A collection of short stories joined together by an over-arching narrative. The stories were from all over the world, often retold in engaging and interesting ways. Some old favourites and some I'd never seen before. The short stories were entertaining and engaging. Some were funny, some scary and most made you think.The frame plot was interesting, but I worked out the solution well before the end and I was left wondering why those familiar with stories hadn't worked it out before. It also verged on being too preachy, and didn't flow as well as the short stories it contained. It felt slightly awkward.The description of the giant's castle was very detailed and made it easy to visualise. Both sight and sound were used.I liked the characters of the children, and I appreciated that they came from all parts of the world and all walks of life. But we didn't find enough out about their personal stories. Except for Hasan these seemed incomplete.Very enjoyable, the frame story wasn't bad, but the short stories contained in it are the real gems.The illustrations were detailed, attractive and slightly caricature-ish. They really added to the atmosphere and my enjoyment. The pictures of the main characters were especially helpful is getting me to visualise them.
