‘Folk tales of rock and stone’ is written and illustrated by Jenny Moon and recently published in hardback by The History Press. These myths, legends and stories with links to rock and stone in its many forms are ideal for sharing as the dark autumn evenings draw in. Within their pages, find fantastic creatures to be feared; wise women and men with the power to see and shape the future; romance, tragedy and even lessons for living a modern life. The stories may be set within mountains and caves; question the magic of stones that have existed for all time or show the ways humans use these materials in a new light. They have their origins throughout time and across the world – but all show the marks of Jenny’s unique touch and are steeped in the ancient art of oral storytelling and its history.
What I thought of the book
Have you ever walked along a beach, or by a stream, spotted and picked up a stone? If you have, this book is for you. Maybe you turned the stone over in your hand and wondered where it had come from; how it reached this spot on the ground and where it would travel to next. You should start with the book’s ‘Biographies of rock and stone’, stories inter-woven with facts from history, geology and archaeology.
Maybe you knew what to do with the stone instantly, and sent it skimming across the surface of water or saw it hanging as a piece of jewellery. The collection entitled ‘Shapes of rock and stone’ is the one for you, with its intriguing stories of faces in rocks, river-dwelling sirens and adder stones pierced with naturally occurring holes.
If you felt drawn to a particular stone amongst the thousands on the beach, begin the book with the stories that question ‘Stones: be they magical or special?’ and you may be surprised at the answers you find. This was my favourite collection, as the stories contained magic, mysteries, the strange ways of humans and – similar to many traditional folk tales – a moral message.
There are also chapters for those who can be found gazing up at mighty cliffs and mountains while they’re walking and those who prefer their stories with more contemporary settings and their stones shaped into beautiful items for us to use or admire.
If you’ve read or heard fairy tales like ‘The gingerbread man’ or traditional folk tales, the themes of some of these stories will be familiar. For me, the new themes came from stories which had their origins outside of the U.K. This mix of the familiar and the strange can make collections of folk tales challenging to read, as the original story-tellers each have their own style and maybe working from ideas which are hundreds of years old. I found that the stories which Jenny Moon thought were combinations of two or more earlier stories didn’t flow smoothly or always make sense, so were less satisfying to read. However, there are many stories in this book, and all are relatively short, so it’s easy to move on from one you’re not enjoying and find another that captures your imagination. Jenny Moon’s extensive story collecting and research, both from a wealth of sources, add a real depth to the collection. Notes on origins, sources and Jenny’s own ideas about development appear with many of the stories. These show the author’s enthusiasm for her subject and give unusual insights into the processes of compiling and creating the book. The bibliography supports these notes, by detailing where readers can find other versions of the stories and further folk tales from across the world. Overall, I enjoyed dipping into this book on many occasions, would definitely read other collections compiled in a similar way and would also recommend the book if you enjoy the variety that short stories can offer.
How much is the book and how can you buy it?
The hardback edition of ‘Folk tales of rock and stone’ by Jenny Moon retails for £9.35. The Kindle edition is available for £4.35. Buy a copy of either format here.
About the author
Later in her wide-ranging career, Jenny Moon developed skills in oral storytelling and now tells hundreds of stories a year at events in schools, care homes and other settings. The inspiration for ‘Folk tales of rock and stone’ came from Jenny’s role as an ambassador for the Jurassic Coast Trust, working on events involving rocks, stone, fossils and the earth’s history. Link to Jurassic Coast Trust and the Society for Storytelling.
About the book
Title: Folk tales of rock and stone
Author: Jenny Moon
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 978-0750990929
Trim Size: 197x127mm
Pages: 192 pages
Review by: Sharon Corbally
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* We were given a copy of the book in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.
13 comments
Thank you so much for the review, I would love to check this one out. The book seems very interesting.
Yes do check it out, it is a great book if you are into folk tales
I’m always looking for new books. I would love to see if they have this at our local library.
Please do, otherwise the links are on our blog
Sounds like a different and interesting read and I will for sure be on the lookout for it. I am loving this and am always on the lookout for a new good book as a good book is escapism at its best 🙂
I haven’t heard of this book before so thank you for bringing it to my attention! Sounds like a fascinating read and I love the pictures you’ve included!
The book is worth checking it out Jay
Sounds like a very interesting read. I wish I had more time to sit and read…thank you for the suggestion!
It is indeed Catherine, I enjoyed reading it
I haven’t ever heard of this book but I love telling stories to my daughter while she is in the tub. I love for her to have a huge imagination.
How wonderful! Many other books under the folk tales series and some for girls as well
Sounds like it is a great book. Nice timing on it as well. I do love learning about folk tales from different regions. They always fascinate me.
It is a fab book especially if you love all things folk tales and want to learn more about stones