Telling the Seasons: Stories, Celebrations and Folklore around the Year

by Martin Maudsley

A month-by-month treasury of stories and traditions that bring to life the changing seasons and celebrate the turning year

Telling the Seasons takes us on a journey through the twelve months of the year with stories, customs and celebrations. Drawing on the changing patterns of nature and the rich tapestry of folklore from the British Isles, it is a colorful guide into how and why we continue to celebrate the seasons.

Here are magical myths of the sun and moon, earthy tales of walking stones and talking trees and lively legends of the spirits of each season. Original drawings, sayings, songs, recipes and rhymes, combine into a ‘spell-book’ of the seasons. Martin Maudsley tells tales around the year to children and adults, specializing in stories of the natural world and local landscapes. He can be found leading seasonal celebrations from firelit winter wassails to bright May Day mornings in rural Dorset where he lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Folklore, History, Reference, Fairy Tales, British Literature

208 pages, Hardcover

Published November 10, 2022

Reviews

[Jane Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of brilliant and thoughtful seasonal exciting stuff. Most of which was new to me. The stories sit happily amongst forgotten traditions, folklore, poems, songs and recipes, with references to the moon, ancient Greece, and the Celts to name a few. The book is literally packed full and I can see me re-reading this book each year and enjoying it more each time. With its beautiful illustrations including birds, plants and mushrooms, and hand written titles and squiggly bits, it has the look and feel of an old Almanac or personal journal - offering the reader a sneak preview into the private thoughts, notes and scribbles of a storyteller. A feel good collection of loveliness, and in a world full of war and climate disasters I've never needed it more.

[Yada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling the Seasons is a thoughtful and well researched book, filled with folklore, fact, history, song, poetry and recipes to boot! Martin writes beautifully and has arranged the chapters in such a way that the words within will always be relevant. I have loved reading the different months as we enter them and feeling even more deeply rooted to and led by the seasons. This book is bursting with stories and knowledge to be enjoyed by anyone, no matter how many times you've lapped the sun!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This is a lovely collection of folklore from all over the UK & Ireland organised by month! It featured a lot of folklore from the West Country which reminded me so much of my childhood.

I found some of the stories a bit repetitive, but I don't know if that was a selection issue or if that's just the nature of folklore.

[Tanaya Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books has stories and folklore behind a lot of American traditions I had no idea about (groundhog day, Easter bunny). I have not completely finished it, but plan to read it throughout the year, month by month. It is a joy.

[Lizzytish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of traditions, holidays, tales, recipes, poems, etc for each month of the year.

[Undomiel Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was hit and miss for me personally. The folk lore and traditions and fiction writing I loved and really enjoyed the monthly sections, however the recipes and wicca aspects did not appeal to me personally at all so I skipped these sections. However the majority was a nice read - may be nice to read one section a month and span it out across a year.

[Zara Priestley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart warming book on folklore of the seasons.