Lore of the Stars: Folklore and Wisdom from the Skies Above

Nature's Folklore

by Claire Cock-Starkey

Look up at the skies in wonder with this mystically illustrated treasury of folklore from above and beyond.
​
Did you know that people used to read the future in the flight of birds? That the constellations were thought to be mythological beings set in the sky? And that eclipses were seen as demonic omens?

For millennia, humans have looked to the heavens to explain the world around and above them. The myths, folktales, and lore that have arisen from these wonderings are as mysterious as they are varied—here, they're set down in a beautifully illustrated and engaging format for readers 6-12 years old.  Lore of the Stars  takes readers deep into space and back through the mists of time to discover the myriad answers to our most ancient questions.

Divided into six chapters:
The Sky
The Sun
The Moon
Stars
Planets, Comets, & Shooting Stars
The Cosmos
You will uncover the secrets of augury, the meanings of types of weather, stories explaining the birth of the Milky Way, and the beings and deities said to govern the worlds above.

Also in the series:
Lore of the Wild: Folklore and Wisdom from Nature
Lore of the Land: Folklore and Wisdom from the Wild Eart h

Genres: Nonfiction, Folklore, Mythology, Nature, Middle Grade, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

I started out in media, working at BBC Radio Four and Five Live before going on to work at LBC. From there I found my spiritual home working with Ben Schott, starting out as researcher on the Sporting, Gaming and Idling Miscellany. I went on to help develop the format for Schott’s Almanac, working as Assistant Editor on the first two books before rising to become UK & Series Editor on the four subsequent UK books, three German and three US editions.

Working with Ben I also had the opportunity to assist with various miscellaneous offerings for The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Conde Nast Traveller, New York Times, Vanity Fair and Smythson diaries.

After producing a small team of children I decided it was time to set up on my own, so since 2011 I have been busily working as a freelance writer and editor – juggling writing books and articles, project managing a vast array of Lego building operations and editing and indexing a number of non-fiction titles.

I am happiest perched in the British Library reading rooms surrounded by a pile of obscure and fascinating books researching my next offering.

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Lore of the Wild is an amazing children's book full of amazing folklore and illustrations.
I hadn't heard of nearly any of these folklores and this added to the wonder and intrigue of this book.
Each 0age has stunning illustrations on it and these is so much to see and read and learn about on every page.
The book is divided into different sections such as plants, birds, insects etc which is then followed by a folklore tale, illustrations and information/tales from around the world.
This would make a beautiful gift for any child with a curious mind!

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book ticked every box for me! First, it is STUNNING. Full of gorgeous and colorful illustrations. Second, it is chocked full of interesting tidbits about animal folklore from around the world. This would make such an incredible coffee-table book or gift for anybody, young or old! This is at the top of my list as one of the best books I have read this year!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

[Taylor - Muse Ignited Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mixture of Animal and Plant life folklore/fairy tales, old wives tales, and superstitions from all over the world. As an adult reader I was in love with both the anecdotes, stories, and facts as well as the GORGEOUS illustrations by Aitch.

With references from classical mythology all the way up to Harry Potter, this collection of natures wonders covers just about everything: domestic and wild animals, birds, insects, trees, flowers, crops, as well as seasons and weather. Young readers are sure to love the blend of fantasy/the supernatural with the real animals and plants around them.

A great must have addition to both school and home libraries, or the perfect gift for the young one in your life. Definitely shortlisting this one for Fall/Winter gift promo.

Thank you to both Netgalley and Wide Eyed Editions for my eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Hannah Roselyn Bloczynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was beautifully illustrated with bright, gorgeous, colorful paintings and drawings. The Folk Tales were diverse and I hadn't actually heard of most of them, which was a pleasant surprise. The book itself is divided into sections (Plants, Insects, Birds, etc.) with each section Headed by a Folk Tale and the the subsequent pages covered with illustrations and little bits of folklore from around the world regarding that central topic. I absolutely loved it!

I was given a free copy of this e-book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto- Wide Eyed for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review

This was gorgeous! The exact kind of art style I love in children’s non-fiction, there was tons of artwork on every page and it was lovely to look at. There were nicely organized, small tidbits of information with a few longer tales, a nice length to read a couple pages a day.

[Jessica Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations, lots of great folkloric tidbits, but there are no sources listed at all which is disappointing.

[Hannah Grimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations and folk tales are all beautiful.

[Taryn Phelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was enchanting! Captivating from the start. I love the in-detail stories to start off each different element talked about. This book is beautiful and holds so many cultures folklore. This is defiantly something I would read to my children. Educational and entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Loved the book so much!!

