Tashi's Magic: Aussie Kids' Adventure Folklore

Tashi — Anna & Barbara Fienberg, Kim Gamble

The one that started it all—a folkloric origin story wrapped in playground frame narrative. The original Tashi introduces the titular hero through Jack, a boy who regales his parents with wild stories told by his new classmate. Tashi's tales—escaping a warlord on the back of a swan, outsmarting giants with clever wordplay—feel like oral folklore compressed into chapter-book format. Gamble's pen-and-ink illustrations anchor the fantastical in something warm and hand-drawn, never slick. The framing device (Jack retelling Tashi's stories at the dinner table) is genius—it mirrors how kids actually share stories, and it gives young readers permission to treat these adventures as legends, not literal realism. This first volume set the template: impossible problems solved with imagination, not violence. Explore our current copy of Tashi or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

Tashi and the Demons — Anna & Barbara Fienberg, Kim Gamble

Volume 6 cranks up the supernatural mayhem with demons, curses, and a cleverness contest. By book six, the Feinbergs lean fully into folkloric chaos. Tashi faces off against demons who've invaded his village, and the solution isn't brute force—it's wit, misdirection, and a well-timed riddle. The demons themselves feel pulled from Chinese folklore (shape-shifting, trickster energy), but the stakes are scaled perfectly for early readers: scary enough to grip, never nightmarish. Gamble's illustrations give the demons just enough grotesquerie to be thrilling without crossing into genuinely frightening. What makes this entry stand out is how it normalises problem-solving through storytelling—Tashi literally talks his way out of danger by out-narrating his opponents. Explore our current copy of Tashi and the Demons or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

Tashi and the Forbidden Room — Anna & Barbara Fienberg, Kim Gamble

Volume 12 delivers classic "don't open that door" tension with a folkloric twist. The forbidden room is a fairytale staple (see: Bluebeard, Pandora's box), and the Feinbergs deploy it with precision. Tashi discovers a locked chamber in the Baron's castle, and of course he opens it—because curiosity and courage are the series' twin engines. What's inside? Not gore or jump-scares, but a puzzle that tests Tashi's ability to think laterally under pressure. The stakes escalate without ever tipping into genuine peril; even when things go sideways, the tone stays playful. Gamble's illustrations of the room itself are a masterclass in visual restraint—ominous shadows and ornate locks doing more work than any monster reveal. This one's a teaching text for narrative tension. Explore our current copy of Tashi and the Forbidden Room or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

Tashi and the Stolen Bus — Anna & Barbara Fienberg, Kim Gamble

Volume 13 swaps folklore for a straight-up heist caper—still magic, but now with wheels. The stolen bus entry is a tonal shift: less demon-wrangling, more Ocean's Eleven for the primary school set. A villainous character swipes the village bus (because apparently Tashi's village has civic infrastructure now), and Tashi has to get it back using cunning and teamwork. The magic here is quieter—more about resourcefulness than spells. It's the series at its most grounded, and honestly, that's not a bad thing; the heist structure gives young readers a template for collaborative problem-solving. Gamble's bus illustrations are delightfully clunky and functional, the opposite of sleek—very much a vehicle you'd find rattling down a dusty road in rural China (or rural Australia, honestly). Explore our current copy of Tashi and the Stolen Bus or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

Tashi and the Phoenix — Anna & Barbara Fienberg, Kim Gamble

Volume 15 brings mythological grandeur—a firebird, a quest, and the series' most lyrical stakes. The phoenix is folklore royalty, and the Feinbergs treat it with appropriate reverence. This volume sees Tashi encountering the legendary bird mid-crisis (naturally), and the resulting adventure leans harder into wonder than danger. The phoenix's design—Gamble's final illustrated volumes before his passing—feels weightier, more painterly, a shift from the earlier books' scratchier line work. The story itself is about cycles of renewal and courage in the face of endings, which reads poignantly in hindsight given Gamble's death in 2016. For a kids' series, it's remarkably comfortable with loss and rebirth as narrative themes. Explore our current copy of Tashi and the Phoenix or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina. As of August 2026, Patina's Sci-Fi & Fantasy collection includes a rotating selection of Tashi volumes—some early entries with Gamble's original pen-and-ink work, some mid-series volumes where the folkloric elements hit peak density. These books belong on the same shelf as Ursula Dubosarsky's The Word Spy and Morris Gleitzman's Toad Rage: distinctly Australian voices writing global-feeling adventure for kids who are just learning to read independently. The Tashi series proved that you could build an entire literary world out of a playground conversation and a kid with good stories. Shop all Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina Paperbacks →

What age group are the Tashi books suitable for?

Tashi books are pitched at readers aged 6–9, roughly aligning with early primary school (Years 1–3 in Australia). The chapters are short, the vocabulary is accessible without being condescending, and the illustrations break up the text nicely for kids transitioning from picture books to chapter books. Honestly, they also work beautifully as read-alouds for younger siblings—the folkloric storytelling structure makes them easy to deliver out loud.

Are Tashi books based on traditional Chinese folklore?

They draw heavily on Chinese folklore motifs—dragons, phoenixes, demons, warlords, trickster tales—but they're not direct retellings of specific myths. The Feinbergs blend folkloric archetypes with original plots, and the result feels like invented folklore: stories that could have been passed down orally but were actually written in 1990s Australia. The setting is deliberately non-specific ("a faraway place"), which gives the books a timeless, placeless quality despite the cultural influences.

Where can I buy secondhand Tashi books in Australia?

Patina Paperbacks stocks rotating preloved copies of Tashi volumes across our Sci-Fi & Fantasy collection, with free Australia-wide shipping over $29. Because the series spans 20+ volumes published over two decades, availability shifts frequently—some entries are easier to find secondhand than others, especially the early Gamble-illustrated editions.

Did Kim Gamble illustrate all the Tashi books?

Kim Gamble illustrated the vast majority of Tashi volumes from 1995 until his death in 2016. His pen-and-ink style—loose, expressive, slightly chaotic in the best way—became synonymous with the series. Later editions and some newer titles feature illustrations by other artists, but Gamble's work defines the visual identity of Tashi for most Australian readers who grew up with the books.

How many Tashi books are there in total?

There are over 20 volumes in the main Tashi series, plus spin-offs and collected editions. The numbered sequence includes titles like Tashi and the Demons (Volume 6), Tashi and the Stolen Bus (Volume 13), and Tashi and the Phoenix (Volume 15). Allen & Unwin has also released omnibus editions bundling multiple stories, which can make the total count a bit fuzzy depending on how you're counting.