10 ten-minute stories

"By midday, the air was heavy and clammy. Soon the day's rains would start. Insects chirruped and buzzed, and Mouse Deer was at the river's edge, leaning down to drink." This line from "The King's Pudding" in Usborne's 10 Ten-Minute Stories illustrates what makes these stories so enchanting: a combination of vivid storytelling with new concepts and perspectives from a varied collection of cultures.

The ten stories in this book (which do really take about 10 minutes to read - I timed it) are wonderfully diverse. They hail from all over the world: Indonesia, France, Greece, Italy, Korea, Russia, England, Denmark. I was familiar with four of the stories already, but the other six were new to me, and I loved being introduced to some classic tales from other cultures! And learning new things, like that mouse deer are real things. :)

Besides the stories themselves being diverse, I love that each story is accompanied by its own style of illustration. The collection was designed by Laura Nelson and Lenka Hrehova and has a variety of authors and illustrators contributing, which leads to a diversity of language and artistic style. Check out the photos below for a sampling. Each story has its own mood in both narration and illustration - you really feel transported when you switch from one tale to the next. 

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Here's a quick overview of each of the ten stories:

• "The King's Pudding" - a mouse deer outsmarts a fearsome tiger in a classic fable-style narration
• "The Tin Soldier" - a one-legged tin soldier is tossed into a dangerous journey by a jealous jack-in-the-box... and prevails
• "Beauty and the Beast" - a simplified version of the fairytale we know so well; a young woman wins the heart of a prince-turned-beast, and he eventually wins her heart, too
• "Why the Sea is Salty" - a fable about a thief steals a magic millstone from the king but misuses it and creates an unlimited supply of salt after he tries to flavor his pretzel
• "The Story of Pegasus" - a retelling of the Greek myth of a winged horse and an over-confident mortal (Bellerophon, not the Disney-version of Hercules)
• "Dick Whittington" - the tale of a young homeless English boy looking for work and a cat who aids his eventual fortune
• "The Magic Gifts" - a fable about three brothers... the two elder brothers succumb to greed, while the youngest is rewarded for his selflessness
• "The Firebird" - the youngest son of a king sets out to track down a magic bird who eats golden apples, and embarks on a bigger adventure than he expected
• "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" - an apprentice tries his hand at magic before he is ready and is upstaged by an enchanted broom (the story will be familiar to those who have seen Fantasia)
• "Pinocchio" - a puppet boy learns the value of honesty, humility, and family (a re-telling of the familiar fairytale)

So there you have it! These are each unique, beautifully written and illustrated stories that will add flavor to your nightly bedtime book routine. They are long enough to include depth and complexity, but short enough that your young audience won't lose interest before the final page.

It's that book you'll read again and again until your audience starts reading it to you.

Book benefits:

• The plot of each story is unique, so the book will still feel fresh after many readings
• Stories introduce young readers to new cultures
• Detailed illustrations have a unique style for each story
• Book has a sturdy, hard cover and is sized well for kids' hands

A double-spread at the back of the book offers cultural background for each story

Buy the Usborne 10 Ten-Minute Stories here (hardcover, $14.99)
Can't get enough? Order 10 More Ten-Minute stories, too! (hardcover, $14.99)