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3 1/2 stars for me. It has a full story and then goes into small blurbs about different folklore from different cultures. I’m not a huge fan of the illustrations. Some pages are beautiful! But there’s a lot happening everywhere. This is a very cool book and definitely worth a look.

[Agnieszka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Syn powiedział, żeby dać pięć gwiazdek, bo to jego ulubiona obecnie książka :)

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cudna książka! Wspaniale ilustrowana i pełna ciekawostek, które będą interesujące nawet dla dorosłego czytelnika. Polecam.

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pięknie zilustrowana książka zarówna dla młodych, jak i dorosłych czytelników. 🧚🧞🐦‍🔥🧌

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this if you'd like to learn more about folklore and read a different perspective.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant success, this. It's a very brightly-coloured introduction to the folk thinking and legends of the world. We start with Gellert the faithful hound who was wrongly accused of a nasty crime, presented in just a few paragraphs (ie all it takes, actually) across a double-page spread. From that we spin off to other animal sayings, beliefs and adages (did you know the Dutch keep their secrets to themselves when there's a cat around, as they're supposed to be gossips?), and from there to similar extended factoids about farm animals, and so on. That pattern, of full story followed by several pages of trivia-like ideas, is then repeated concerning birds (trump fact – King Arthur might have been reborn as a puffin), insects etc (such as the damselfly, with its alleged ability to sew your sleeping eyelids shut), flora, a very welcome sprinkling of weather lore, and the whole wide-ranging subject as to what is good luck to do or see and which is not.

The book was never designed to be comprehensive – many similar volumes would go so much further with Anansi than discuss him with two sentences, for example. But I think the vivid look, the wide range of source mythologies, and the clear writing will all make this a welcome volume on a school library shelf. It's also very useful at indicating why such legends came to be in the first place, whether it be a creation myth or one region's attitude to spiders, etc. It must be noted, however, that the font choice and the regular habit of putting it at wonky angles to incorporate the illustrations will really frustrate many with reading disabilities.

[kam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Och! To tytuł podobno dla młodszych, a już mam długą kolejkę dorosłych, którzy chcą go pożyczyć, bo jest tak ciekawy i ładny! W oczach mam serduszka.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fabulous stories and anecdotes. But the font! And the placement of some text! It made me dizzy.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is part of the Lore of the... series while I chose in my reading to first read the book Lore of the Landand then to follow up with Lore of the Wild in a chronological format in which the land came before the animal inhabitants. Any other reader, though, would be more than welcome to choose their own method of reading since both of these books will actually stand on their own without the need of the other book.

Each book is made of different sections that explore the breakdown of the main topic. In Lore of the Wild the reader is introduced to various types of wild elements thus having chapters focusing on various types of animals, plants, weather, etc. Although these sections are meant to be apart from each other there is really no clear separation from one section to the other as where one ends then the next one begins although with a brief re-telling of a particular story. This is then followed by mini-chapters which explore in further details different aspects of that chapter such as dogs and cats, farmyard animals, animals of the wild, etc.

As for the entries themselves they are rather decent. The introducing story of each chapter has a title and the place of its origin while the two-page limit really makes it more of a brief telling with a lot of detail. This bare-bone telling is then reflected in all the other entries as they are provided a paragraph that explores just barely the tales behind the focus.

But after all of this the book kind of failed me in so many aspects. First of all the organization is so much the worse for me in comparison to the other book since apparently the author chose instead of exploring the weather than the plants before animals they chose to flip the order with the starting off of animals the plants and finally the weather before closing up with omens. And what was with the inclusion of mostly mammals for the first one before tacking on reptiles as if they were a misplaced thought.

Secondly there were just random bits of pieces just added everywhere such as the inclusion of Iris and the rainbow in a mini-chapter where they didn't even relate to the topic. This was then repeated in the Snow, Frost and Ice where two goddesses were included but there was no mention whether they made the weather or just reflected the weather with their appearances.

A third element that really annoyed me was the mentioned story of Indian (from Asia) parents who told their children a giant buffalo was rolling underground thus making earthquakes. And so for the first time in my own memory was the erroneous illustration of the American bison rolling around instead of a water buffalo.

And finally the last horrid element of this book that bugged me so much was the telling of the story of Prometheus and Epimetheus. It explained at the end of the telling that Zeus so punished them for their actions by changing them into the sun and moon. First of all I wouldn't really call that punishment and second of all there were already Titans with those positions as well the misidentified twins.

