This is a gorgeous volume, flooded with rich, dreamy paintings--definitely the kind of book you could give as a gift (or would want to receive as one). Many of the illustrations are set off with gold borders, adding to the richness. All in all, it feels like a book the fairies made!

But be warned--Yolen writes of "real" fairies in this book--not the sweet, sugary wisps of Disney's invention, but the amoral beings who steal children and wives, sink ships and play tricks. The selections have a darkness to them that reflects more truly the faeries of folklore.

But even if the stories make you sad, it's worth it to melt away into the paintings and take a walk in fairyland.

i had gotten this book when i was 9, though i didnt really care much for the pictures, the stories left me feeling, kind of comfortable inside. i hope to buy this book again for mine right now is tattered, but i recommend this book to anyone, the stories and poems are sweet and clever and tje pictures, have a certain child like qualiy that i love.

Jane Yolen produces more great poetry and fiction in "Here There Be Dragons," part of her short story series focusing on ghosts, angels, witches, dragons, and so forth.

It starts off with "Why Dragons?", a poem about St. George, and proceeds to the highly original "Great-Grandfather Dragon's Tale," a story from the point of view of the dragons rather than the humans. There are two evocative little drabbles (stories under a hundred words), the saddening "Dragon Woke and Stretched" and the spellbinding "Sorry the Old Man Said." "Cockfight" is what later became the Pit Dragon trilogy, a story about a young boy on a poor planet which has dragons fighting for money. "Dragon Night" is a sweet little poem, a sort of dragon lullaby. "Dragonfield" is a slightly less interesting story about an unheroic young man and a healer's daughter (and a dragon, of course).

"The King's Dragon" is the story of a member of the King's Dragoons, who has a slight problem when people keep hearing "dragoon" as "dragon." "Into the Wood" is pretty, if a little hard to understand. "Dragon's Boy," which later became a short children's novel, tells the story of the adolescent King Arthur and how he learned wisdom from a "dragon." "The Making of Dragons" is a thoroughly entertaining poem about how to construct a dragon. "One Ox, Two Ox, Three Ox, and the Dragon King" is the story of three boys called One Ox, Two Ox, Three Ox (I think their father had a screw loose), in a story partly influenced by Chinese legends. The collection ends with the wistful "Here There Be Dragons," a poem which harkens back to old maps with those words on them.

As in all of these books, Yolen includes comments and insights to the beginning of each story and poem, what caused her to write them and how they were influenced. David Wilgus's pencil drawings are realistic and soft-edged, very nice to look at and very appropriate to the contents.

A nice little collection for the dragon fanciers, much better than most story collections. Fans of Yolen's "Dragon's Boy" and "Pit Dragon" trilogy will undoubtedly enjoy this.

This is an interesting collection of short stories and peotry by Jane Yolen, who has done a lot of her work about dragons. I love the poems about St. George, types of dragons, and Here There Be Dragons (which the title comes from). The pencil drawings by the illustrator are excellent. The short stories are good, but not really masterpeices. Overall, this is a great book, as are the unicorn, witch, and angel books in this series.

I like that these ghost stories are not the usual horrifying, scare-your-pants-off stories that I often come across. The ghosts in these stories don't go around trying to kill people, they are just unusual which for some reason makes them seem more real. It's not they aren't scary, they are just spooky. Good for someone looking for non- bloody ghost stories.

Too often, ghost stories either degenerate into sappy emotional dramas or into gruesome near-parodies. Jane Yolen deftly avoids those traps in a collection of poems and stories that is never gruesome, never sappy, and never really scary.

"It Was the Hour" is a poem about the brief appearance of a ghost. "Ghost Boy" is a highly entertaining story about a pair of kids who get a glimpse of a ghost boy -- but exactly who is the ghost? "Tombmates" is a highly amusing poem about an Odd Couple pair of ghosts -- a tidy one and a messy one. "Police Report" is the account of a kid explaining how a ghost appeared to him, and ending with an amusing twist. "White Lady" is a poetic account about the White Lady ghost who haunts a cathedral. "The Boy Who Sang For Death" is a two-ended story about a young man who pursues Lady Death in an effort to get her to resurrect his mother. "Seance for Eight" is an amusing poem about a seance -- is it fake or not? "Mrs. Ambroseworthy" is an amusing-spooky story about a choir director who keeps coming back. "Night Wolves," about a kid and a ghost who "wore my mother's face, my mother's wedding dress" is poignant and sweet.

