Rosamund Fowler – illustratör

This is a completely original version of the "Arabian Nights Stories" by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean. In order to delay her inevitable execution, Queen Shaharazad tells her murdering husband, King Shahryar, a wonderfully exciting story every night. The King is used to a new wife every day, only to put her to death the following day, but finds himself so intrigued in the magical stories Shaharazad tells, he can't bring himself to kill her. Night after night she tells her wonderful stories until the King starts to realize that he won't be able to live without them...

This lively collection comes from West Africa, a place 'where stories grow on trees'. Here are the famous tricksters: Hare, Tortoise, and the greatest of them all - Ananse the spider. The stories are full of larger-than-life characters and situations; and include the tale of how Ananse got his thin waist, how Crocodile learnt his lesson, and how Monkey managed not to get eaten by Shark.

This collection of Chinese stories begins with the great legends of how Earth and Heaven came into being, and of how the archer Yi rid the Emperor Yao of the menace of the ten suns. There are folk-tales too, about ghosts and rain-makers, poor students and magicians, and the man who was nearly made into fishpaste. Throughout all these stories the author has kept the subtle oriental flavour of the originals and brings to life all the magic and mystery of China.