In the end out of the two books of the series that I have read I would have to say this was the worst one out of both and wouldn't recommend it to readers, especially those are looking to learn more about the world's cultures around them.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really lovely! I would totally have loved this as a kid. The illustrations are pretty without being cutesy, and it covers a truly impressive range of subjects and beliefs. Of course the text part consists of what can only be called snippets, which I found a bit unfortunate at times as things can get *very* brief (a little bit more depth would have been nice, but then again that's obviously not the approach the author intended, as this is not supposed to be scholarly), but it should help rope in more reluctant readers, and of course it's pretty easy to look up more information on the internet if you're curious about particular topics.
One thing I had an issue with was the lettering; the font, while undoubtedly handsome, is set so that there's a bit of space between the letter F and the following consonant, which means that "often" has a tendency to read "of ten" -- it happened to me all the time, and my daughter noticed it too. What makes this so annoying is the fact that a lot of the time, it doesn't immediately register as a mistake while reading it, e.g. "Dogs of ten guard the underworld in mythology". For a beginning reader this is certainly less than ideal.
Another thing that irked me a bit was the author's use of "Feldgeist" when in fact it should have been "Korngeist" or "Kornmuhme"; I've never heard of this particular kind of nature spirit referred to as a Feldgeist. Also, the illustration is off as well, showing what looks like a fiery demon kind of being when the spirit in question usually presents as an evil crone or, more rarely, a dog or wolf.
But there are really just minor complaints (and I'm a world-class complainer when it comes to books), and I'm really glad I got the chance to review "Lore of the Wild", so a heartfelt thanks to the publisher and Netgalley; in fact I'll probably buy a physical copy when it comes out just because it was so beautiful.

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an intriguing volume meant to provide little snippets connecting worldwide folklore with aspects of nature.

The book is divided out thematically:
-animals,
-birds,
-bugs,
-flowers, plants and tress,
-weather lore, and
-omens.

This is also nicely indexed and includes a glossary.

I will say that given the format, it's important to see that this book is purposefully arranged around the the *themes* of nature, not necessarily the folklore itself. I say that because on any given page you aren't going to go in-depth with any one particular myth or legend. You just get a sentence or two about a fascinating detail related to songbirds or weeds, for example. The book DOES include a few actual stories, but they are brief. I would imagine that kids would be fascinated to learn more beyond what this book provides. So in this book, for example, they might learning about Anansi the trickster on the "spiders" page... but then think: "Well I want to read a story about Anansi!"

I think this works really well to demonstrate the wide range of types of folklore throughout the world and how so much of it is connected to nature. It would be cool if you were learning about a particular aspect of nature to open this book up as a reference to maybe learn more about specific stories or legends.

The illustrations are lovely and overall this is a stunning and incredible book. I think my review here is detailed because when I initially saw this cover I thought it would be a collection of stories. It's not, but that doesn't mean I don't think it's still great!

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book by Quarto Kids. Opinions are my own.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lore of the Stars: Folklore & Wisdom from the Skies Above is superbly curated collection of tales, folklore, and myths connected to the sky, sun, moon, stars, planets, comets, and beyond. The illustrations by Hannah Bess Ross are beyond gorgeous and they are the perfect accompaniment to the author’s writing.

Lore of the Stars is comprised of six sections, each focusing on a different aspect of celestial myths, tales, and stories. The book is thoughtfully laid out in a way that follows a distinct rhythm. Each section begins with a myth or folktale. The section topic is then further explored through succinct passages featuring connections to folklore from countries and cultures from around the world. The passages touch on topics related to natural phenomenons, gods, goddess, and more. Well suited towards children ages 6-12, Lore of the Stars will engage young audiences and pique their curiosity about the skies above.

Kind thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this beautifully written and wonderfully illustrated book.

[Librarian Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I loved this book! I learned so much and I would have loved to read this as a child. I definitely want to get this for our library, I can think of so many kids who are interested in mythology and gods who would like the Lore of the Stars. I really enjoyed the format - there are 6 sections: the sky, sun, moon, stars, planets, and cosmos. Each section starts with a short myth or folktale and then is followed by four or five illustrated informational spreads about different deities and cosmological events and the stories that have been told about them. For example, in section two, the sun there's a myth, creation stories, sun gods and goddesses, sun lore, sunrise and sunset, and eclipses. This makes it easy to return to the book to find a specific piece of information you want to read again. The illustrations are incredible - beautifully intricate depictions of the information. I learned about traditions from peoples around the world, not just the common Greek and Roman mythology. I will be retuning to this book to read short pieces in my storytimes and personally will be re-reading it because it's fascinating!

