An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Castle Legends

by Theresa Breslin, Kate Leiper (Illustrator)

A Carnegie-medal winning author retells legends from some of Scotland's most famous castles, in this sumptuously illustrated anthology by Kate Greenaway Medal-longlisted artist Kate Leiper.
Dark dragons, ghostly bagpipers, rude goblins and sly wizards – discover the legends that dwell within the ancient castles of Scotland.

This highly anticipated book is the latest volume of much-loved Scottish tale treasuries by Carnegie-award-winning children's author Theresa Breslin and Kate Greenaway Medal-longlisted artist Kate Leiper.

Explore secret passages beneath Edinburgh Castle, search for the mysterious monster of Glamis, capture the faery flag of Dunvegan, joust with knights at Stirling Castle and swim with the selkie of Eilean Donan in this sumptuous collection of tales from iconic Scottish castles. Read much-cherished and little-known legends, each illuminating the character and history of its castle, all brilliantly retold and beautifully illustrated to amuse, thrill and enchant.

A wonderful gift, this is a stunning book to be treasured for a lifetime, bringing history, place and story alive for children, parents and grandparents alike.

Genres: Fantasy, Scotland, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Mythology, Folklore, Middle Grade

176 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

Theresa Breslin is a Scottish author of over 50 books, known for her contributions to children's and young adult literature. She won the Carnegie Medal in 1994 for Whispers in the Graveyard, which tells the story of a dyslexic boy overcoming personal struggles. Born and raised in Kirkintilloch, Scotland, she started writing as a teenager and later worked as a librarian before becoming a full-time author.

Her works often explore historical and social themes, as seen in Divided City (2005), which addresses sectarianism in Glasgow, and The Medici Seal (2006), a historical novel featuring Leonardo da Vinci. Her book Prisoner of the Inquisition (2010) was shortlisted for another Carnegie Medal.
Breslin has received numerous accolades, including the Scottish Book Trust's Outstanding Achievement Award and an Honorary Fellowship from the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. In 2019, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to literature.

Reviews

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read of the year, and what a treat! Beautifully illustrated and beautifully told.

Artwork: ★★★★★
Stories: ★★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★★

This will definitely an abbreviated review due to the short length of the stories. My best suggestion to those who are pulled in by that beautiful cover is this: if the title and cover appeal to you, then this collection is worth your time.

With truly stunning illustrations, stories ranging from short and quaint to long and lingering, An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Castle Legends was truly delightful.

I picked this oversized hardcover up from a local independent bookstore—the true MVPs of the book world!!—and just had to have it.

This collection is most likely "officially" for children, but as an adult with a firm interest in folk tales I found this well worth the read and will definitely refer back to it in the future to gaze at the art and keep as knowledge of these interesting Scottish castle fables.

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[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of Scottish castle folklore, told in an engaging style and lavishly illustrated by Kate Leiper. This visually stunning book of stories is sure to delight children, and its retellings of traditional legends bring those tales to life for a new generation. A nice blend of beauty, history, and magic.

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 from me, 5 from my 6-year-old.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this trilogy of books by Breslin about Scotland. This is the latest and the illustrations and stories of lore and legends surrounding some of Scotland's famous castles did not disappoint. It was fantastic and we enjoyed it as a read aloud as we have the others. If you're traveling to Scotland this is a great series of books to share with young readers to familiarize themselves with the place. If you've been, as we have, it's a great way to reflect on memories. We'd been to roughly half the castles talked about in this book which made it extra fun and special. Lovely read! Highly recommended.

[Xènia López · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5
I have seen this book/collection in many gift shops, visitor centers, and other places like that throughout Scotland. I don't comprehend why there aren't more reviews!
The stories are nice to read, I really enjoyed reading some of these tales before bed (a girl has her guilty pleasures), and it's beautiful.
If anything, I wish it had been longer!

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book of tales inspired by the legends of Scottish castles. The stories are fun and the illustrations are simply exquisite!

[Pi]

