George Cassola: Ħrejjef u Leġġendi minn Imkejjen Differenti, Wise Owl Publications, 2010, 64 pp. €4.99

George Cassola presents a round-the-world trip with five folktales from across the globe. We begin in Estonia with the story In search of a Magic Mirror.

Next follows The Story of Two Friends, adapted from a classical tale from Ancient Greece. The book also includes narratives from China and France, and concludes with a story called The Five Loaves, from Romania.

Written with children in mind the book is suitably annotated, explaining certain complicated words children might have difficulty understanding. It is written in a crisp and readable style, the sort of thing that might come in useful for those learning Maltese as well as children already fluent in the language.

Atmosphere is built up in a traditional way, layering various elements of tried and tested fairytale logic to produce a palpable sense of adventure and fantasy. Certainly the narrative is well suited to other books in Maltese that have recently tried to bring the art of children’s literature to a wider market.

Meanwhile John Cassola’s series of illustrations invite some comparison with the charcoal work of Felicien Rops, or the outsider artist Henry Darger (author of the 15,000-page novel The Story of the Vivien Girls) who created a world at times disconcerting, sometimes wonderful.

Some of the pictures have a surreal, displaced quality. Especially interesting is the image on page 55, a carefully shaded scene where two figures, neatly ignoring one another, are almost lost an infinitely receding path.

While the type, layout and general appearance of the work leave something to be desired, it’s not particularly expensive. The book may be ideal for younger readers or parents whose bedtime stories could use a little variety.