THE COMING OF THE UNICORN

Gather the bairns and the grown folk and set sail for a fine collection of Scottish tales retold by a master storyteller.

Williamson was celebrated for a lifetime of traveling the byways of Scotland, collecting and telling tales. In these 18 stories, broonies, fairies and, of course, a unicorn cross paths with common folk on a regular basis. There’s a lesson to be learned from each tale, about friendship, kindness, sharing or doing one’s duty. Also inherent in most of the tales is a strong respect for nature and for animals. Womankind fares quite well here, as princesses and poor girls strike out on their own and succeed. In "House of the Seven Boulders,” a mother with magical gifts doesn’t hesitate to do in her own seven destructive sons. Storytellers will recognize many of the motifs and marvel at the familiarity of "The Tailor and the Button." The writing is nicely flavored with Scottish words and phrasing that have not been Americanized. (Occasionally, this results in words that have far different meanings in each country.) As his daughter notes in her introduction, Williamson believed that stories, unlike toys, can “last you the entire time of your life.”

A fine collection to share, whether read aloud or told.