Szkocja - kraina, która od zawsze budziła we mnie magiczne skojarzenia i nie przesadzę, gdy stwierdzę, że chętnie bym tam zamieszkała. Czar tych stron wydaje się lekiem na rozkrzyczany świat. Połączenie zaś Szkocji z zamkami i legendami jest wprost BAJECZNE. Ta książka nie mogła się nie udać, a udała się znakomicie, bo wzięły się za nią dwie wybitne kobiety. Jedna zadbała o pióro i lekkość opowieści - Theresa Breslin, druga o znakomity obraz, ilustracje, które sprawiają, że legenda staje się faktem - Kate Leiper.
SEKRETY STARYCH ZAMCZYSK - ILUSTROWANY SKARBIEC SZKOCKICH LEGEND, to zjawiskowo wydana pozycja, która prezentuje przepiękne, czasem mroczne, czasem lekkie historie. Każda z baśni jest wyjątkowa, usytuowana w innym miejscu, opisująca innych bohaterów i ich motywacje i stawiająca całą sytuację w konkretnym kontekście - historycznym.
Breslin wyśmienicie operuje słowem a jej styl jest wprost stworzony, by opowiadać legendy. Nie ma tu trudności, czytelnik storna po stronie mknie przez szkockie krajobrazy, poznaje dudziarza, dziwnego czerwonego kapturka a nawet prawdziwego potwora z Loch Ness. Każda z tych historii rozgrywa się w cieniu jakiegoś szkockiego zamku, który z łatwością możemy odnaleźć na mapie. Oszałamiająco świetna rzecz!
Lecz legendy, sam tekst, to nie wszystko, Mamy również wybitne ilustracje Kate Leiper. To nie są jakieś tam obrazki, oj nie, nie. To są dopracowane. przemyślane, magiczne w swej dokładności dzieła utalentowanej artystki. Każda ilustracja niesie ze sobą ogromny ładunek emocjonalny a bohaterowie - zarówno ci ludzcy jak i zwierzęcy, mają "duszę". Również krajobrazy, budowle, rzeczy codziennego użytku zadziwiają swą wyrazistością. Warto także zwrócić uwagę na piękną paletę kolorów. Leiper postawiła na stonowane barwy, naturalne, pozbawione błysku, raczej matowe i do tego stopnia mądrze dobrane, że aż czuje się zapach wiatru na twarzy bohaterów.
Ja jestem zachwycona tą pozycją. Posiada w sobie wszystko, co uwielbiam: zamki, piękne miejsca, legendy, potwory, tajemnice, nieznane krainy i tajne przejścia... i oczywiście jest to SZKOCJA! Idealnie! Polecam i dzieciom i dorosłym - ta książka nie ma ograniczeń wiekowych i takie właśnie opowieści warto czytać dzieciom i sobie. Coś wspaniałego!

podróż do Szkocji
Wydawnictwo Kropka
egzemplarz recenzencki

[Malli (Chapter Malliumpkin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales ★★★★★
✨ An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures ★★★★


This was absolutely lovely to read! I think my most favorite piece of this book is when you first open it and you see the map with all the different castles you read about within this book. It's so beautiful and it's lovely to put a castle to each story. I also really enjoyed how we saw a lot more of the Fae within this book and a little bit more of the historical side of things. Plus, the way the author concluded this book was really clever and wholesome! Overall, I had a lot of fun read this story and enjoying the castle legends the author wanted to share with us!



Here are some of my favorites:

✨ The Ghostly Piper
✨ The Faery Flag
✨ Doe Not Vaken Sleiping Dogs
✨ The True Story of the Loch Ness Monster...
✨ The Selkie Girl and the Otter King


All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.


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[Year 5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accumulation of Year 5 (age 9/10) class opinions.
- I love this book, if you are looking for mystery and enchantment. You must get this book.
- You must try out this book, as the illustrations are outstanding and also very well detailed.
- If you have children this would be a delightful book to learn about Scottish Castles.
- My favorite of all is the legend of 'The Ghostly Piper' because of the mystery.
- However, some legends did lack energy to fully immerse myself within the story.

[Jessica Richards]

This is a neat treasury. I have never heard any of these stories before. I enjoyed the introductions to each story and looked up all of the castles referenced in the stories. I just delighted myself in the Scottish landscapes and history. It would be neat to tour those castles someday. The kids would enjoy this book.

Favorite Stories:
The Faery Flag of Dunvegan Castle
The Wizard of Stirling Castle
The True Story of the Loch Ness Monster

[Lilian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely beautifully illustrated! The art is what drew me to the book to start with.

The stories were at times a bit odd but all 3 of my children (now 12, 10, 9) thoroughly enjoyed taking turns reading the legends and talking about them. As great-grandchildren of a Scot, I’m glad to see them connect to some of their heritage in this way. Would absolutely recommend for the shelf at home.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breslin retells 11 Scottish folktales featuring a Scottish castle. A map in the front of the book points out where each castle is located. The tales are beautifully written, and the very large, excellent illustrations were executed by Kate Leiper. The book includes a glossary of Scottish words, but unfortunately, no source notes for the stories.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful treasury. The illustrations and wonderful, and the stories are clever and engaging. So many of them had us researching their castle to find out how much of them was true or to read other versions. We loved it so much we bought its two sister volumes.

[Jurgita Videikaitė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuostabios pasakos ir geros iliustracijos. Mums, visokių mitų gerbėjams, labai tiko ir pilių žemėlapis. Adas sakė, kad Škotija turbūt gražiausias pasaulio pilis valdo :)
Tikimės kada nors patikrinti.

Skaitėme lietuvių kalba, nepriekaištingai "Briedžio" išleistas.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are delightful! We have enjoyed all three in the series. They contain lots of wonderful legends and fairy tales we had never heard before.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read about the myths in the different castles in Scotland. :)

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another charming and beautifully illustrated book of tales from this duo!

[Mereda Hart Farynyk]

We enjoyed this one so much! Fun stories that give such a great taste of Scottish heritage and flavor. It was especially fun for me as I got all nostalgic about visiting a number of these castles 😍

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool stories and I love a) how the Table of Contents specifies which castle each story is set at, and b) that there's an awesome map of Scotland showing where each castle is and what it looks like.

The book's intended for a young audience and the art reflects that, so I hesitate to even bring it up as something I didn't care for. But it's not to my aesthetic and that did affect my enjoyment of the book. It's light and fun where I wanted something spookier. It's a good collection; I just didn't love it as much as I'd hoped to.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I didn’t know about any of these stories. Had a great time reading them!
Also love the illustrations.

[LilyLavendar · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars