Fierce, Fearless and Free: Girls in myths and legends from around the world

by Lari Don, Eilidh Muldoon (Illustrator)

A brilliant, inclusive collection of traditional tales from around the world featuring amazing women and girls.

Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince who – no, that's not right! Once upon a time, there were strong, fierce women who plotted, schemed, took action, showed kindness, used magic and trickery, and made their own destiny. From the long-haired Petrosinella who escaped the tower and broke the spell that the ogress had cast over her and Nana Miriam who beat a hippo using politeness and magic, to Kate Crackernuts who tried to save her stepsister from her mother's curse, these are stories of girls doing it for themselves!

With stories drawn from all over the world, including China, Scotland, Armenia, Italy and Nigeria, Lari Don presents heroine stories that don't leave girls sitting around waiting to be saved by the handsome prince.

Book Dark Blue
Ideal for ages 9+

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Middle Grade

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

I'm a children's writer based in Scotland, and most of my fiction is inspired by the Scottish landscape and local legends. I love writing fantasy adventures for 8-12 year olds, including the Fabled Beast Chronicles and the Spellchasers trilogy, but I also love creating stories for other age groups.
I've gone darker and more dangerous in my YA thriller MindBlind.
And I've worked with amazing illustrators on picture books, including a retelling of the Scottish tale of the kelpie, The Secret of the Kelpie, with gorgeous pictures by Philip Longson, and a new fable about Nessie, The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, with fabulous artwork by Nataša Ilinčić.
I've written collections of myths and legends, including heroine tales from all over the world in Girls Goddesses & Giants, and Scottish tales in Breaking the Spell and Viking saga tales in The Dragon's Hoard, both illustrated by the wonderful Cate James.
I'm passionate about sharing old stories, creating new ones, and inspiring new young readers and writers. And I'm writing more adventures and retelling more myths, right now!
But I'm also reading... I read a lot of non-fiction, because a lot of my fictional ideas are inspired by folklore and history. I also read a lot of children’s fiction, because kids get all the best stories! And sometimes I remember how old I am, and read books for adults.
I also love discussing books, and answering queries about my books and stories, so please do get in touch. You can chat to me here on Goodreads, or through my own website, http://www.laridon.co.uk, or find me on Twitter @LariDonWriter, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laridonwriter, or Instagram: laridonwriter Have fun reading!

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who needs a handsome prince?
Not these girls!
Neringa the giant who saved her village from a particularly persistent sea dragon determined to marry her, Medea who discovered the one flaw in Crete's robotic protector, Nana Miriam who defeated the hungriest of hippos.
Be wary of fires and don't trust the condor, and if you're an evil emperor, stay away from lace dragons!
This is a wonderful book bursting with fierce girls found in myths and legends from all over the world. Though many of the heroines in this book have some kind of magic, it is usually their cleverness and bravery that saves the day.
I have recently read couple of books mentioning lots of strong, inspirational girls and women, so I was particularly interested in this one too. I really enjoyed reading about all these different myths, some of which were familiar and some completely new. All little girls (and older ones like me) should have access to characters like these. I'll definitely be reading Lari's first collection, Girls, Goddesses and Giants too.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I thought that this book was great, it has a fabulous collection of folk tales and fairy tales regarding young girls and women who are Fierce, Fearless and Free – exactly what the book says on the cover!

The tales are easy to read and follow, the illustrations that are added on the book are lovely and they really bring the stories to life – they are a great collection of myths and legends.

The only minor niggle I have is that the author has said at the end of the book that she changed the ending of some of the folk tales and I think that they should have remained as they are to be true to the stories.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, I really enjoyed it and it is definitely an easy book to read – highly recommended!

[Molly Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so cute !! As a teacher I will definitely be keeping this close to show that girls have always been fierce and can do anything!!

[Miles Row · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice collection of folk tales including some I grew up listening to and still enjoy listening to.

[Ai-sha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was perfect for our Culture Day storytelling event. I would highly recommend KS2/KS3 school staff invest in a copy to read aloud in celebration of cultural diversity and female empowerment. I like Lari Don's tweaks and reinterpretations, and also that she preserves the less savoury aspects of the original tales. For example, in an age where we must teach children to respect the environment, it may seem poor taste to celebrate a woman who KO'd a volcano. But! Don't we deserve to hear about the mad happenings-on of the past, without historical revisionism?

