Based in Scotland it’s a tale that invokes long shadows, whispers in corners and witchcraft.

My absolute favourite of the book was A Knot of Toads. Girls want to take part in the adventure not just facilitate the adventures of others while they stand by with a cup of tea and a hanky. For me, Lost Girls adds another level to the story. Lost Girls was a story that shines a different light on Peter Pan and perhaps looks at the changing role of women – or maybe I’m just reading too much into it – there’s this whole element here of why did Peter really bring Wendy to Neverland? She didn’t really take part in his adventures but was brought there more to fulfil the role of ‘mother’. It brought to mind the saying ‘be careful what you wish for’ and also the fae nature of wishes and more to the point making sure that they’re very specifically worded. This is a story that has a sad feeling to it although the ending is a little bit more upbeat. Famous the world over for his wonderful stories this particular offering has a lovely fairytale feel that combines elements that for me brought to mind Pinocchio, The Snow Queen and even, a little, the Elves and the Shoemaker – which isn’t to say that those are Anderson stories (apart from the Snow Queen that is). The first tale looks at the life of Hans Christian Anderson. I’m not going to go into all the offerings but will highlight briefly the ones that worked well for me. And, thankfully, unlike a box of chocolates – there were no coffee ones. I’m not going to pretend that I was equally gripped by all the tales, in a collection like this it’s inevitable that you’ll have favourites, just like in a box of chocolates, but the writing was lovely and the feeling of reading a story before going to sleep all added to the sense of whimsy and nostalgia and made this collection enjoyable to pick up last thing of an evening. In it, Jane Yolen's poetic verse reveals how a simple cardboard box can be a child's most ingenious plaything, while artist Chris Sheban illustrates its myriad and magical uses in a creative collaboration that will spark the imagination of young readers.I don’t make a secret of the fact that short stories don’t always work for me and in fact I usually avoid collections but the promise of retellings based on old favourites such as Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz and the mention of tales that bring into play Robin Hood, Merlin and King Arthur, definitely intrigued me and I couldn’t resist picking up a copy of this one.ĭid Jane Yolen manage to spin her magic in this collection, yes, for me she did. This captivating book is a wonderful celebration of creative play.

What to do with a box by jane yolen