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Let Sleeping Sea-Monsters Lie: and Other Cautionary Tales
A funny, fantastical collection of cautionary tales from the mind-bogglingly brilliant and bestselling Eva Ibbotson. Now with a brand-new look!
Are you BRAVE enough to find out what happens when a spoilt girl is spiteful to a giant hungry worm?
Can you BEAR to watch a (very silly) boy poke an angry sleeping sea-monster?
Do you DARE to discover why should you never, ever steal milk from a Frid?*
Beware: Naughty children always get their just deserts . . .
*A dog-munching rock. Doesn’t everyone know that?
Are you BRAVE enough to find out what happens when a spoilt girl is spiteful to a giant hungry worm?
Can you BEAR to watch a (very silly) boy poke an angry sleeping sea-monster?
Do you DARE to discover why should you never, ever steal milk from a Frid?*
Beware: Naughty children always get their just deserts . . .
*A dog-munching rock. Doesn’t everyone know that?
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
About the author
Eva Ibbotson
85 books2,375 followersEva Ibbotson (Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner) was a novelist specializing in romance and children's fantasy.
She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler appeared, her family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, graduating with a diploma in education in 1965. Eva had intended to be a physiologist but was put off by animal testing. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. They have three sons and a daughter.
Eva began writing with the television drama “Linda Came Today” in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, “The Great Ghost Rescue”. Eva has written numerous books including “The Secret Of Platform 13”, “Journey To The River Sea”, “Which Witch?”, “Island Of The Aunts”, and “Dial-A-Ghost”. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for “Journey To The River Sea” and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature.
Her books are imaginative and humorous and most of them feature magical creatures and places, despite that she disliked thinking about them. She created the characters because she wanted to decrease her readers' fear of such things.
Some of the books, particularly “Journey To The River Sea”, reflect Eva's love of nature. Eva wrote this book in honour of her husband (who had died before), a naturalist. The book had been in her head for years.
Eva said she dislikes "financial greed and a lust for power" and often creates antagonists in her books who have these characteristics. Some have been struck by the similarity of “Platform 9 3/4” in J.K. Rowling's books to Eva's “The Secret Of Platform 13”, which came out three years before the first Harry Potter book.
Her love of Austria is evident in works such as “The Star Of Kazan” and “A Song For Summer”. These books, set in the Austrian countryside, display the author's love for all things natural.
She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler appeared, her family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, graduating with a diploma in education in 1965. Eva had intended to be a physiologist but was put off by animal testing. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. They have three sons and a daughter.
Eva began writing with the television drama “Linda Came Today” in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, “The Great Ghost Rescue”. Eva has written numerous books including “The Secret Of Platform 13”, “Journey To The River Sea”, “Which Witch?”, “Island Of The Aunts”, and “Dial-A-Ghost”. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for “Journey To The River Sea” and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature.
Her books are imaginative and humorous and most of them feature magical creatures and places, despite that she disliked thinking about them. She created the characters because she wanted to decrease her readers' fear of such things.
Some of the books, particularly “Journey To The River Sea”, reflect Eva's love of nature. Eva wrote this book in honour of her husband (who had died before), a naturalist. The book had been in her head for years.
Eva said she dislikes "financial greed and a lust for power" and often creates antagonists in her books who have these characteristics. Some have been struck by the similarity of “Platform 9 3/4” in J.K. Rowling's books to Eva's “The Secret Of Platform 13”, which came out three years before the first Harry Potter book.
Her love of Austria is evident in works such as “The Star Of Kazan” and “A Song For Summer”. These books, set in the Austrian countryside, display the author's love for all things natural.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 27, 2013
An utterly delightful read. Pure Ibbotson but for very young readers.
April 21, 2023
This children's book is a collection of short humorous stories featuring monsters and creatures such as a giant worm and a rock called the Frid.
Each is fun and also has a bit of a message in each one too.
It was an enjoyable read, and another book off my TBR pile!
Published 1983
Each is fun and also has a bit of a message in each one too.
It was an enjoyable read, and another book off my TBR pile!
Published 1983
March 26, 2018
Does exactly what I ask of books: Reframes and rethinks some stuff.
October 2, 2021
I loved them. So funny. Each story is a fantastic gruesome cautionary tale.
November 21, 2025
3.5 stars
June 11, 2012
The Pros
The four stories inside this book are stand alone, and so short you could read them in one sitting. This makes then great as a bed time story if you're not wanting to start something long but just want to dip into something.
They are well written, the characters deftly described ( Chief Mc Gregor, a tall, thin Scotsman with scars in his hairy knees from fighting in a battle, and then sense of impending doom means that once you've started a story, you don't want to stop!
Eva Ibbotsen is a great writer and I fully admire her.
The cons
My children really enjoyed the first short story we tried, but then... they'd had enough. Why? Maybe because they don't care about great writers. I don't really know. But I liked it.
The four stories inside this book are stand alone, and so short you could read them in one sitting. This makes then great as a bed time story if you're not wanting to start something long but just want to dip into something.
They are well written, the characters deftly described ( Chief Mc Gregor, a tall, thin Scotsman with scars in his hairy knees from fighting in a battle, and then sense of impending doom means that once you've started a story, you don't want to stop!
Eva Ibbotsen is a great writer and I fully admire her.
The cons
My children really enjoyed the first short story we tried, but then... they'd had enough. Why? Maybe because they don't care about great writers. I don't really know. But I liked it.
March 19, 2016
2016: Another amazing short read that I just love and that brings back some amazing memories!
June 11, 2013
Three and a half stars. A fun and silly book of short stories. I was sorry it was so short, but glad that there was one more book from Eva Ibbotson after her death. We have lost a great writer.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews