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Super Great Kids' Stories: From storytellers around the world
Discover a wealth of expertly-curated sensational stories, in many cases told here for the very first time, from the award-winning podcast Super Great Kids' Stories!
Get ready for a worldwide adventure in this treasure trove of a book bursting with magic, mischief and merriment, with 30 enthralling tales from around the globe! In West Africa, you'll meet Anansi as he takes on the King's hot pepper soup; in Ireland, you'll meet a girl who tries to outwit a leprechaun; in Australia, you'll discover how the Lyrebird got its voice; and in North America, you'll laugh out loud at the story of the ghost who needs a plaster!
Including both timeless classics and hidden gems, each tale in this collection is told by a skilled storyteller and includes notes on the culture and history of the story, painting a vivid picture as to why each tale has stood the test of time. And, with the help of Story Owl, you can even become a star storyteller yourself!
Curated by podcast hosts Kim Normanton and David Smith – who boast half a million downloads a month of their hit podcast – and illustrated by Sally Agar, Camila Carrossine, Tinuke Fagborun, Melissa Greenwood, Kaley McKean and Terri Po, this beautifully illustrated treasury will delight and inspire children everywhere.
Get ready for a worldwide adventure in this treasure trove of a book bursting with magic, mischief and merriment, with 30 enthralling tales from around the globe! In West Africa, you'll meet Anansi as he takes on the King's hot pepper soup; in Ireland, you'll meet a girl who tries to outwit a leprechaun; in Australia, you'll discover how the Lyrebird got its voice; and in North America, you'll laugh out loud at the story of the ghost who needs a plaster!
Including both timeless classics and hidden gems, each tale in this collection is told by a skilled storyteller and includes notes on the culture and history of the story, painting a vivid picture as to why each tale has stood the test of time. And, with the help of Story Owl, you can even become a star storyteller yourself!
Curated by podcast hosts Kim Normanton and David Smith – who boast half a million downloads a month of their hit podcast – and illustrated by Sally Agar, Camila Carrossine, Tinuke Fagborun, Melissa Greenwood, Kaley McKean and Terri Po, this beautifully illustrated treasury will delight and inspire children everywhere.
- GenresChildrensShort Stories
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 11, 2025
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 11, 2025
In a Nutshell: Believe the title! This is a collection of “Super Great Kids’ Stories”, taken from folktales and fables around the world. Great stories and morals. Excellent narrative technique, making it apt for readalouds. Thoroughly entertaining. Much, much recommended!
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Not being a podcast person (all my listening time is devoted to audiobooks and music), I was totally clueless about the award-winning podcast ‘Super Great Kids’ Stories’. Reading this book assures me that the podcast must be award-winning for a valid reason. What a brilliant collection and presentation!
The book begins with a beautiful intro by the podcast hosts who have curated this collection. They offer a background to their podcast as well as explain the structure of the book.
The main content comprises thirty “traditional tales” taken from around the world. The stories are grouped in six sections based on continent of origin: Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Each entry is just two-four pages long, ensuring that little readers get just the right amount of storytelling before bedtime. I usually include my favourite story from each section in my review. I won't be able to do that this time as I simply couldn’t decide which story was my favourite; I loved almost all of them!
The back-blurb states that the stories are “bursting with magic, mischief, and merriment”, and this claim is 100% accurate. Every single tale feels uniquely magical, even when it doesn’t contain magic. They resemble folktales or fables in tone, containing several of the key ingredients that make such tales memorable for kids: animals, magic, rewards and punishments, and good life lessons without being preachy.
The stories have been retold by expert storytellers from around the world. (Their bios at the end of the book confirm that they truly are from ‘around the world’!) As their writing style tends towards narrational than merely descriptive, every tale is penned in a way that makes it excellent to read aloud. Onomatopoeia and repetition are put to good use, enhancing the impact of the text. Every story also contains a special section called “Story Owl Facts”, which has either some trivia connected to that tale or special tips on how to narrate it better.
Each section has been illustrated by a human illustrator hailing from that region by ethnic background. I liked most of the illustrations, but the graphics in Oceania (except for one story: ‘How the Kiwi Lost its Wings’), though visually impactful, were a bit too abstract for my liking; I prefer children’s books to have visuals more directly connected to scenes from the story.