"The Singer of Seeds" is a little weaker than the others, about the lingering effects of a young man killed by murderous farmers. "In the Silvered Night" is a pretty poem about nothing much, aside from ghosts. "Mandy" is the perfect story for dog-lovers, in which the ghost of a deceased pooch comes to visit her owner. "Haunt" asks the question "When I am gone/Who will I haunt?" "Green Ghosts" has a young girl dealing with strange green creatures who are flittering around like bats in her new home. "Souls" is an exceptional short story, starkly written and simple in its storyline, in which a boy grows up killing things that he decrees have no souls. "The Moon-Ribbon" is a beautifully-written story, somewhat like a fairy tale, in which an apparition helps a young girl named Sylva, whose only possession is a silver ribbon. "Prom Ghost" is when a girl finds out how her brother and the girl he was with died on their prom night. And "My Own Ghosts" is a charming little finale to the collection.

There isn't really a weak spot in this collection; Yolen's style ranges from charming fairy-tale-like stories to charming poems to eerie tales with a wry twist. As always, David Wilgus's soft-edged black-and-white drawings add extra dimension to the material collected in it.

For fans of things that go bump in the night, this is good entertainment. One of the best of this too-short series.

Picnic With Piggins, by Jane Yolen was quite a good book. I recommend it to all. I wasn't quite interested in it at first, but I quickly became interested. The book takes a big turn and completely changes your sense of what's going to happen. It's a mystery, and as the book goes, you get to solve it yourself.

The butler has to solve a mystery. -Which You find yourself following along with the process of solving it. Any kid between the ages of 7-12 would like it. Also the descriptive pictures and different sense of vocabulary. Enjoy reading!

This book is about an animal family that goes on a picnic. The
butler has to solve a mystery. I really liked this book because I
got to solve the mystery as I read. The author shares that solving mysteries is fun.

The pictures and words of this book mold together flawlessly, and the illustrations can provide vital information. The world setting is bright and intriguing, and the characters are lovable and distinctive. The plot is not too long, and everything ties together beautifully. It left me smiling the first time that I read it, and it's even better the second time.

Finally - Jane Yolen and Jane Dyer have done that truly rare feat. They've created a unique type story (series) that Adults and young children can enjoy together actively. This would be a delightful tale with deliciously detailed illustrations on its own. What makes this so wonderful is the placing of "illustrated clues" to the solution of the mystery (a theft at the title Wedding) throughout the illustrations. The pictures themselves are intricate and beautiful, it is a pleasure to review them over and over to spot the little details missed on the first read through. The girls liked this best at ages 5-8 but everyone, from baby Ben at age 3 to Nana at age 67 loved to participate. For a treat to pamper yourself (hopefully with a child at your side to help you spot any significant details you might miss), or as a gift to any family with young children who treasure a good read- I would recommend this book most highly. If you haven't read the original "Piggins"- be sure to put it in your shopping cart too!

Vampires is a great collection of stories, ranging from acient native americans, to futuristic people. There are 13 short stories in all. Some stories are better than others...
1.Nobody has to Know: is a cool, straight to the point story.
2.There's no such thing: a cool story, can't say anymore or i'll give it away.
3.Curse of the undead: one of my favorites of the 13, about a guy who wakes up in a coffin.
4. Blood Kin: the story in rather confusing from beginning to almost the end. It isn't very good, strange word choices.
5.Miss Emily's Roses: this is an ok story, a little confusing at time but still good.
6. The Blood-ghoul of scarsdale: a very cool story about a vampire who likes to go shopping.
7. The Magic Stealer: another one of my favorites of these stories. it's about a girl who is a native american and has to return to her people. don't worry, there's a vamire.
8. Avhel: cool story, about a vampire child
9. A Cold Stake: this one is ok but very confusing at times, it takes place in the 2030's and they keep talking about things, like you already know what's going on.
10. Blook Libel: this is my absolute favorite of all of the stories. It's about a guy who can no longer stay with his Jewish people because he's a vampire.
11. Aunt Horrible's last visit: a cool story, about an evil aunt and the siblings who hate her.
12. Mama's Gone: another favorite, a cute sad story about a dead mother and her children.
13. Richie: another favorite, a vampire teen, who wants a friend

overall, it's a good book, it got a four because of the three stories that aren't that good, and are confusing, but the good ones definately outway them. If you are a beginning Vampire reader or an old pro, you should definately read this book. It gives awsome perspectives and it's worth your money.

A collection of chilling vampire stoies. Most are very good. My favorite is 'Nobody has to know'. There are a few long ones to be missed, eg 'Blood Kin' but this is an amazing book. Read it, I dare you...

I found all of the stories well written and enjoyable, but then I did not assume that they would be done in a Tolkien-like writing style or would be based on Tolkien's works. If you are looking for stories that are reminiscient of Tolkien's Middle Earth, you will be sorely dissapointed. If you are looking for an tome of enjoyable fantasy fiction (that sometimes borders on science fiction) you will like this collection. The fact that the stories (although very good) did not live up to the title of the book prompted me to give it three stars rather than four. Caveat Emptor.

