ASTONISHINGLY GOOD STORIES BY R.A. SPRATT

What a stonkingly good read this collection is. Sitting down and reading a short story is one of the best things you can do. In a world where it seems we are all time-poor, a book like this is just the thing to fill that story shaped hole in our lives.

Join Nanny Piggins and the Green Children as well as Tammy and her mum while they re-tell some of the Greek myths, fables and fairy tales we are familiar with. Unbeknown to most of the world, many of these legends and tales have been incorrectly adapted to fit the human perspective. Originally of course all the main characters were distant relatives of Nanny Piggins herself. Very generously, she doesn’t hold a grudge against these ancient narrators, but happily sets the current readers straight on exactly who was who.

Romeo and Juliet, George Washington, Sisyphus and the Trojan Horse are just some of the tales covered in this treasure trove. At the end of some of the stories, Spratt has added some very handy “Storytelling Tips”. I especially took note of Storytelling Tip #3 where she advises giving your restless child the opportunity to “do and interpretive dance” while listening to you read. I am a total sucker for interpretive dance and will be following this tip assiduously in the future.

R.A. Spratt’s humour and insights into the continual silliness of humans and their bedtime stories, are a joy to read. The abundance of chocolate related references does make it necessary to add a health warning with this review. Please make sure you have plenty of cake near-by, or some small squares of chocolate at least – just in case.

 For Ages: 9 - 11 years

Number of Pages: 240

Published: August 2022 Puffin