An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures

Quick Look

• Theresa Breslin brings together the ultimate collection of Scottish folktales featuring mythical creatures including selkies, wulvers, fairies, giants and monsters
• Kate Leiper’s stunningly detailed illustrations leap off every page and will make this beautiful and cherished addition to any bookshelf.

Theresa Breslin's Scottish tales of selkies, giants, fairies and monsters and brought to life by Kate Leiper's exquisite illustrations. A companion volume to An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales.

Description

Mysterious selkies, bad-tempered giants, devious fairies and even Loch Ness's most famous resident -- these are the mythical beasts of Scottish folklore.

In the highly anticipated companion volume to the much-loved An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales, award-winning children’s author Theresa Breslin brings together a stunning collection of tales from across Scotland.

Alternately humorous, poignant and thrilling, each story is brought to life with exquisite illustrations by Scottish fine artist Kate Leiper.

A wonderful gift, this is a truly stunning book to be treasured for a lifetime and will be enjoyed by parents and grandparents as well as children.

Table of Contents

The Monster of Loch Ness
Gillon and the Selkie
The Story of the Giant’s Causeway
Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas
The Whirlpool of the Corryvreckan
The Mermen of the Bell Rock
The Archer and the Island Beast
The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdui
The Wulver
The Wee Folk of Merlin Crag
The Saving Grace

Reviews

'This is a rare delight; a harmonious braiding of pitch-perfect storytelling with illustrations of breathtaking elegance and integrity. Every home should have at least one copy.'
-- Debi Gliori

'Theresa Breslin brings an array of creatures to life with her assured and captivating storytelling, and she places a child at the heart of each tale.'
-- Julia Donaldson

'Beautifully engages the imagination thanks to both the stories and the incredible illustrations that accompany them... The tales are perfect for bedtime stories but also captivating for older readers, making this a book for the whole family to enjoy.'
-- Scottish Field

'Theresa Breslin’s storytelling and the artwork of Kate Leiper combine to produce An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures. Theresa has selected eleven stories from settings across Scotland to tell and re-tell: a Selkie tale from Orkney, Thomas the Rhymer from the Scottish Borders, a story of dangerous women from Arbroath and an adventure of the Wee Folk in Lanarkshire amongst others. Her engaging style makes this an ideal collection to read aloud. But be sure to allow plenty of time to absorb all the beauty in Kate’s minutely detailed illustrations. The book is full of colour and atmosphere and style, a testament to the partnership of writer and illustrator.'
-- Jane Sandell, The Scotsman

'Lively yarn-spinning, delightful illustrations, and handsome bookmaking again make a winning combination in this follow-up to the creators' An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales (2012)… Leiper supplies all 11 tales with bright illustrations that generally run evocatively along the broad margins and off the edges of the pages, offering not scenes of violence but idyllic glimpses of finely modeled small animals and objects, appealingly distracted figures in historical dress, and grassy Scottish hills. A fine choice for reading aloud or alone, rich in creatures more magical than frightening.'
-- Kirkus Reviews

'A memorable collection of Scottish tales, highly recommended for reading aloud.'
-- Booklist

'‘Tis the season also for sumptuously-illustrated gift books. Among the most prizeable this year is An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures by Theresa Breslin, illustrated by Kate Leiper (Floris, £14.99). Breslin, who more commonly writes for older children young adults and won the Carnegie Medal for Whisper in the Graveyard, has a gift for bringing the old stories to life, and this is enchantingly enhanced by Leiper’s images. This follow up to their An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales, brings us Scotland as a land populated by strange creatures. There’s Nessie, of course, and the Selkies, but the real joy is in the lesser-known fiends: the Big Grey Man, the Island Beast, the “loathseome Nuckelavee” and the Wulver, a creature with the body of a man but the feet and hands of a wolf.'
--Herald Scotland

'unbelievably beautiful illustrations'
--Vermont Country Sampler

Author

Theresa Breslin OBE is a multi-award-winning author of over 50 books for children and young adults. Her work has been filmed for television, adapted for stage, broadcast on radio, translated world-wide and won many literary prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. She lives near Glasgow, Scotland and is a regular visitor at book festivals and schools. Theresa was awarded a Scottish Book Trust Outstanding Achievement Award in March 2019, and was made an OBE in June 2019. She and Kate Leiper created An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales and An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures together.

Kate Leiper is an artist and illustrator based in Edinburgh. She studied at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen and her work has been exhibited in galleries from London to the north of Scotland. The Scottish Storytelling Centre and the Royal Lyceum Theatre have commissioned her artwork. Her inspirations range from Scottish folklore to the Far East to Shakespeare. She and acclaimed author Theresa Breslin also created An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales (Floris Books).