This is a wonderful collection of 17 fables and fairy tales, collected from all over Scandinavia. Ulla Thynell's artwork is ethereally beautiful and rich in small hidden details which aren't obvious at first glance. Each story has a full page color illustration as well as endpapers and cover art.
The stories themselves are split into three sections by thematic central ideas such as transformation (wicked curse hiding a character's true nature), wit (the poor but good-hearted character survives by his wits), and journeys. Some are cautionary tales, all have deeper messages. Even though some of these were familiar to me, many weren't. Like all fables and fairy tales, there's something primeval which resonates deeply in our cultural consciousness.
This would make a superlative bedtime read, or library/classroom circle read. There's a good bibliography and credits list at the back of the book.
Beautifully rendered. The translation work isn't completely seamless; many of the stories read as though they were translated. It doesn't affect the readability, but it is noticeable.
Five stars, the art and stories go together very well and I suspect that many (most) of these stories will be unfamiliar to most readers.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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