Author: Michael Morpurgo

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Format: Paperback

Reading Age: 7+

1. Fabulous Fables

2. Icarus

3. Mischief Makers

4. Puss in Boots

5. Rip Van Winkle

6. Sea Stories

7. Sleeping Beauty

8. Tall and Tiny

9. The Lambton Worm

10. The Pied Piper

11. Who Needs Stories

12. Thumbelina

13. The Magic Cow

14. The Swallow and the Nightingale

Aesop's ancient fables are brilliantly retold with vibrant illustrations. In this book, children will learnt that one good turn deserves another reminding them to be careful if you trick someone because they might trick you back. Maybe the animals in the stories should have listened to these wise words!

Children can dream of what it is like to fly in this reworking of Ovid's classic myth, told through the eyes of servant girl Amara. When Daedalus the inventor and his son Icarus are imprisoned by King Minos, escape looks impossible. But with his ingenious talent Daedalus manages to construct wings, enabling the pair to take on the form of birds. Tragedy strikes when Icarus fails to listen to his father's instructions, and the invention that should be his saviour proves to be the opposite.

Till Owlglass can paint pictures that only those of noble birth are able to see ... or at least, that's what he tells the pompous Count! Anansi, the naughty spider, puts his tricks to good use when his friend Antelope is in trouble. Brer Rabbit outfoxes the fox when he finds himself stuck in a well! Three lovable tricksters are brought together in this collection of stories from around the world.

Poor Jack: first his dad dies, then he gets stuck with a measly cat while his older brothers get to take over the family business. What rotten luck! But soon he realises that Puss in Boots can do all sorts of things: he can talk, catch his supper and even trick the King. But will his plan to make Jack rich prove a step too far for this conniving cat? 

Rip Van Winkle is a kind man with a grumpy wife! One afternoon, he meets a group of old-fashioned men high in the Catskill mountains, and tries an unusual drink which sends him straight to sleep ... When he awakes, Rip has grown a long beard but that isn't the only thing to have changed. What else will he discover when he returns home? 

The sea is a powerful force of nature; once the salt gets into your blood it is hard to return to land. When a selkie is trapped in her maiden form by a lovestruck human, she pines for her seal-skin and the embrace of the waves. Her family may be on land, but her heart is with the sea. But not everyone is destined to live underwater ... Can Sylvie and her brother escape the watery clutches of Merman Rosmer?

Princess Aurora is under a terrible curse when she touches a spindle, she will fall asleep for one hundred years. Her parents try as hard as they can to keep her safe, but eventually the spell claims her and the whole castle. Can Prince Florimond reawaken the princess?

When a duke's daughter is kidnapped, King Arthur sails across the sea to take on the terrifying giant who lives on Mont-Saint-Michel. When a farmer and his wife wish for a son, they don't expect him to be thumb-sized, but Tom Thumb makes up for his height with his enormous character. A charmingly illustrated retelling of two folk stories set in the time of King Arthur: one about a giant as big as a mountain, and the other about a boy as small as your thumb.

This retelling of an old Northumberland folk tale follows the Lambton family and their misfortunes. When John goes fishing on a Sunday, everyone warns him it is a bad idea. He thinks that catching a worm is as far as his bad luck will go, but little does he know the disaster that will follow. As the worm grows to monstrous proportions the villagers are terrorized and live in fear of their lives, until at last John learns how he can rid them of the monster. Wonderfully depicted by Pierre Kleinhouse, this sorrowful tale is full of magic, monsters and misery.

The peaceful town of Hamelin is overrun with rats: they are raiding larders, hiding in cupboards, sneaking into bed linen and driving the locals to despair. Desperate for help, they turn to the mysterious Pied Piper who promises a solution. But when the Piper falls out with the mayor, he takes away more than the townspeople ever expected. A wonderfully vivid interpretation of the story, which tackles trust, pride and revenge.

What are stories for? Well, let the storyteller show you ... the North Wind and the Sun compete to find out who is better, proving that kindness is better than anger. Can a crocodile and a monkey help solve an argument between friends? Allow children to escape into another world and discover the power of stories for themselves.

Thumbelina may only be the size of a thumb, but she is brimful of kindness and good nature. Stolen away in the middle of the night, she is forced to take refuge wherever she can find it. Slimy toads, mice and moles all offer her shelter, but it isn't always comfortable. Will she ever find a place that she can truly call her home? Enchanting storytelling and illustrations capture the magic of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale.

Bukolla is a very beautiful brown cow, so when she goes missing Frida cannot return home without her. But up in the mountains, she discovers that Bukolla isn't only good for making milk ... Can this clever beast use her magical powers to outwit a pair of devious trolls? Children will fall in love with this story with its engaging rhymes and vivid illustrations.

Two stories full of love, devotion and sacrifice. A mournful statue is helped by a swallow to carry out acts of charity around the city. A nightingale longs to find a red rose for her friend, but the rose bush asks a high price. Both these feathered creatures pay the ultimate price to help others, showing that true love is selfless. These retellings of Oscar Wilde's tragic short stories will reduce you to tears with their beauty and magic.