Reviews
Nordic Tales: Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark by Chronicle Books
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Nordic Tales is a collection of traditional tales collected from Scandinavia. Due out 13th Aug 2019 from Chronicle Books, it's 168 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
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.
Nordic Tales is a collection of traditional tales collected from Scandinavia. Due out 13th Aug 2019 from Chronicle Books, it's 168 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
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.
rachelunabridged's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
liahic's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
3.75
The pictures were absolutely worth it.
rissasreading's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a fun and silly read. I love folktales and it was so fun to read this beautiful book with gorgeous images by Ulla.
I really wanted to read this as I'm a HUGE fan of the Netflix Series, Hilda, which takes inspiration from Nordic Tales. So I had a blast reading "The Boy Who Did Not Know What Fear Was", as it was obvious to me that "The Eternal Warriors" episode was inspired by this tale. Super fun!
I really wanted to read this as I'm a HUGE fan of the Netflix Series, Hilda, which takes inspiration from Nordic Tales. So I had a blast reading "The Boy Who Did Not Know What Fear Was", as it was obvious to me that "The Eternal Warriors" episode was inspired by this tale. Super fun!
scribe391's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A collection of folktales from Scandinavia.
Suitable for younger readers
Suitable for younger readers
midnightdreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
joanna_ashleigh's review against another edition
3.0
Gorgeous artwork! There were far more tales in this book from Norway than anywhere else. 17 stories total: 7 for Norway, 3 each for Sweden and Finland, 2 each for Iceland and Denmark.