Cover Image: A World Full of Spooky Stories

A World Full of Spooky Stories

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Member Reviews

Short 1-2 page “spooky” stories. Little artwork and small writing. Each story is from a different place in the world which is neat. I will say I was a little unimpressed with the stories. Some were just that, stories, and not “spooky” in the slightest, even for kids. But, maybe some would still enjoy reading these stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I don’t typically review (or request) what I view to be “children’s” books. But with Halloween being one of my son and I’s favorite holidays, I figured we could read the stories together before bed every night. OPE! Not exactly super YOUNG child friendly, but my 9 year old has a bit of a macabre sense of humor, and he was thrilled with these stories. Most of them are old fairytales told in the original version- ie Red Riding Hood. We loved reading these stories together and will continue to read these on the app until the hard copy comes out and we can find it to purchase. EXCELLENT compilation. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

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A gorgeous book of creepy folktales from all over the world. I loved the illustrations and the selections. I’m a big folklore nerd but there were plenty of stories here I’d never heard which are now new favourites: ‘Grandfather’s Eyes’ from Czechoslovakia, ‘The Snake Prince’ from India, ‘The Enchanted Apple Tree’ from France and ‘The Girl Who Turned to Stone’ from Chile.

It also has versions of my old favourites like ‘Tam Lin’, ‘Baba Yaga’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ (the version where the wolf eats her and that’s the end, no woodcutter comes to save her - gory and glorious).

One small criticism: I disliked the version of ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ because the protagonist is “boastful girl” and is saved because her husband remembers an old song he’d heard Rumpelstiltskin sing. Personally I prefer the version where her father makes the promises about her spinning straw into gold, and the girl saves herself by walking in the woods and overhearing the song. There’s also a focus on women being more valuable if they’re young and beautiful, and on older women being evil - this certainly isn’t a feminist collection. But it is pretty and creepy, and perfect for reading aloud.

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A World Full of Spooky stories a delightful collection of creepy tales from around the world. The illustrations are a delight, the stories brief enough to enjoy if you only have a few moments, and the collection is a delight. I really enjoyed this collection. It didn't just focus on one part of the world, meaning you've got an equal chance of tales from South America and Eastern Europe. This might not be the collection you want to get for a small child, but older young adults or teens (and adults who adore folklore) are in for a perfect treat especially for the Halloween season.

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For children and adults alike this was a very enjoyable read. Great folklore stories from across the world which was very interesting and informative. Illustrations are beautifully drawn which adds to the escapism in the world of spooks.

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This is a great book ready for Halloween, and perfect to read to the little ones before bed leading up to it. I think it’s great to include folk stories from all over the world gives you a feel for other cultures.

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What a gorgeous book! A wonderful and unique compilation of fairytales from around the world; what I loved most was that the stories involved in this collection were not the same ones we've all heard 100 times. I'm not a huge fairytale fan personally, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection. The illustrations are breathtaking!

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This book is so adorable! I love the art style and how colorful it is. The cover grabbed me because it features so many examples of the art inside. Overall, this is such a bright and fun book. The stories are definitely written for children and are made to be read in quick bursts. They are no more than a couple of pages long; most being even less than that. They are quick little stories from so many places around the world. I love the representation in this book and how easy it is to read and share with others.

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Fabulous collection of tales from all around the world. Perfect for campfires, Halloween, and is sure to be a hit for any young lover of spooky stories. The illustrations were wonderful! This would definitely have been on my shelf next to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

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They said spooky and they weren't kidding! I knew a few of these stories, but not most of them. A couple were properly creepy. My favourite is Herne the Hunter, but there's plenty of others here for all tastes. The illustrations are more cartoony than creepy, but they add to the book and it's a very attractive package. I'm looking forward to selling this one this Hallowe'en!

A fantastic collection.

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This book is beautiful, look at that cover! I love any book that allows children to enjoy spooky lore and this one has a very diverse list from different areas.

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Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my review from NetGallery.

This collection of spooky stories has a wide range of really creepy to classics we all know to mildly spooky. I think a child could really find a story for any spooky mood. I really enjoyed the illustration style as it gave just enough detail to the story without overwhelming the reader's ability to imagine the rest. I enjoyed the mixture of stories from different cultures and seeing stories I had never heard of before. I only wish that some of the stories were a bit longer and more detailed. I was left wanting more.

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What a beautifully illustrated book of stories! There are over 50 stories from around the world with gorgeous illustrations by Madalina Andronic. The stories are lovely as well.

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I loved reading spooky stories from all over the world! Each story was short and the illustrations were captivating. This is a great read for older children!

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This collection of spooky stories were fairly short for my taste but all-together create a really nice bind-up for children! The illustrations dispersed throughout each story were really beautiful and I adored the fact that it called out where each tale originated from!

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This is just as lovely as it's predecessor, with deceptively simple, but character filled Christopher Corr illustrations. There feels to be more depth to them this time around.

The stories themselves are more eclectic, and as with any anthology, some feel too rushed and others too long, but they are pitched just right with a really good mix.

A solid Halloween / end of year selection.

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This book is a fun and great way to introduce your kids to stories from around the world! The writing is great and the collection has something for everyone. My only complaint is these aren't really spooky stories, more just fairytales, legends and mythology

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully illustrated, this book contains a selection of stories from around the globe. The stories have been divided into categories such as 'Into The Woods' and 'Enchanted Places'. The stories are the perfect length for an end of day class read or for children to read to themselves. The illustrations are engaging, detailed and vividly coloured.

I enjoyed reading this and will be adding a copy to my class library.

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I love this book. Not only does it have some of the well known stories, it has those that may be new to the reader.
My favourite part is the labelling of the stories by location which provides an extra educational level to the book.

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I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley.



This book wasn't quite what I expected. I suppose if I would've read the synopsis in more detail, I would've known it wasn't the author writing these stories, rather the translation of stories from all over the world. A few of the stories like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood, I know well and grew up on. The others not so much. It was fun to read stories I've never heard from different parts of the country. I wouldn't call them "spooky," its more of a collection of fairy tale type stories than actual scary stories for kids. Nothing was over-the-top and if your child is a fan of fairy tales, they'll certainly love these.

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