The Impossible People

First published in 1972 and named a National Book Award finalist in children's books, Georgess McHargue's The Impossible People is a nonfiction survey of the creatures of legend that fill European and American folklore. Rather than retelling a single tale, the book looks at where beings such as giants, fairies, trolls, and mermaids came from and how ideas about them developed over the centuries. It treats these figures as part of a long tradition of stories about the strange and the marvelous, some of them frightening and some of them delightful. Illustrated by Frank Bozzo and including a bibliography for further reading, it suits curious young readers who enjoy mythology, folklore, and the history behind familiar fairy-tale creatures.