One might suspect that in "After the King: Stories in Honor of J.R.R. Tolkien," each story would have a distinctly Tolkien-esque feel. However, this is not entirely the case. Not every short story contained here is even traditional high fantasy, and sometimes it seems more like an issue of a fantasy or sci-fi magazine with assorted, mismatched tales.

Of course none of this means much in the long haul, because there are some nice little gems hidden in this 500 page volume. I particularly enjoyed the hilarious "Troll Bridge," the suspenseful "Faith," "The Halfling House," the haunting 6 page tale called "Winter's King," and even "The Revolt of the Sugar Plum Fairies," though the latter was one that seemed out of place.

Fantasy and science fiction fans alike will certainly find enjoyment here, whether it's comedy, adventure, or emotional yarns you prefer. Just don't expect Tolkien-esque fantasy from cover to cover.

Wow! The first word to come to mind when I read this book after I got it from the library. I searched local bookstores for almost a year before I decided to try Amazon. But don't be fooled, this book is not meant to be anything like Tolkien. It is written by authors who have been greatly influenced by this great man and his work. There is a story here for everyone, whether you like comedy, tragedy, classic fantasy, or futuristic science-fiction. True, not all the entries were "right up my alley", but reading each of them was a pleasure. I recommend it to anyone whose life has been changed by the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Have you ever been told a farie tale from a loved one or someone who you think you know everything about? Did you ever think that you may not know them as well as you think? This is exatally what happens in the book Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen. In it the two different stories of the Holocaust and Sleeping Beuaty are wound together to make it very touching and very moving. In this this book, the charcter, Becca Berlin's, grandmother leaves a box full of old papers and pictures that sends Becca to Polond on an amazing adventure to learn what really happened to her grandma. On this adventure Becca learns that the tale that her grandma also told her when she was growing up was really the tale of her life as a Holocaust surviver. I would recommend this book to anyone that is into the Holocaust, but doesn't really want to learn that much about what happened in the concentration camps. This is a great book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

"Briar Rose" is not a book I would have generally chosen to read. Therefore, it was a shock to find myself completely wrapped up in the story. Jane Yolen puts an amazing twist on the old fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty." Becca, the main character, is enchanted by the classic story of Briar Rose or Sleeping Beauty - a tale she had heard so often as a child - told by her grandmother Gemma. As she becomes older she begins to realize that this story is much more significant than she thought as a child. When Gemma dies, Becca becomes devoted to unraveling the mystery of Briar Rose which she comes to realize is actually the story of her grandmother's life. What happens here is truly amazing. The story captivated me as Josef Potocki, a man from Gemma's past took me on a journey through the Holocaust - sharing his memories of such a horrifying time and giving the details of Gemma's past. The castles and princes I had envisioned of the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" from my past take on a totally different meaning in this story. Yolen does a terrific job of combining a classic fairy tale with the horrifying reality of the Holocaust. Even if this is not the type of book you would normally read, you may be as surprised as me to have enjoyed it so much!

Its been a very long time since I thought about the fairy-tale Sleeping Beauty, and an even longer time since I have read about it. However, in the space of 5 pages I was immediately absorbed with Yolen's retelling. This novel, centered around one woman's Holocaust experience and intermixed with the classic fairy-tale, is deeply moving. Yolen's uses classic fairy-tale elements like a prince and the curse of a long sleep to connect us to the horrors of the death camp Chelmno. The result is a story that is fresh and shocking as it tares away any of the numbness we may feel for another account of a Holocaust survivor. Suddenly the fairy-tale ideas of rescue and evil are invested with modern connotations.
The novel begins with the story of Becca and her granmother Gemma, who is dying of old age. Becca's grandmother has constantly told Becca and her sisters the story of Briar Rose, and when she passes away it is discovered that Briar Rose may in fact have been Gemma. Becca traces Gemma's history back to Poland and a castle in that area, and proceeds to discover that her Grandmother was one of the few to escape from the Nazi death camp Chelmno. The resulting account we hear tells the story of Gemma's escape and the 'prince'that rescues her.
Overall, I thought this novel was fantastic. Upon doing research for the novel I came across many protestations for its homosexual content and portrayal of Chelmno. However, I think Yolen does an admirable job of complicating our notion of the fairy-tale and our numbness to the horrors of the Holocaust. She creates an environment that is both chilling and hopeful, and her use of Sleeping Beauty creates a connection between Gemma's history and our own.

