Tashi series by Anna and Barbara Fienberg

Illus. by Kim Gamble. Allen & Unwin, 2020.
Tashi: The book of spells and secrets. ISBN: 9781760525149.
Tashi: The book of magnificent monsters. ISBN: 9781760525217.
(Age: 7-9) Highly recommended. Allen & Unwin have republished many of the Tashi stories written between 1995 and 2009 in four volumes, richly illustrated by Gamble. Selling over a million copies worldwide, Tashi is now a TV series and there have been many other books featuring this wonderful character.
Republished in volumes of eight stories compiled under titles such as The book of spells and secrets and The book of magnificent monsters, younger readers will have the thrill of reading about Tashi for the first time, while older readers will pick up a volume to be reacquainted with an old friend.
Each of these two volumes contain a clutch of stories, all about thirty pages long accompanied by Gamble's readily recognised illustrations of the tall hatted hero. Each is followed by its companion story. In The book of spells and secrets can be found Tashi lost in the city, published with another story, On the way home, in 2004.
In The book of magnificent monsters appears the tale, Tashi and the phoenix, followed by An unexpected letter, published together in 2006.
Tashi and the Baba Yaga as with many other stories begins with Jack telling his family about his friend, Tashi and the wonderful adventures he has. In this one, Tashi tells Jack about the time he finds a house that has arrived in the woods near his home after a fearful storm. Invited in he realises that he is to become dinner and cleverly gets himself out of the pot, by tricking the young girl. Gone follows telling of the chickens being lost from the hen coup in the garden.
Each of the stories tells an adventure and also gives a precept for life: being kind, being careful of strangers, helping others, being kind to your friends and so on.
With their bright new covers, the stories will be wonderful read alouds as well as being most attractive for younger readers to pick up. Themes: Tashi, Adventure.
Fran Knight