Of the remaining five, there wasn't one that I didn't enjoy. They were all well-written and accessible. Some of the stories had a few darker themes but that's nothing new. Traditional fairy tales have always featured death and a bit of gore. It's certainly not a problem and I think it's dealt with carefully here. It's also true that queer people are often exposed to the threat of violence so it's good that these stories don't shy away from the truth. Whatever they might contain, the stories are always ones of hope and celebrate being true to yourself. The stories feature transgender and gender fluid characters as well as male/male relationships. I would have loved to have seen some more identities featured such as lesbian, bisexual and asexual, but I assume these may have been missed out because they weren’t as prominently featured in the folklore tales the author was able to find. Still, all of the stories were interesting to read! My favourites were The Falcon In The Garden and A Princess And A Prince.

As with all short story collections, there were some that I enjoyed more than others. I think the first story, The Girl in the Market, is the strongest and most enjoyable. A sweet story about a transgender girl spotted by a prince in the market. The prince falls in love with her instantly and wants to marry her. This is the story that supposedly inspired the whole collection so it makes sense that it's so memorable. As I said, all of the stories were good in their own way but I also really loved The Falcon in the Garden and The Soldier and the Peasant. They just felt different and stood out from the rest. For me, The Ivory City had similar vibes to The Song Of Achilles and I was here for it. I also really liked The Dog and the Sailor about a sailor who helps a prince save his kingdom from a witch. I do have my fave stories in this collection - The Girl In The Market (illustarted by Mario Hounkanrin), Double-Flower Temple (illustrated by Xin Tang) and The Soldier and the Peasant (illustarted by Nontira Kigle), but all the tales were lovely to read. Importantly, rather than being reinventions of heteronormative or cisnormative fairytales, the stories in this collection all already feature gay, transgender or non-binary characters, thereby showing that ‘ traditional folk tales about LGBTQ+ people are not a contemporary invention. They exist in every corner of the globe’. As Wood explains in his introduction, he has made changes to some of the stories, for instance to remove offensive slurs or to change stories which involve a magical ‘Shift of Sex’ into stories which ‘ highlight the journey of the characters from gender dysphoria to gender euphoria ‘. The result of Wood’s skilful and sensitive editing is a treasure trove of stories in which characters are able to find acceptance and love. For example, the Brothers Grimm’s ‘The Soldier and the Peasant’ ends with two men living together happily ever after, while in ‘The Girl in the Market’ from Benin, King Dadase’s betrothed Dausi becomes ‘ the most beloved of queens‘ even though her enemies have misgendered her by labelling her a man. Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe. I bought this book for my Year 4 classroom’s book corner to celebrate pride month and I found that it was very age appropriate for 8-9 year olds but I also feel it can be enjoyed by older audiences.We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. Tale of the Mind-Bender You envoke an incomprehensible fable from an otherworldly being. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take psychic damage equal to three rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die and be stunned until the end of its next turn.

These are the fairy tales that history forgot - or concealed. Tales in which gender is fluid and where queer stories can have a happy ending' These are the fairy tales that history forgot - or concealed. Tales in which gender is fluid and where queer stories can have a happy ending. This little book is glorious! I really enjoyed the writing in these fairy tales; they’re a wonderful, positive interpretation of traditional stories that weren’t originally that positive about the characters who changed apparent sex or were in same-sex relationships. The relationships are often touchingly sweet and dedicated, beyond death in a couple of cases.I loved each tale, there wasn’t one I didn’t love, although I do hold a special place in my heart for The Spinners and The Sorcerer, The Falcon in the Garden, The Girl In The Market and The Ivory City. This is a wonderful anthology for the middle grade reader , it’s target audience , but also for adults to read with their children, to read for themselves. This book is not just there for the LGBTQ children, it’s their for parents, friends, their whole community to help support them and give a connection. It’s truly a gift. At 3rd level, you can reach out to spirits to guide you and others. You learn the Guidance cantrip, which doesn’t count against the number of bard cantrips you know. For you, it has a range of 60 feet when you cast it. Spiritual Focus

You can retain only one of these tales in mind at a time, and rolling on the Spirit Tales table immediately ends the effect of the previous tale.These are the fairy tales that history forgot – or concealed. Tales in which gender is fluid and where queer stories can have a happy ending. This book has so many positive messages, each story is unique, has its own message, kindness, fairness, equality, acceptance, I could go on and on, but it’s just so wonderful to read so many different LGBTQ tales, where they are the main character and not just cast in a supporting role, they are gloriously and deservedly centre stage, and each one gets their HEA, in one way or another (no spoilers) Tale of the Traveler. The target gains temporary hit points equal to a roll of your Bardic Inspiration die + your bard level. While it has these temporary hit points, the target’s walking speed increases by 10 feet and it gains a +1 bonus to its AC. The ‘gender reveal’ in the originals is often a bad thing, resulting in a punishment, but in these, the gender reveal is a choice that the characters make and if someone else reveals the main characters’‘real gender’, then the person who does the ‘revealing’ is castigated rather than the main character. The spell you choose must be of a level equal to the number of creatures that conducted the ritual or less, the spell must of a level you can cast, and it must be in the school of Divination or Necromancy. The chosen spell counts as a bard spell for you but doesn’t count against the number of bard spells you know.

This is a wonderful collection of fairytales from around the world, drawing on themes of queerness. It’s not a book of retold stories. Instead, Pete Jordi Wood has chosen a selection of tales that feature same-sex love, or explore ideas of gender. At 3rd level, you reach out to spirits who tell their tales through you. While you are holding your Spiritual Focus, you can use a bonus action to expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration and roll on the Spirit Tales table using your Bardic Inspiration die to determine the tale the spirits direct you to tell. You retain the tale in mind until you bestow the tale’s effect or you finish a short or long rest.Tale of the Beguiler. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take psychic damage equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die, and the target is incapacitated until the end of its next turn. Tale of the Angel. The target regains hit points equal to two rolls of your Bardic Inspiration die + your Charisma modifier, and you end one condition from the following list affecting the target: blinded, deafened, paralyzed, petrified, or poisoned. These stories are an excellent reminder that queer people have always existed, and that we have existed in every culture around the world. The best thing about any fairytale, of course, is the happily ever after, and it’s wonderful to see queer characters get the literal fairytale ending that they deserve.