#LoreoftheStars #NetGalley

[Jenna Stensland · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, lets start with the absolutely beautiful illustrations throughout this book. They are breathtaking and add so much to the information. I love the style of interspersing facts and stories used in Lore of the Stars. It is great to either break up the content or read it in sections. I also appreciated the way the author broke the topics into 4 parts. It helped keep a lot of new information clear and let us intentionally jump around some as well when my kids asked to learn more about something that caught their eye. The moon lore was one of my favorite sections in the book but we loved it all. As all the great non-fiction books do (this one now falls in that category), there is a glossary and index at the back of the book as well. The index was particularly helpful as it listed countries that were mentioned, allowing you to look at the lore from one area if you wished.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closely skimmed for a discussion about Creation Stories in the Children's Books group. The font is too small for me to read all the words w/out headache, but it's one of the few books on the theme that I'd be likely to appreciate. The art is gorgeous. I just wish there was a bibliography or 'for further reading' list.

"The Saulteaux of Canada, and the Tlingit and Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America, are people who share a belief that the northern lights are the spirits of the dead, dancing joyfully in the night sky."

I loved the story "How the Constellations were Formed" esp. for the bit that reveals why Coyote howls at the moon.

"How the Cosmos Came to Be: a Visayan Philippine tale" is very interesting as it reveals that humans were formed from the most aggressive & ambitious brother. The others were placed in the heavens.

I do recommend this book to all.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and colorfully illustrated, this marvelous book tells of the beliefs of many peoples which center around the natural world. It is divided into logical groupings and relates the good and bad luck properties and origin stories of much of the world. I think it would be very affirming to those learning ESL and would also strengthen their vocabularies. In the home or school it is a great Read Together vehicle. BUT. I did find the print rather small in the ebook. Some of us who are accustomed to reading things at angles (and upside down!) at work will be very comfortable with this aspect of the positioning of paragraphs on pages with multiple tales. I LOVED IT!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions, via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Mellye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this ARC via NetGalley, with my 11 year old. This is our review.

We tried to take our time to enjoy this book every evening but it was hard not to flip the pages to see what came next. We ended up devouring it and decided to buy our own copy to read it again and again.
It is a collection of stunning and colorfully illustrated Lore information, covering so many categories (animals, vegetation, omens...) and sprinkled with old tales.
What a delight!
As the text is never very long, it can definitely be read from Grade 3/4. We also appreciated the glossary and index included.

I will definitely check out Claire Cock-Starkey's past work and follow her.
Thank you!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very nice little read. I learned a few new things from it, as well as read many I knew. If anyone is interested in folklore of any kind or myths and tales, this is the book to get for them. It has such a wide variety of cultures mentioned. Each is just a brief note on the subject being discussed, such as weather or a certain animal, but they tell which group specifically believes the lore so you can do more research if you choose. It's also an easy read so would be good for middle school students or children reading at a level close to that. I really like the illustrations too. They are very colorful. I'd definitely recommend this book to about anyone.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic look at folklore and mythology surrounding the cosmos and all things celestial. From constellations to solar eclipses, the reader will learn how ancient peoples and other cultures have looked to the skies and invented stories to explain what they saw there. Highlighted by gorgeous illustrations by Hannah Bess Ross, this book is sure to delight all who read it.



Thanks to Quarto Publishing and NetGalley for making this available.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous book full of folktales and legends from all over the world. So many interesting superstitions and stories collected in one book! For example, did you know that on Christmas Eve sheep will face east, bow three times, and will have the gift of speech for one night? You may also see the world of the fairies if you look deep into a cat's eyes! In Hopi legend, the fir was once a medicine man who transformed himself into a tree while the cedar in Cherokee tradition houses the spirits of their ancestors. Definitely a visual treat for older elementary school-aged children

[Zsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book! Although it’s a children’s book about folklore around the world, even as an adult it’s interesting to read. The illustrations are beautiful and the information is given in a couple of stories (at the beginning of each chapter) the rest of the information is in small bite-sized chunks on each page.

I would definitely recommend this to my friends with kids and even consider buying the physical copy to read with my own children someday.

I received the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book, perfect for children to dip into. Looking at folk superstitions from round the world in relation to animals, insects, trees, plants etc. and arranged in bite sized anecdotes, I found several familiar stories alongside some fascinating new ones. Interspersed between these are several folktales which were also nicely done. Very enjoyable and a good book to share.
my thanks to #NetGalley and Wide Eyed Editions for the ARC in return for an honest review.