Storytime - Hardcover

Stella Blackstone has written many popular titles for Barefoot Books, including the Bear and Cleo series, An Island in the Sun (HC: 978-1-84148-193-7; PB: 978-1-84148-079-4), Secret Seahorse (PB: 978-1-84148-937-7; BB: 978-1-90523-615-2) and Who Are You, Baby Kangaroo? (BB: 978-1-90523-619-0). Stella lives with her family in Somerset, England.

Anne Wilson has an MA in Illustration from St. Martin's College of Art, London. She has been illustrating children's books for several years, and her other Barefoot projects include We're Sailing Down the Nile (978-1-84686-040-9) and The Great Race (HC: 978-1-90523-677-0). Anne lives in Reading, England with her husband and two daughters.

Jim Broadbent is one of the UK's most versatile and respected actors, appearing in numerous film, television and theatre productions. In 2002 he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Golden Globe for his role in Iris. Other films include: Moulin Rouge; Gangs of New York; Nicholas Nickleby; Life Is Sweet; Topsy Turvy; Vera Drake; and the Bridget Jones films. He has also appeared in productions for the Royal National Theatre and the RSC.

PreSchool-K–Seven familiar nursery tales are accompanied by bright, stylized, folk-art illustrations, done in paper collage and acrylic. Selections include The Cock, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man, The Ugly Duckling, Goldilocks, The Timid Hare (a Henny Penny story from India), The Three Little Pigs, and Stone Soup. The retellings are straightforward; most are faithful to the most commonly known versions and retain the familiar refrains (e.g., Run, run as fast as you can! or Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!). The rather long and complicated Andersen tale is perhaps the least successful. However, the collection as a whole is delightful; the art is fresh, vibrant, and full of child appeal.–Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
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