Kid's Korner Review: Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales by Jamila Gavin

Publisher - Tamarind
Publication Date - 7th November 2013
Paperback - 240 pages
Genre - Children's Fiction/Fairy Tale

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 4.5 out of 5: I really liked it.

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info -
Prepare to enter a world of magicians, enchanted forests, talking animals and wicked witches . . .

Here are six magical stories to thrill and enchant you. Watch Blackberry Blue rise from the bramble patch; follow Emeka the pathfinder on his mission to save a lost king; join Princess Desire as she gallops across the Milky Way on her jet-black horse.

These beautifully written and original stories will delight readers of all ages, and the stunning illustrations by Richard Collingridge will take your breath away.

My Thoughts - When I got this book through the post from the publisher, I was very excited to read it as I have always been rather fond of fairy tales. And I was not disappointed by this one in the slightest.

Blackberry Blue and Other Fairytales is a beautifully written collection of stories that belongs on pretty much everybody's bookshelf. The descriptions that the author gives of these wonderful worlds are just magical and it is so easy to lose yourself in those words. Even though the stories are fairly short I fell deeply into the world created by the author every time and ended up feeling disappointed at the end of each story because I didn't want it to end.

Some of the stories had a rather dark edge to them so I would only recommend this for older children as even I found some of them a little scary. In more than a couple of them children were killed and then put back together again and brought back to life, so it's certainly not a book for the faint-hearted!

My favourite of all the stories would probably be Blackberry Blue. It has a slight Cinderella feel to it with a happy ending and most definitely the most feel-good of all the stories. The Night Princess was another highlight for me, with beautiful descriptions of the night-time world inhabited by the princess. These really were magical stories.

Summary - Although a little scary at times, these stories are beautiful and magical and are perfect for older children and grown-ups alike. A book that would be a great addition to most bookshelves.