KEY POINTS:
Short stories make good children's reading. They're easy to dip in and out of and, like multi-coloured jelly beans, there are stories to suit every taste.
The oldest short stories in the world are myths and legends. And why not start with our own Maori myths? Gavin Bishop
has done a wonderful job with his two beautiful books, Taming the Sun and Riding the Waves (Random House, both $29.95), especially suitable for children over 8.
The Barefoot Book of Animal Tales From Around The World (Addenda, $27.99) is a personal selection of different cultural legends lovingly retold by Naomi Adler and illustrated by Amanda Hall. Adler collected these stories from native storytellers and they come with the bonus of an accompanying CD.
Two volumes of scary stories by well-known writers have recently been published by Walker Books. Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales and its spooky companion, The Restless Dead, Ten Original Stories of the Supernatural (both $19.99), should thrill die-hard fans of this genre.
Award-winning Margo Lanagan writes highly original, boundary-defying short stories. Her three books, Black Juice, Red Spikes and White Time (Allen & Unwin, $21.99) are exceptional in their inventiveness. They are definitely for sophisticated readers (and their parents).
Over the past few years Random House has produced a popular series of short story books for New Zealand children aged 7-10. Claws and Jaws ($24.99) features animals, Hideous and Hilarious contains historical stories, and the seventh and last volume, Dare and Double Dare ($24.99) includes 30 stories.
The fourth volume of The Puffin Treasury of New Zealand Children's Stories ($29.95), edited by Jenni Keestra, is another selection of "gentle, funny, serious and sad" stories by some of our most revered authors.
The Reed Treasury of New Zealand Books ($39.99) celebrates 100 years of publishing with a very generous collection of complete books for children of all ages.
Fairy tales are a perennial favourite and every family should have at least one volume. Usborne Illustrated Fairy Tales ($34.99) is a selection of 10 well-known classic stories, retold for young children.
Particularly suitable for boys who find longer stories a bit daunting are: Morris Gleitzman's Give Peas a Chance (Puffin, $19.99), 15 funny stories with Gleitzman's signature humour; Spookiest Stories (Puffin Books, $19.99), a nice collection hand-picked by the author Paul Jennings; and Just Shocking (Pan Macmillan, $17.99), 10 stories by Andy Griffiths, with amusing illustrations by Terry Denton.
Finally, for those who have come under Michael Morpurgo's spell there is Singing for Mrs Pettigrew (Walker, $19.99), a collection of short stories interspersed with articles about his craft.
- DETOURS HOS