Malachy Doyle’s Tales from Old Ireland is an intriguing collection, greatly flattered by the illustrations of Niamh Shakey. The compilation of seven stories includes “The Children of Lir,” one of the most popular and cherished Irish folktales, “Fair, Brown, and Trembling,” an Irish Cinderella story,” and “The Twelve Wild Geese,” a fairy tale about family love y.Few of the tales are meaningful, some are sad, some have satisfying ends; all have a depth missing in many modern retellings.

Shakey the illustrator does a simple yet effective job. Children of eight to twelve will particularly like this book, although younger children will also love them.