Welcome to the second volume of Jonathan's Tales comprising ten magical fairy tales I told my then 6-year-old son at his bedtime, recorded on my android and now skilfully transposed to the written word. The Tales were told across three years numbering in the final count one hundred. The stories in Volume 2 have the same three specific aims as that in Volume 1. Firstly, entertainment; secondly, knowledge transference; and thirdly, a desire for the Tales to be morally instructive. The Tales explore universal themes including the importance of love and kindness, forgiveness and honesty, and the specialness of celebrating differences and inclusivity in our lives. To stimulate a desire to learn more, all the Tales are 'peppered' with rich notations referred extensively at the end the book. These notations serve a dual function of giving explanation of facts, but also review the meaning of the many phrases and idioms included across the narrative in this book. As such these notations may also serve as a learning tool for international students seeking to better master their English Language competencies.
In addition to the moral themes above the second Volume admits other 'riches'. For instance, the
mystical connectedness of all things on Earth is foremost in the first Tale entitled, The Glass and the Jumper. Thereafter the storyline in The Cup and the Toothbrush leaps to
examine how first impressions may give rise to rank falsehoods in our lives. The story ends with an imperative that
difference in whatever form should not be challenging, rather openly celebrated. More topical and 'modern' themes are included in The Tesla and the Lamborghini dealing sensitively and humorously with
climate change. In the delightful, and somewhat pugilistic Tale, The Orange and the Grapefruit, we see a spotlight on the
futility of personal conflict between protagonists, and of war in a broader sense. The later Tales explore more interesting subtleties of human nature. The Parrot and the Woodpecker ends on a reflection of life's unpredictability by highlighting the
law of unintended consequences. The storyline in the Helicopter and the Aeroplane will be of interest to
aviation enthusiasts touching upon aviation history, with guest appearances of several significant aviators of the past. Towards the end, two stories, The Cactus and the Tree and the Spiky Shell and the Star have interesting themes concerning
Earth's geological history and the
evolutionary progression of species, respectively. The final story, told to my son just before the calendar date, is a
celebration of Halloween. Jonathan's Tales deliberately portray characters in various aspects challenged. Ultimately, the author renders these characters in situations with 'happy endings'.One final note, Volume 2 might be nominally seen as a Middle Grade children's literary work, and yet it admits as did Volume 1, an eclectic age range. Not only children, but teenagers and adults have reported back on Volume 1 their absolute delight. I seek the reader's forgiveness in final close to this foreword, by copying a genuine comment from one admirer, which I trust, gives due credence to the assertion that Jonathan's Tales has a broader relevance in all our lives and to be enjoyed as such: "
You are never too old to enjoy a good story."
Kissack, Thomas: - Tom Kissack lives in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, a historic market town he fellin love with before moving there in December 2022, after living in many andvaried places across the world. He is retired and has paternal duties at times, for his now 12-year-old son, Jonathan, the namesake of Jonathan'sTales. Tom has had an interesting and rewarding life to date, serving 23years in the Royal Airforce, and a further 23 years as a Marketing Managerat a London University. He likes to keep fit, visiting the gym thrice weeklyand has also made it a life-time interest in 'eating to live'. His other currentpassion beyond the above is reading the English classics.