[Amelie Place · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all these amazing stories about these super girls!!!

[Katherine Hayward Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this while searching the "Read Now" section of NetGalley. The title, cover artwork and synopsis won me over so I requested it and was approved by the publisher for an extract.

The full book is not offered for review

Despite this, I really enjoyed the extract which contains the book contents and the first story, Kandek and the Wolf, an Armenian folk tale which is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It's under 15 minutes listening time but in that time I loved the way the tale was reworked.

The complete book has many short stories from around the world about fighting women who overcome the odds.

The pace of the extract is action packed and exciting and it makes me want to listen to the entire book. I love stories from other countries and cultures.

The book is a delight for children and adults alike, I feel it's suited to all ages.

Thanks to Lari Don and Bloomsbury for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars.

[Effy · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the extract of this book that I read, this seems to be a fantastic collection of short traditional tales from around the with strong, smart female leads.

Readers might feel at home with the first story in this collection, "Kandek and the Wolf", an Armenian folk tale which feels similar to Little Red Riding Hood but so, so much cooler!

A fantastic book for anyone looking for tales with female protagonists that children can look up to. Perfectly suited to be read to younger children or for slightly older children to read independently.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fierce, fearless and free by Lari Don is a collection of short myths and legends from around the world that is perfect to share with young readers. It could be a story a night at bedtime, or a story a day in the classroom, but all these tales of fierce, fearless and free girls offer the opportunity to explore and discuss further issues that are as relevant today as they were when originally told.

[Cristina Munster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book about brave girls in legends, myths and folk tales. I really like the illustrations.

Some stories were a bit predictable, but I enjoyed reading this book. My favorites are: Neringa and the Sea Dragon, Altyn Aryg and the Snake’s Belly.

Now, in my personal opinion as an Ecuadorian, I don't like the tale "Maria and the Condor". Condors are our emblematic birds and are in danger of extinction. I know it's just a tale, but I found the idea of a selfish condor like a wish box wrong.

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

This is a really cute collection of stories, none of which I'd read before. The writing is really evocative of the scene, and I can imagine it would be wonderful when read aloud by a talented story teller (like the author).

[Malavika Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this is an extract, I cannot comment on the book as a whole although the first story, Kandek and the Wolf gives a promising start. If I as an adult enjoyed it I am sure a child will enjoy it too. I loved how Lari Don retold this story, as it is engaging and straightforward at the same time anticipatory and adventurous. I loved the illustration by Elidih Muldoon.

[Miss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story and now plan to purchase the book- my Year 3 class need to hear these! Perfect for children from about 6 to 9, this is a fairy tale with a twist. I love the fact that thinking wins the day, rather than brawn, and that Kandek doesn't just sit back and wait to be rescued from the old woman that captures her.

[Teri B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, fabulous stories of strong girls who find their own solutions and answers in this collection of mythical and legendary retellings that travel the world.

The only complaint I have is that I would like to have had more stories to read. So please, writers out there, start to write new ones where women and girls are in the centre, clever and resourceful and always with a big heart.

[Lauren Johnstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Really liked the range of myths and legends that put girls at the forefront of the story.

Can't wait to share Lari's blog post: Why we still need strong girls in stories on https://www.acityofbooks.co.uk

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales from around the world featuring feisty females as the protagonists who save the day – and they don’t get married and live happily ever after at the end. BRILLIANT collection of stories for 8 – 12 olds (male and female) to brighten up lockdown days and get imaginations flowing freely.

[LimeCream · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the rest of the book lives up to this extract, then this will be a very interesting read... I would definitely have bought this for my daughter when she was younger. I'm tempted to buy it for myself now.

Three stars because I'm wary of rating too high when I haven't read the entire book.

[Alina Barac ( book_nerd_cafe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an incredible collection of traditional tales featuring amazing women and girls. I have read few of them to my daughter and she is hooked. She is asking for a story every night before bed and during the day we talk about the story and how brave girls are.

