Inspired by his own fascination with the high Arctic -- its beauty, mystery and harshness -- storyteller Bob Barton has collected and retold his favorite tales from northern lands. Here are folk and fairy tales from Scandinavia, Russia and Canada's far North. Originally passed by word of mouth, a few of the tales were published in sources now out of print and were at risk of being lost forever. From magical stories such as "The Reindeer Herder and the Moon" and "Katya and the Goat with the Silver Hoof," to the cleverness found in "Frostbite" and "Grandfather Bear," to the surprising outcome in "The Raven and the Whale," readers will turn to these stories again and again. Illustrator Jirina Marton, who herself has long had a deep interest in the North, has perfectly captured the spirit of these stories in each of her beautifully rendered paintings.