Koshka's Tales

Book excerpt: Brave princes, evil witches and beautiful maidens abound as the tales of Koshka, the wise old story-telling cat, unfold. James Mayhew has drawn inspiration from the traditional stories and art style of old Russia to re-tell five enchanting tales in this re-published edition of a children's classic.Stories include: The Tale of the Snowmaiden The Tale of Sadko the Minstrel The Tale of Iven, the Greywolf and the Firebird The Tale of Vassilisa the Fair and Baby Yaga Tsar Saltan and Koshka the Cat'I loved the constant references to stories as inherently magical and powerful, full of rare secrets that you would be justified in sailing "e;beyond thrice-nine realms and over the seven seas"e; in search of. Thankfully, readers and listeners (and lovers of illustration) only need open this magic box to be immediately transported.' Dr Nick Campbell, writer, researcher and bookseller'Every children's book deserves to be lavishly-illustrated, a task taken on by the author himself. It's herd to say which are better, the words or the pictures. But at the end of the day, it hardly matters because they complement each other perfectly in a book that captures the essence of the old-fashioned Noel of traditional story-telling.' The Bay magazine, 2019'It's the energy that shines out in the boldness, the verve, the lack of reticence that says: Look at this beautiful thing! Look again! It's the kind of work that welcomes readers (because in this book, James has written the words too!) as well as spectators. The combination is a real joy. [...] Today's children are lucky to have this version of the stories. And James Mayhew is lucky to have Graffeg realising that we need them as much as we did in 1993.' Adele Geras'Here is a fabulous collection of folk tales from Russia by James Mayhew, written in luminous language and accompanied by equally luminous artwork... Beyond the classroom, I will be recommending it to boys and girls in Year 4 who still love the accessibility of traditional fairy stories but need to develop their reading stamina and confidence with a little more challenge. I am hoping it will provide a gateway to longer novels such as The House with Chicken Legs or Harry Potter.' Books for Topics