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A Twist of Tales
A king hides a terrible secret under his crown … A marvellous dream inspires an epic journey … A clever girl outwits the king.
This collection of three lovely tales from Julia Donaldson is structured to offer a guiding hand as young readers take their first steps into the wonderful world of independent reading.
This collection of three lovely tales from Julia Donaldson is structured to offer a guiding hand as young readers take their first steps into the wonderful world of independent reading.
87 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Julia Donaldson
1,235 books1,965 followersGrowing up
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him).
Mary and I were always creating imaginary characters and mimicking real ones, and I used to write shows and choreograph ballets for us. A wind-up gramophone wafted out Chopin waltzes.
I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.
Busking and books
Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta.
The busking led to a career in singing and songwriting, mainly for children’s television. I became an expert at writing to order on such subjects as guinea pigs, window-cleaning and horrible smells. “We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC.
I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.
One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.
My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.
I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.
Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers.
When I’m not writing I am often performing, at book festivals and in theatres. I really enjoy getting the children in the audience to help me act out the stories and sing the songs. When Malcolm can take time off from the hospital he and his guitar come too. and it feels as if we’ve come full circle - back to busking.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 30, 2018
The King's Ears: A story about trust and acceptance of others.
The Strange Dream: This story teaches that if you believe in your dreams they can come true.
The Clever Girl: This teaches perseverance when things seem tough or not possible.
The Strange Dream: This story teaches that if you believe in your dreams they can come true.
The Clever Girl: This teaches perseverance when things seem tough or not possible.
September 18, 2019
3 short stories - good way to access genre.
August 25, 2021
This books is very child friendly, especially for younger children as the font is very large and easy to read and the three stories are short and simple. It also has colourful illustrations throughout the book which break up the text and make the book more engaging for children.
The Kings ears: this story was about a kind who never took off his crown as it hid his embarrassing secret- he had ears like a horse. Only the kings hairdresser own knew and the king made him promise not to tell anyone. However the secret ends up coming out at a party, and the king learns that he doesn’t have to be ashamed of his ears because just because he’s different he’s realised that he’s still just as equal as everybody else.This book can be used to make a really good point to children that just because a person is different it doesn’t mean that they are any less worthy.
The Strange Dream- This story is about a couple who live in a White House with a plum tree in the garden. Every night the girl has the same dream that she meets a bearded man on the London Bridge and he gives her good news but she always wakes up and can’t remember what the good news is. She thought that they would get good luck but bad things kept happening. One day, after her husband’s boat is smashed, Kate goes to London and finds the bearded man and tells him about her dream. The old man laughs at her and tells her about his dream about going to a White House with a plum tree and finding a pot of gold buried under it. Feeling excited, Kate rushes home and digs under her plum tree and finds a pot of gold.this book can be used to teach children the really important lesson that if you follow your dreams they can come true.
The Clever Girl- The Tsar of Russia is travelling and he sees a farmer on the roadside with some bread. He stops the car and tries the bread and declares it’s the tastiest bread he’s ever had. The father explained that it was made by his daughter who is the cleverest person in all of Russia. The Tsar was curious by this so each day he gave Katya an impossible task and each day she gave him an answer. Eventually the Tsar fell in love with Katya and asked her to marry him, and she agreed but only if she could keep the thing she loved most in his castle if they split up. One day the king falls out with Katya and sends her home. Katya’s father is confused when Katya returns home with a chest and is shocked to find that the Tsar is inside. He wakes up and is angry but she reminds him of his promise to let her keep the thing she loved most from the castle. The Tsar forgave her and promised to never send her away again. This teaches children a really important lesson that when things seem difficult or impossible if you persevere then things always work out well for you.
July 23, 2018
This book has large font and not too many words on each page making it more accessible for young readers, it also has colour illustrations on most pages helping to make the book more engaging. Each story has an important message behind it.
The King’s Ears:
The King had a crown which he never took off to hide his secret. His secret was that his ears were like horse ears not human ears. Only one person knew, that was his hairdresser Owen. Owen promised to keep the secret but it was really hard and making him feel ill so his doctor told him to whisper his secret where there were no people, animals or birds. He whispered it to the reeds which ended up being make into pipes for the king. The pipes did not play music and instead whispered his secret. Nobody laughed which made the king happy. Everybody was happy now.
The message the author is trying to get across in this story is that just because you are different to somebody else it does not mean people will like you any less.