Whenever I read such collections, I find at least a few stories that I’m familiar with, thanks to the myriad story/folktale/fable collections I’ve read since childhood. Not this time though. Only one story in this entire book – ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ – was known to me.
The book ends with three special end-notes: ‘Meet the Storytellers’ (giving an introduction of every storyteller who has contributed to this collection; love that the book includes OwnVoices indigenous raconteurs), ‘Meet the Illustrators’ (letting us know the artists behind the visuals; all OwnVoices!), and ‘Where the Stories Came From’ (containing a brief snippet from the storyteller about how they discovered that story; awesome to read, but might have been even more impactful at the end of their respective tale instead of clumped together at the end of the book.)
In short, this is one rare case where the title is based in reality rather than exaggeration. These stories are indeed “super great kids' stories from storytellers around the world”.
Definitely recommended as a must-read for every little story lover. It will work great as a bedtime companion as well as in classrooms for discussions on life lessons as well as international cultures and the art of storytelling. Given the fabulous cover art, it would also be a wonderful gifting option during the upcoming festive season. The ideal target audience would be readers between 5-8 years of age.
5 super-great stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for providing the DRC of “Super Great Kids' Stories” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not being a podcast person (all my listening time is devoted to audiobooks and music), I was totally clueless about the award-winning podcast ‘Super Great Kids’ Stories’. Reading this book assures me that the podcast must be award-winning for a valid reason. What a brilliant collection and presentation!
The book begins with a beautiful intro by the podcast hosts who have curated this collection. They offer a background to their podcast as well as explain the structure of the book.
The main content comprises thirty “traditional tales” taken from around the world. The stories are grouped in six sections based on continent of origin: Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Each entry is just two-four pages long, ensuring that little readers get just the right amount of storytelling before bedtime. I usually include my favourite story from each section in my review. I won't be able to do that this time as I simply couldn’t decide which story was my favourite; I loved almost all of them!
The back-blurb states that the stories are “bursting with magic, mischief, and merriment”, and this claim is 100% accurate. Every single tale feels uniquely magical, even when it doesn’t contain magic. They resemble folktales or fables in tone, containing several of the key ingredients that make such tales memorable for kids: animals, magic, rewards and punishments, and good life lessons without being preachy.
The stories have been retold by expert storytellers from around the world. (Their bios at the end of the book confirm that they truly are from ‘around the world’!) As their writing style tends towards narrational than merely descriptive, every tale is penned in a way that makes it excellent to read aloud. Onomatopoeia and repetition are put to good use, enhancing the impact of the text. Every story also contains a special section called “Story Owl Facts”, which has either some trivia connected to that tale or special tips on how to narrate it better.
Each section has been illustrated by a human illustrator hailing from that region by ethnic background. I liked most of the illustrations, but the graphics in Oceania (except for one story: ‘How the Kiwi Lost its Wings’), though visually impactful, were a bit too abstract for my liking; I prefer children’s books to have visuals more directly connected to scenes from the story.
Whenever I read such collections, I find at least a few stories that I’m familiar with, thanks to the myriad story/folktale/fable collections I’ve read since childhood. Not this time though. Only one story in this entire book – ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ – was known to me.
The book ends with three special end-notes: ‘Meet the Storytellers’ (giving an introduction of every storyteller who has contributed to this collection; love that the book includes OwnVoices indigenous raconteurs), ‘Meet the Illustrators’ (letting us know the artists behind the visuals; all OwnVoices!), and ‘Where the Stories Came From’ (containing a brief snippet from the storyteller about how they discovered that story; awesome to read, but might have been even more impactful at the end of their respective tale instead of clumped together at the end of the book.)
In short, this is one rare case where the title is based in reality rather than exaggeration. These stories are indeed “super great kids' stories from storytellers around the world”.
Definitely recommended as a must-read for every little story lover. It will work great as a bedtime companion as well as in classrooms for discussions on life lessons as well as international cultures and the art of storytelling. Given the fabulous cover art, it would also be a wonderful gifting option during the upcoming festive season. The ideal target audience would be readers between 5-8 years of age.
