Greatest Animal Stories

Originally published in the U.K., this collection of 17 animal stories selected by Morpurgo features a variety of authors and illustrators, including Pippa Goodheart, Geraldine McCaughrean, and Meilo So. Several tales originate from Aesop and Andersen, while others are drawn from Native American, African, Caribbean, and other folkloric traditions. Morpurgo provides commentary before the stories, inviting readers to compare and contrast them, and to consider how the tales might resonate in their own lives (“What would you do if someone like Jackal was trying to tempt you into trouble?” he asks at the outset of Timothy Knapman’s version of “The Hungry Hyena”). The broad mix of voices and illustration styles brings a lively variety to the collection, while the stories are united by concluding morals set off from the rest of the text. Ages 7–12. (Sept.)