The Strange Dream:
Kate and Collin lived in a white house, they had a plum tree and Collin worked on his boat in the sea.Each night Kate kept having the same dream where she went to London Bridge and a man with a white beard told her some good news but every morning she had forgotten what it was. She thought they would have some good luck but each day something bad happened. One day she decided to go to London to find this man. Collin said it was silly but she went anyway and saw the man, she told him of her dream and he told her of his. He described where she lived and said in his dream there was gold under her tree. She ran home and there was gold where he had said there had been in his dream.
The message the author is trying to get across in this story is that some dreams do come true.
The Clever Girl:
The Tsar of Russia stopped and asked a farmer for some bread, he said it was the best he had ever tasted, and the farmer went on to say his daughter was the cleverest person in Russia. The Tsar thought he was the cleverest so each day he came with an impossible task for Katya and each day she came up with an answer which made him laugh. He ended up asking Katya to marry him and she said yes if she could keep the one thing she loved most in his palace if they split up. One day they had and argument and he told her to leave so she did but she took a chest with her. When she was home she opened it to show the Tsar was asleep inside. She reminded him of their promise and said she was the cleverest girl in Russia and he would never send her away again.
The King’s Ears:
The King had a crown which he never took off to hide his secret. His secret was that his ears were like horse ears not human ears. Only one person knew, that was his hairdresser Owen. Owen promised to keep the secret but it was really hard and making him feel ill so his doctor told him to whisper his secret where there were no people, animals or birds. He whispered it to the reeds which ended up being make into pipes for the king. The pipes did not play music and instead whispered his secret. Nobody laughed which made the king happy. Everybody was happy now.
The message the author is trying to get across in this story is that just because you are different to somebody else it does not mean people will like you any less.
The Strange Dream:
Kate and Collin lived in a white house, they had a plum tree and Collin worked on his boat in the sea.Each night Kate kept having the same dream where she went to London Bridge and a man with a white beard told her some good news but every morning she had forgotten what it was. She thought they would have some good luck but each day something bad happened. One day she decided to go to London to find this man. Collin said it was silly but she went anyway and saw the man, she told him of her dream and he told her of his. He described where she lived and said in his dream there was gold under her tree. She ran home and there was gold where he had said there had been in his dream.
The message the author is trying to get across in this story is that some dreams do come true.
The Clever Girl:
The Tsar of Russia stopped and asked a farmer for some bread, he said it was the best he had ever tasted, and the farmer went on to say his daughter was the cleverest person in Russia. The Tsar thought he was the cleverest so each day he came with an impossible task for Katya and each day she came up with an answer which made him laugh. He ended up asking Katya to marry him and she said yes if she could keep the one thing she loved most in his palace if they split up. One day they had and argument and he told her to leave so she did but she took a chest with her. When she was home she opened it to show the Tsar was asleep inside. She reminded him of their promise and said she was the cleverest girl in Russia and he would never send her away again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2019
- The reading of the book is made very easy for younger readers by the font being a good size and there are not too many words on each page. The illustrations in these stories will also help the reader to understand and make the story more enjoyable.
The Kings Ears :
- Encourages children not to keep their secrets and they must tell someone if something is worrying them.
- You shouldn't judge people based on their looks as it is their personality that matters the most.
- It also teaches children the values of trust and acceptance.
The Strange Dream:
- This encourages children to follow their dreams and to ignore people when they say you shouldn't follow your dreams (like when Kate is told that it was just a 'silly dream')
- It tells children to believe in themselves and what they believe in.
The Clever Girl:
- It doesnt matter who you are, anyone can be intelligent.
- This storu teaches the value of perserverance.
The Kings Ears :
- Encourages children not to keep their secrets and they must tell someone if something is worrying them.
- You shouldn't judge people based on their looks as it is their personality that matters the most.
- It also teaches children the values of trust and acceptance.
The Strange Dream:
- This encourages children to follow their dreams and to ignore people when they say you shouldn't follow your dreams (like when Kate is told that it was just a 'silly dream')
- It tells children to believe in themselves and what they believe in.
The Clever Girl:
- It doesnt matter who you are, anyone can be intelligent.
- This storu teaches the value of perserverance.
September 6, 2018
Absolutely loved this! Julia Donaldson writes so eloquently, which makes it such an easy and enjoyable read! My favourite tale was the tale of Russia, as I found myself guessing all the way through. It is such a powerful tale about the autonomy of women; particularly how they should not be perceived as damsels in distress, but actually have their own minds just like men. I particularly loved the warm-hearted ending, portraying a true message of love and commitment in marriage despite any bumps in the road along the way. It was crucially down to Katya to convey this message, and pacify the Tsar, giving a huge credit to women in difficult times for equality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 2, 2019I was intrigued by the premise of this book, published to specifically target reluctant or dyslexic readers. To offer a book that can be read by the child using ‘hyper-readable’ language, but that still offers an challenge and is not patronising.
