Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland

This book was filled with stories that I had never heard, and familiar stories told in ways I had never considered. Although such tales as Jack and the Beanstalk or Cinderella are retold from the isles, these stories are also chilling, And maybe not best for right before bed! I do think this would be a great book to read with children, these are the kind of folktales I wish I had grown up with. I also really like the Wheel of the Year 8 -hapter structure, It gave the tales an exciting framework.

I love that the book is organized by season. These are shorter stories, some only a few paragraphs long, and seem like they were probably tamed down a bit from their originals.Even so it's a good way to get a feel for the kinds of takes being passed down. The changing landscape, poverty, fair folk, many superstitions around plants and trees, their medicinal uses, are some of the recurring themes.I like the more lighthearted telling and will definitely be checking out more from the author!

I liked this collection of short stories. Some you can believe come from folk tales and others are a blend. As with anything in this nature, there is a wide range of endings. I liked it.

I love folklore and this is a delightful little book of stories that are collected from folklore through the British Isles. There is not one story that I would not gladly share with children and I can see myself using them around a fire at a SCA event. This is a little gem of a book.

This is a charmer of a book that pleased me immensely. As the author says at the start, there is plenty of folklore about trees and plants, but it's usually only a line or two at best. Finding real stories that are attached to the trees and plants? Now that's a challenge. Lisa Schneidau has met the challenge. Here she presents thirty-nine folktales, all with traditional roots. Some are told as she found them. Others are re-fashioned. All are readable and tellable. The stories follow the year -- from deepest winter, through spring, summer, and autumn and back around to winter. They bring in not only the botanical elements, but also the fairies, piskies, bogles, kelpies, and other supernatural creatures. Sometimes they help the humans; sometimes they punish them. A brief introduction to each tale puts it in context. Recommended for anyone who loves storytelling and the world of nature. I'll look for more from this author.

Not the biggest fan, but it's just personal preference. I discovered I don't love short story collections. Love the content, had fun with all the tales, just felt like a long read for me when it really wasn't. Definitely satiated my craving for folk tales though. Definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys story collections and is craving folk tales.

It is a good folktale book. The stories are very short. But I love botany, so I liked them. Some of them I did struggle to see the botanical connection. Or it was slight.

I really liked the stories. Had to look up some of the words that are apparently known in the UK, but not in the US. Also had to look up pictures of some of the plants with which I was not familiar. I didn't mind this, but it might be off-putting to some people. All in all, I really enjoyed this book.

Wonderful collection of folklore perfect for some sweet cozy storytelling evenings. Definitely be returning to these tales in the future.

I really enjoyed this book and the writing style.

A great collection of tales, the writing has a nice flow and people of every age can enjoy it. Lovely.

Il libro è davvero delizioso, con una bellissima copertina patinata opaca.Unica pecca, un angolo spiegazzato , dovuto alla mancanza di una protezione aggiuntiva.

I've never written an Amazon review before but felt compelled to write one for this little book. I'm quite interested in British folklore and also study Plant Sciences so thought this book might be interesting and helpful to me.I'm only on page 62 which isn't even halfway through the book but already it has touched my heart with its simple and charming short stories from throughout the British Isles. Before every story there is a short introduction which might include some information about where the tale originates or some detail about certain elements of the story.This book brings me back to the magical moments in nature I had as a child and still (much less frequently) experience. Folklore is such an essential element to culture - it's at the heart of being human. I wish there was more appreciation for its importance. Thankyou for writing this and I would recommend anyone interesting in local plants and history to read this!