This small format collection of seven favourite Polish folk tales with black and white illustrations introduces a magical world of giants, golden talking ducks and mice that can eat a king. They celebrate connections with legends and places: one features the dragon linked to the founding of the old capital, another explains why a town is famed for its gingerbread, or elsewhere a story of mermaids is remembered in the amber washed up on Baltic shores. The stories are humorous and instructive, often reversing expectations, as when a poor young apprentice prefers his own life to that of a rich man. This is an appealing collection, ideal for reading aloud.