If you think you’ve heard all the fairy tales out there, think again. Inside this book you will find eleven epic Celtic tales from long ago, but not so far away, that are bound to enchant you. The Mab is a collection full to the brim with brand new versions of really, really old stories from the Mabinogi – maybe the oldest written-down stories in the history of Britain.

But as well as being really, really old, the stories in The Mab are strange and funny and thrilling. Alive with mystery and magic, they speak of a time when the gates between the Real World and the Otherworld were occasionally left open. And sometimes, just sometimes, it was possible to step through.

The stories in this illustrated edition have been reimagined by an extraordinary team of writers, and each appears alongside a Welsh-language translation from Bethan Gwanas. Those writers are Matt Brown and Eloise Williams, who have also edited this book, plus Sophie Anderson, P.G.Bell, Zillah Bethell, Darren Chetty, Wales Children's Laureate Nicola Davies, Claire Fayers, Hanan Issa, Rhian Tracey and Alex Wharton. The awesome illustrations are by Max Low!

'These stories make the wall between worlds thrillingly thin. Their enchantment calls to us ever from the other side of the door' Michael Sheen

Matt Brown is an author and broadcaster. He has written eight books, including Mutant Zombies Cursed My School Trip which won the FCBG Children’s Book Award in 2020. Before dyeing his hair grey for fashion reasons, Matt presented on some of the UK’s most popular TV shows and he has been on the radio a lot, hosting shows and making documentaries. He is a passionate promoter of reading for pleasure in schools as well as an advocate of saving public libraries.

Eloise Williams grew up in Llantrisant and lives in West Wales, very close to the sea. She was Wales’ first Children’s Laureate from September 2019 to August 2022. Books include: Gaslight, Seaglass, WIlde, Honesty and Lies and Elen's Island and she is currently working on The Library of Lost Stories, publishing with Firefy Press Autumn 2026.