This book is terrific - the stories I read in "Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters" has completely changed the way I view the portrayal of women in folktales. When I was a kid, many of the books I read had male protagonists, and early on I realized that in the stories and plays I was reading the males got all the good parts. They went off and did the courageous things while the female characters tittered, blushed and occassionally fainted in safety. The women in this book do brave things the men can't (or aren't smart enough) to do. They fight monsters, outwit giants and save lives, yet they they have traditional feminine qualities such as patience, devotion and compassion, and a soft spot for babies. The tales in this anthology are as diverse and varied as the women they represent. They come from all around the world and cross all cultural lines. To help readers understand the cultural context, the author has included her notes at the end of each tale expressing her personal reactions and the cultural background. I liked reading her remarks, and enjoyed the way they helped put the tales in context. I highly recommend this book - it is really refreshing to find out that women's empowerment is not something new! [D.A. age 14]

This book is a much needed addition to the world of multicultural and feminist stories. Because the author has broadened her definition of heroine to include qualities traditionally attributed to women and subsequently denigrated by the society, the book succeeds in bringing us new definitions of what it means to be a successful human being. Honoring qualities like creating a "hearth" for a family, kindness, perseverance and cleverness rather than physical strength (though delightful tales featuring female strength are included too!),Ragan brings to our attention stories that celebrate feminine qualities. As a storyteller, I have found stories that I can use immediately to build my repertoire of performance pieces. The care with which Ragan has sought out those sources closest to the oral tradition makes the storyteller's job of "translating" written text to oral performance much easier. I highly recommend this book to educators, librarians and storytellers. It also makes a great resource collection for parents who want to expand the kinds of stories they offer to their children, both male and female!

Great short stories! It is a wonderful read for myself, my daughter(8) and my son(4). Both children enjoy the colorful idioms and the tales!

This book was first introduced to me in my 6th grade class. We were assigned to read this book and the first installment of Harry Potter. While everybody started to read the Harry Potter book because there was a big hype around it, I chose to start with Wizard's Hall because it was shorter. When I read it I couldn't compare it to anything because I hadn't read Harry Potter, so I started reading it with a fresh mind. Wow, I thought this book was really something special and I could relate to it. It was very original and I liked the adventures that Henry encountered. I was so enthralled with the book that i read it in 2 days. Afterwords I started reading Harry Potter and I was confused, the stories were strikingly similar. I enjoyed Harry Potter, but it didn't have that special charm I got when reading Wizard's Hall. In the end my teacher made the class write an essay about comparing the two books and also state which one was more original and interesting. Everybody else wrote that Harry Potter was original and that Wizard's Hall was boring and the same as Harry Potter, but I wrote how Wizard's Hall was actually written BEFORE Harry Potter and that it was way more original and interesting for it's time. I was the ONLY person in my class to get an A+ on my essay :).

I read this story 7-8 years ago, and it left such an incredible impression on me that I'm sitting here at age 17 writing a review for it. Wizard's Hall was definitely the defining book of my childhood, the epitome of the fantastic and mysterious, and I'm on Amazon.com today to look into buying it, yes, 8 years later.

The problem I see for new readers is this: Harry Potter is now out, and the parallel, especially with the Sorcerer's Stone, is much too great. One morning, Henry randomly decides to become a Wizard, which is apparently something anyone can simply become, goes off to Wizard school, and finds later he has a purpose with an interesting twist at the end (but then again, a twist similar to that of the Sorcerer's stone).

Definitely a quick, enjoyable read for anyone who can be so objective as to not compare it with Harry Potter, and knows how to appreciate a good children's book (ie no extensive characterization and symbolism).

This book gets 5 stars from me because it will ALWAYS be the first book. Harry Potter will always be the second.

One of the most magical books I've ever read! Though not as well-known or as generally well-liked as Harry Potter, I believe this book is superior. Its prose and descriptions are lyrical and beautiful, and the hero is endearingly insecure.

Henry is sent to "Wizard's Hall" by his mother, to become a wizard. Renamed "Thornmallow" (prickly on the outside, squishy inside), he soon makes a name for himself--he swamps a classroom in snow, inadvertantly yells during an orientation speech, and so on. But he soon discovers that he is one of 113 students, who are there to defeat the evil wizard Nettle and his enormous Beast. But Thornmallow doesn't think he can do it.

This is a shorter but much more INTENSE book than most wizardly tales. Its shortness is made up for by the sheer magic of Wizard's Hall--moving pictures, lizards swimming in the soup (which can be changed by older students), and the constellation ceiling that talks!

I love Thornmallow, he's so HUMAN. Who among us hasn't completely embarrassed themselves in front of a room of people? Or botched up something over and over? I also love his friends Gorse and Tansy (yeah, everyone has plant names) and the teachers. Not to mention Doctor Mo (PRICELESS! Simply priceless)

Read the book! You will NOT be disappointed...