Review: Around the World in 80 Tales

Posted by Karin | 0 comments

Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta (Kingfisher; 2007) is a beautifully illustrated, collection of 80 traditional tales from around the world, featuring stories from: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australasia.

Although the stories are wonderful to read on their own, you should certainly consider tying them into your geography studies as we did. After reading a few of the stories aloud, I was amazed when my young children (3-5) began referencing similar plots in other stories we had read together such as the story of A Real Princess: A story from Denmark (page 66) and The Princess and the Pea. When comparing traditional folk tales it’s also easy to see how people from other parts of the world are not so different from one another after all. This book has certainly added an element of excitement to our geography studies and the children look forward to hearing new stories from around the world and then locating them on the map.

But the true test of a picture book is how often it is requested at night. And I can assure you this book is a new favorite.