The three tales in this book are packed full of detail and character and lend themselves to ‘what would you have done?’ type discussions.
The first story is one that as an adult I had come across before, but the other two were new to me. I think this book is a great next step from those familiar childhood fairytales, allowing the child to take the lead and discover these stories for themselves.
The three tales in this book are packed full of detail and character and lend themselves to ‘what would you have done?’ type discussions.
The first story is one that as an adult I had come across before, but the other two were new to me. I think this book is a great next step from those familiar childhood fairytales, allowing the child to take the lead and discover these stories for themselves.
May 13, 2020
I read this book with my daughters and was a little let down. I assumed with a title
A Twist of Tales
the book would have three stories that had twists at the end that would have the reader thinking; however that was not the case. My daughters, 8 and 5, could predict what was going to happen (granted the 8 year old was better at it, but the 5 year old still made some great predictions).
The stories were original (well, from my point of view, they seemed original) and somewhat interesting, but I guess I was just looking for a bit more from it.
The stories were original (well, from my point of view, they seemed original) and somewhat interesting, but I guess I was just looking for a bit more from it.
September 22, 2019
An easy read for young children, with 3 stories split into the one book. These are good stories to use in the classroom when talking about particular emotions and feelings.
The kings ears is about trusting friends and acceptance and learning to love yourself.
The strange dream is about if you work hard your dreams will come true.
The clever girl is about using your knowledge and that knowledge is power by listening to your intuition you can achieve things.
The kings ears is about trusting friends and acceptance and learning to love yourself.
The strange dream is about if you work hard your dreams will come true.
The clever girl is about using your knowledge and that knowledge is power by listening to your intuition you can achieve things.
February 6, 2017
Det här är en bok med tre sagor med ursprung från tre olika länder: The King’s Ears från Wales, The Strange Dream från England och The Clever Girl från Ryssland.
Berättelserna är rikt illustrerade med mycket färger och skrivna i luftig text med få meningar på var sida. Sagorna är väldigt lustiga, jag skrattade gott när jag läste dem. Perfekt bok att läsa högt innan sängdags! Boken är på engelska, men passar bra för dig som kan grunderna och har någon vuxen att fråga om orden blir för svåra.
Julia Donaldson är författaren till de populära böckerna om Gruffalon.
Berättelserna är rikt illustrerade med mycket färger och skrivna i luftig text med få meningar på var sida. Sagorna är väldigt lustiga, jag skrattade gott när jag läste dem. Perfekt bok att läsa högt innan sängdags! Boken är på engelska, men passar bra för dig som kan grunderna och har någon vuxen att fråga om orden blir för svåra.
Julia Donaldson är författaren till de populära böckerna om Gruffalon.
December 4, 2023
Donalson er god til å skrive, det er ett lett språk å følge. Jeg liker de litt fysisk større bøkene med mindre tekst og mer rytme mer enn disse, som er for lesere litt høyere opp. Gøy at hun har omskrevet tre gamle historier fra ulike plasseringer på en så enkel måte.
July 10, 2019
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiit's a gooooooooooooood boooooook
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2024
It was quite good for relaxing and in general quite enjoyable (although not my style).
January 2, 2025
Um dos vários audiobooks que ouvi para não ter de pensar muito enquanto estava adoentada. Este tem 3 contos bastante fofos. Embora não tenham nenhuma moral específica, dão para entreter.
April 23, 2019
A Twist of Tales is a collection of three shorts stories by Julia Donaldson. Each story is accompanied by a series of illustrations which a child would enjoy reading and looking at. The Front cover of the book is colourful and attractive to a child. Also, at the front of the book there is a spot the difference game which a child would enjoy playing before or after they read the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2023
Uma pequena coleção de contos maravilhosos, excelente leitura.
March 1, 2021
A Twist of Tales has a small collection of fairytale like stories which are accessible (and designed for) early readers.
The stories are simplistic yet entertaining and are accompanied by colourful illustrations. As this book is relatively thick for the book type, it would give early readers the opportunity to experience ‘chapter books’ in an easy format that supports their initial reading targets.
The stories are simplistic yet entertaining and are accompanied by colourful illustrations. As this book is relatively thick for the book type, it would give early readers the opportunity to experience ‘chapter books’ in an easy format that supports their initial reading targets.
February 21, 2025
i mean its inoffensive but theres no reason to read it
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews