative body of work, bringing together classic folk tales from Scandi and Icelandic locations in one utterly brilliant book.

"Nordic Tales" by Ulla Thynell is out now, published by Chronicle Children's Books (kindly supplied for review).