A delightful collection of 7 magical stories from Wales. 7 colour and 15 black-and-white illustrations. First published in 1999.

Casgliad hyfryd o 7 stori hud a lledrith o Gymru. 7 llun lliw a 15 llun du-a-gwyn. Cyhoeddwyd gyntaf yn 1999.

Julie Rainsbury is a poet as well as a storyteller. This collection, a re-telling of seven Welsh legends, attests to this. Any young reader who has discovered the joy, the power of words, will be enthralled with the telling of these stories. This is a sample from ‘The Lady of the Wood’: ‘The lady was always with him. Sometimes she was spun in butterflies, pearl and silver fritillaries. Sometimes bees hummed through her honey hair. At dusk, moths, brindled and mottled umber, fluttered around the flame of her presence.’ She tells of Merlin’s first magic, of Pryderi’s pigs, of the Mam-gu who turns into a hare.

This is an enchanting introduction to Welsh stories from long ago. Howell’s illustrations capture the spirit of the stories. The ugly features of the witch Mitchell, the battling white and red dragons, the mischievous smile of Aby Biddle as he demonstrates his magic with moonlight and bees – all add to the enchantment of the book.

Gertrude Clancy

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.