The Bloomsbury Nursery Treasury by Patricia Borlenghi and Eleanor Taylor

The Bloomsbury Nursery Treasury by Patricia Borlenghi and Eleanor Taylor
Buy The Bloomsbury Nursery Treasury by Patricia Borlenghi and Eleanor Taylor at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Jo Heffer
Summary: You can't go wrong with a traditional fairy tale. There are beautiful princesses, talking animals, magical elements and hopefully a happy ending. Patricia Borlenghi's Nursery Treasury includes many favourite tales and each of these are beautifully told and illustrated. However, there is often a twist in the tale and that is what makes this collection just that little bit different.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 96	Date: September 2010
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 978-074759747
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I am sure that all small children love traditional tales. Maybe for some the appeal is the beguiling innocence of Little Red Riding Hood, or the audacity of Goldilocks as she invades the three bears' cottage or even Jack's daring and courage as he climbs the beanstalk and steals the giant's gold from under his nose. Whichever tale is favourite, there is always something very satisfying when the good characters win and the nasty characters are beaten especially as this always leads of course to a happy ending.

These types of story are so good for sharing between parents and children and are ones that will be read over and over again. I'm sure it's quite likely that many children will already have their own well loved collections, so what then makes The Bloomsbury Nursery Treasury by Patricia Borlenghi any different from all of the others?

The treasury contains ten very well known stories that generally follow the themes that children know and love so well. Titles include The Three Little Pigs, Rumpelstiltskin, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling as well as lots more. However, there is always something a little unusual or unexpected in the telling. Things don't always go quite the way that you think they are going to, and, quite shockingly, Patricia Borlenghi sometimes breaks that most important rule of always having to have a happy ending. I mean, have you ever wondered what would have happened to Red Riding Hood if the woodcutter had not appeared to save the day? Well, as there is no woodcutter in this version, you can read it and find out! Don't worry though, there are still some happy endings in the book.

When I read the Little Red Riding Hood story with my five year old daughter she was quite upset that the ending had changed. She was looking forward to the traditional telling that she knew so well. This made me think that this is not a treasury of fairy tales for the very young, but would perhaps be more suitable for slightly older children who would appreciate the subtle twists. Also, as the stories are all of a manageable length and are written using mainly simple language, I think that newly confident readers would enjoy being able to read the stories themselves. My seven year old daughter has loved reading the stories out loud to her younger sister.

As you read the stories, you notice that they do have that traditional feel about them mainly due to the language used and the traditional conventions that they follow such as the use of repetition. They have a lovely flow as you read them aloud and I've really enjoyed reading the stories with my daughters. They have loved joining in with me and they have also appreciated the wonderful illustrations supplied by Eleanor Taylor. They are bright and colourful, but also a little quirky, picking up on the humour that is in the storytelling.

Each of the stories can easily be read in one sitting which makes them just right for some fun bedtime reading. My daughters have really enjoyed revisiting some of their favourite stories in this way and we all definitely recommend this delightful treasury.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

Also, if this treasury appeals, take a look at The Great Nursery Rhyme Disaster by David Conway and Melanie Williamson.

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You can read more book reviews or buy The Bloomsbury Nursery Treasury by Patricia Borlenghi and Eleanor Taylor at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Bloomsbury Nursery Treasury by Patricia Borlenghi and Eleanor Taylor at Amazon.com.

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