5 super-great stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for providing the DRC of “Super Great Kids' Stories” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
November 12, 2025
While this sounds like the title was written by Jim Bowen, this is still a wonderful addition to any junior shelf. I know my way around a few corners of the world's fables, fantasies and folklore – and still had a lot of enjoyment here from discovering the new. OK, you read one or two Anansi stories – and two are here as we start with Africa – and you've read them all, but they were still different. Elsewhere it was a case for me of one I'd experienced to three, four or even five that were fresh. And for the young audience this is actually aimed at you can count on it all being marvellously new.
We get the stories split up into the continent they came from, with a designated artist for each, and several professional storytellers connected to some junior podcast I'd not heard of providing the script. It's very readable, and very much on the fun side, with musical interjections, repetitions for us to chant along with, and so on. Just how long will that implausible tree's name stick with any of us, I wonder.
If there is an issue it's with the fact the page can get to look very messy – by the time several artworks have been plonked on it, one or two circular box-outs have turned up per story about how we present the piece and about some factual detail of it, and by the time there's a bit in a different font because it's sung or a sound effect, things don't look as coherent as they should. Some people will enjoy, and some will not, the approach taken to make this really suitable for reading out – all the 'to-audience' interjections included, in places, so we never have to ad lib those.
Stand-outs for me as a storyteller were a new 'just so' regarding the colours turning on the leaves of a tree, the birth of the wind vane, and a justification for storytellers, folklorists and griots courtesy a queen who can't find anything to separate three identical-seeming dolls. But while those tickled my story bone the most, none here were a flop, for they all had a good strong 'something'. This has a remarkable success rate, and shows good editing – I hope a sequel book can come along, but not too soon as to get the quality levels diluted. With the assumption the book looks better on the page as opposed to my screen, and with the fact I don't want to dissuade anyone from this, I'd be happy to give it five stars. It really is super, smashing, great.
We get the stories split up into the continent they came from, with a designated artist for each, and several professional storytellers connected to some junior podcast I'd not heard of providing the script. It's very readable, and very much on the fun side, with musical interjections, repetitions for us to chant along with, and so on. Just how long will that implausible tree's name stick with any of us, I wonder.
If there is an issue it's with the fact the page can get to look very messy – by the time several artworks have been plonked on it, one or two circular box-outs have turned up per story about how we present the piece and about some factual detail of it, and by the time there's a bit in a different font because it's sung or a sound effect, things don't look as coherent as they should. Some people will enjoy, and some will not, the approach taken to make this really suitable for reading out – all the 'to-audience' interjections included, in places, so we never have to ad lib those.
Stand-outs for me as a storyteller were a new 'just so' regarding the colours turning on the leaves of a tree, the birth of the wind vane, and a justification for storytellers, folklorists and griots courtesy a queen who can't find anything to separate three identical-seeming dolls. But while those tickled my story bone the most, none here were a flop, for they all had a good strong 'something'. This has a remarkable success rate, and shows good editing – I hope a sequel book can come along, but not too soon as to get the quality levels diluted. With the assumption the book looks better on the page as opposed to my screen, and with the fact I don't want to dissuade anyone from this, I'd be happy to give it five stars. It really is super, smashing, great.
December 27, 2025
Embark on a magical journey around the globe with Super Great Kids’ Stories, a beautifully curated collection from award-winning storytellers Kim Normanton and David Smith. Bursting with 30 enchanting tales from every corner of the world, this treasure trove introduces children to Anansi’s clever antics in West Africa, a wily leprechaun in Ireland, the Lyrebird’s melodic origins in Australia, and a hilarious ghostly mishap in North America. Each story comes alive with vibrant illustrations and insightful cultural notes, offering not just entertainment but a rich learning experience. Perfect for young readers, parents, and educators alike, this collection celebrates imagination, laughter, and the timeless art of storytelling inviting every child to become a storyteller themselves with the guidance of Story Owl. A captivating, heartwarming anthology that will inspire wonder and curiosity for generations to come.
December 29, 2025
A collection of 30 short stories from around the world, coupled with stunning illustrations!! My daughter and I have been long time listeners of the Super Great Kids Stories podcast, so I knew the book would not disappoint. I was not expecting to be so blown away by the colors, story choices, and interactive reading opportunities. Storytelling is a lost art, and I love the commitment the good people at SGK have done to keep it going for this generation! Buy this book. Read it yourself, even if you don’t have young kids to read it to.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews