Aaron Shepard does for folklore and epic poems what Charles and Mary Lamb did for Shakespeare in the 1800s—produces short, exciting, plot-centered adaptations that make the originals accessible to readers young and old and that may tempt you to dip into the real thing someday.Susan Chapek
Aaron Shepard! Wow! What a treasure chest of stories you have to entertain and delight us! No matter what you do, you are always entertaining and enriching.Jan Lieberman, literature consultant, and publisher, TNT Newsletter
A gifted writer.Jane Yolen, Parabola, Spring 1997
Aaron Shepard opens a window on the world through his picture-book interpretations of folklore from many lands. Shepard’s sensitive and literate retellings bring to life treasured tales from Iran, Vietnam, Russia, Norway, Finland, India, and the United States.Something About the Author, Vol. 113
One of the finest authors working in the field of folktales today. Meticulous research and a respect for the story, as well as those who have told it, characterize all of Aaron’s works.Kip Nead, Growing Up, Nov. 1997
The words fairly leap off the page and beg to be delivered out loud.Katy Rydell, editor, Stories
Aaron Shepard is well-known for his treatments of folktales from around the world. And for a good reason. He selects fine, traditional tales and shapes them into something that reads well, tells well, and (by-the-way) looks good. Though his books are predictably good, they are far from formulaic. They are as different from each other as are the cultures they come from.The Story Bag, Dec. 2001–Jan. 2002