A knight in glass armour, the basilisk of Saffron Walden, Old King Cole of Colchester – Essex is a place full of fantastical characters and mysterious tales. Storyteller Jan Williams is a familiar sight around the county, entrancing locals with her tales of ghostly Romans and vicious Vikings. These stories – specially chosen to be enjoyed by 7- to 11-year-old readers – will unlock the colourful world of Essex and help children to engage with their surroundings.

The Essex coastline has endured invasion by plundering and bloodthirsty Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and this mysterious landscape is still haunted by their presence. Their spirits, and countless others, have oft been reported – not least by smugglers determined to keep intruders away from their secret hideouts. Even more dramatic stories of the supernatural lurk inland: accusations of witchcraft have been screamed around many picturesque market towns, dragons have terrorised the community, and a violent White Lady has struck at Hadleigh Castle. Indeed, it is the women of Essex who have stirred the imagination most – from brave Boudicca and beautiful Edith Swan-neck to the adulteress Kitty Canham. Amid the county's infamous pirates, highwaymen and desperados, Essex can even boast a lady smuggler.

There is everyday magic in the tales of London. Some stories are swirling in the waters of the Thames; some are hidden in the old stones that lie beneath our modern pavements. In London Folk Tales for Children Anne and Sef have gathered stories from the words and memories of Londoners past and present. They tell of the mighty river, the streets, and the hills of London. You'll find stories of babies that turn into flowers, of tower ravens and a two-headed bird, and a child who has to travel across the world all alone. You'll also meet the people of this welcoming city: ever since the Romans, people have come here from all over the world to become Londoners. They've brought delicious foods, new music and hundreds of languages, but, most of all, great stories – London stories.

We love telling stories in Essex. It all started with nursery rhymes like Old King Cole, then came tales of adventure from our visitors from the sea like the Romans and the Vikings, and we have told stories ever since. This collection is full of stories that I have told over the years, and that children love to hear time and again. Including a gang of smugglers and intriguing riddles, not only will children love to read them, or listen to them being read, the tales will also stimulate an interest in the area, and help children engage with their own surroundings.

Did you know that there are more than twenty-one rivers in London? Many of them have been forced underground by the development of the city but they all have their own history and their own stories to tell, from Roman times to the present day. Anne and Sef have dredged these tales from the silt, bringing them to the surface for you to enjoy. Tales of mudlarks and refugees; a pirate queen and Vikings; a young boy running away from enslavement, and many more all flow through the pages of this collection. Seas and oceans have been crossed, dangers overcome, and these ancestors of ours come to life as they tell their stories once more.

Was the stranger, who knocked at the city gates during a storm, really a princess? What kind of friend could a frog be? Read ‘The Frog Prince’ to find out. If you want to know why the animals were afraid of the proud elephant, Karpuratilaka, read the Indian tale in this collection to find your answer. Could the turtle really fly? A West Indian folktale reveals how the turtle took to the skies. Read about the party for the long-tailed animals in author Dianne Stewart’s original African folktale, ‘A Dance in the Moonlight’. This collection of fairy and folktales from around the world, is beautifully illustrated by Heidi-Kate Greeff and will be enjoyed by adult and child alike.