[Doe]

I'm not going to rate this because I feel like there's no point lmao. Like it's a kids' book with fairy tales in it and if I had a kid or access to one, I would read them this book before putting them to sleep and if you want a book like that you should get this okay bye

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fab myths! I wanted a little more detail for some of them, but I loved how they were told.

[Brandon Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little collection of short folk tales from around the world. Each one is engagingly told and stops at just the right point (i.e. before the heroine is needlessly married off).

[fede ૮ ․ ․ ྀིა · Rating 4 out of 5]

more books like this one please!!

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, diverse short fairytales, each championing young girls being their own hero.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book by Lari Don of young warrior women based on myths and legends from around the world. A fantastic combination!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick, lovely, thoughtful and empowering read. So fascinating to read about different myths and legends from all over the world with the central figure being a woman. This book will be staying firmly on our family bookshop! Such amazing and fascinating short stories. I think the blurb can describe this amazing and empowering book much better than I can.......

[Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of various fairy/folktales from around the world with a heroine as the leading character. Most of these stories were new to me, and other than one or two tales, I quite enjoyed reading all of them. My favourites were Neringa and the Sea Dragon and The Lace Dragon. I liked Bridget and the Witches too, and I also found how they defeated the enemies in Riina and the Red Stone Axe pretty cool. For the stories that I didn't enjoy as much, I did actually appreciate them better after reading her thoughts about them in the reference section at the end.

As the author writes in the afterword, these tales are all real, traditional tales. She has retold these stories in her own voice with a bit of her own flair, which has a slightly modern contexted feel that I did enjoy. In terms of the content, the only change she made to several of the stories was to remove the wedding at the end. But, as she explains/wonders, endings are difficult to write, and "happily ever after" may have simply been a popular method to easily wrap up the story and signal to the reader that the story has concluded. While this is more of an after thought justification for something she would have done (i.e. remove the wedding scene) regardless, I find this to be an interesting perspective that I haven't yet heard before.

One comment I do have about the book though, is that the specific combination of the title and the cover art make it feel like it's a super feminist book (from first impression). While I guess the book does have a feminist intention, these are really just a group of good stories. I think part of the purpose of this book is defeated if boys do not read this too, so I wouldn't want boys to not pick up this book because they feel that it is a girls' book. But perhaps I'm already too indoctrinated with the world, and hopefully little kids only see an exciting, bright and cheerful cover.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the stories this book, and will be looking forward to read her other fairy tale collections that were advertised at the end, which I shall put here for my own record: "Girls, Goddesses & Giants", "Horse of Fire", and "Winter's Tales".

[Heather Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the day after International Women’s Day, it seems only right that I be posting a review as part of a blog tour for a book that celebrates young women in myths and folk lore from around the world.

If there’s ever a book to place in the hands of the next generation to get them fired up about their own capabilities, it’s this one. Each story is an easy length for younger readers and the illustrations at the beginning of each tale are just gorgeous.

There are tales of girls outwitting opponents that are bigger, stronger, older than them. There are stories of girls saving their villages. There are stories from places close to home, like Scotland, or far afield, like Ecuador. In short, there is something for every bright young mind.

My particular favourite was Nana Miriam and the Hungry Hippo, a tale from Nigeria. A magical hippo comes and devours the crops of the farmers. Nothing works to drive it away, not dogs or weapons, but the daughter of the local magic man manages to send it away.

What I really liked most about this collection is the addition of notes at the end for each story, detailing where Lari first heard the tales and encouraging you to seek them out yourself.

I hoard books like these currently to give to my niece when she’s old enough. This is definitely getting added to my pile.

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to discover a range of myths and legends from around the world with strong female leads, though I found it sad that most of them seemed to have to prove themselves better than their male counterparts before anyone took them seriously. The illustrations are fab!

[Amber Bismillah (scriptedsolstice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read! The author makes a point that she hasn’t simply written stories with women, in the place of men. She states these stories already exist in cultures all around the world. She also states that she removed marriage at the end of each story because it’s unnecessary! I think this is wonderful book for kids to read. It provides a wonderful insight into the strength of girls, and that they can exist within fairytales without needing to be saved.

[Anamaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice stories for children.🙂