Once Upon a Timeless Tale: The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Margrete Lamond, illus by Gaye Chapman, Little Hare)

Fairytales have been around forever. Many of us will have grown up with stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. However, the availability of fairytales has become rather spasmodic and today’s children are so well supplied with new books that fairytales may be in danger of being forgotten. The ‘Once Upon a Timeless Tale’ series is an inspired way of introducing children to traditional fairytales through small, hardback, well-produced picture books. Each tale has been retold by Little Hare publisher Margrete Lamond and illustrated by a well-known Australian artist. The design makes the series both inviting and collectable. This retelling of the amusing story of a not-very-smart troll and the three billy goats gruff follows ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, ‘The Princess and the Pea’ and ‘The Ugly Duckling’. Gaye Chapman’s illustrations capture the charming story with action and humour. This is highly recommended for read-aloud bedtime stories, early independent readers or as a series to collect. I hope there might be a boxed set further on.

Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She now provides freelance publishing services and runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage in Blackheath

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews