Very short and immense stories. All so meaningful. ( )

Over the years I’ve read a few of Morpurgo’s multitude of children’s books. All were solid enough to complete, but I found they occasionally lapsed into the sentimental and the prose was unremarkable. Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, a collection of five stories set in beautifully described Cornwall, most on farms, and all incorporating elements of local legend and folklore.

In an introductory note, Morpurgo advises his young audience to read the stories in order, explaining that the reason will become clear in the end. It does. The very fine final story focuses on Mad Miss Marney, an elderly woman who lives in a lone book-filled house on the high moor, against whom parents have warned their children. One child, the wild and wandering Kate, looks for a reason to meet Miss Marney, and nature provides her with one. She discovers that the elderly woman has the gift of healing—and another talent, too. That talent explains how the stories are linked.

My favourite tale in the book concerns a unhappy young boy with a deformed foot who discovers that the sadness and impairment he experiences on land disappear when he swims in the sea and is befriended by a playful seal. It’s a lovely story.

It was a pleasure to read this book, possibly because I’ve read so much less-than-magical adult fiction and nonfiction recently. Morpurgo’s vocabulary is quite sophisticated here and might prove to be too daunting for some young readers. With the majority of stories set on farms, it is possible, too, that a few details could upset the most sensitive children. Overall, though, the prose is wonderful and the stories most satisfying. In completing this book, I thought of the title of another by Katherine Rundell: Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise. This book is why.

Note: This is a rewrite of a review posted this morning, which unfortunately completely vanished to some glitch in Goodreads. ( )

Beautifully written, vividly imagined supernatural tales. ( )