An Illustrated Collection of Fairy Tales for Brave Children

by Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Scott Plumbe (Illustrator)

Overview

From wicked queens and fearsome beasts to sneaky witches and terrible giants, this stunning collection of darkly magical fairy tales gathers together stories of children who show true courage and face their fears.

Rediscover seven classic emboldening tales – Hansel and Gretel, The Selfish Giant, Beauty and the Beast, The Spirit in the Bottle, Vassilissa, The Wild Swans and The Three Golden Hairs – from renowned storytellers the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Oscar Wilde and more.

Each story is enriched by atmospheric artwork from award-winning Canadian illustrator Scott Plumbe.

Perfect for bedtime reading, this collection is an ideal gift for fearless children everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782506713
Publisher:	Floris Books
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Pages:	88
Sales rank:	701,673
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	6 - 12 Years

About the Author

The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, were German professors whose collections of folk tales and fairy tales have been loved for generations. Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, best known for his fairy tales which include The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen and The Emperor's New Clothes. Scott Plumbe was born on the west coast of Canada. He is an award-winning illustrator, designer and fine artist whose work appears in books, games and magazines including National Geographic Kids. He lives in Vancouver with his young family.

Place of Birth:

Hanau, Germany

Place of Death:

Berlin, Germany

Table of Contents

— The Spirit in the Bottle (Brothers Grimm) — The Selfish Giant (Oscar Wilde) — The Three Golden Hairs (Brothers Grimm) — The Wild Swans (Hans Christian Andersen) — Beauty and the Beast (Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont) — Hansel and Gretel (Brothers Grimm) — Vassilissa (Alexander Nikolayevich Afansayev)

Editorial Reviews

10/04/2021

Highly detailed, painterly illustrations anchor this collection of seven European and Russian fairy tales, which combines well-known classics, including “Hansel and Gretel” and “Beauty and the Beast,” with lesser-known works such as “The Three Golden Hairs” and “The Spirit in the Bottle.” A straightforward, traditional narrative tone predominates: “There was once a poor couple who had a son. A visiting fortune teller foretold that the baby would always be lucky and would marry the king’s daughter.” Romantic details of an imagined past—flowing tresses, ermine robes, doublets, golden crowns, and mullioned windows—figure prominently in Plumbe’s pictures, which also reflect a more problematic historical vision: all of the protagonists cue as white. Given that, the dark-toned skin and exaggerated features of the ogre in “The Spirit in the Bottle” and Hades in “The Three Golden Hairs” stand out as troubling artistic choices. Back matter includes brief author biographies. Ages 6–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

'Each tale is beautifully retold using digitally rendered ink and watercolor illustrations over pencil sketches. Stories have an easily discernable moral which centers on the negative of vices such as greed, cruelty, or wickedness. Each fable has elements of the country from which it came, adding a brief look into these lands and peoples. Pictures are an integral part of each story, beautifully drawn, and are essential in creating the mood. The storytelling style is engaging and will have young readers wanting more.'
– Youth Services Book Review, 5 Stars

From the Publisher

2021-06-29
Pretty illustrations accompany seven tales from Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Oscar Wilde, and other European writers.

Though all but Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant” do revolve around brave young people, the stories are significantly abridged and have been edited with a distinct lack of courage. They are so stripped of religious references, for instance, that the “Three Golden Hairs” are plucked from the chin of Hades rather than the devil, and Wilde’s giant is promised Paradise by a “child of love” with unmarked palms. On the other hand, “Vassilissa” still allows the flaming skull from Baba Yaga to burn her cruel stepfamily to death, and the stripped-down version of Andersen’s “The Wild Swans” actually improves on the original by switching out the walnut oil the evil stepmother uses in the original to transform Princess Elisa into a brown-skinned outcast for a generic “foul ointment” that just makes her unrecognizable. But Hades is the only member of Plumbe’s otherwise all-White cast with broad features and dark skin, and the artist’s tidy tableaux of stolid figures in medieval garb follow the overall lead of the stories by going for the safely bland. In the cursory author bios at the end Wilde is tagged as “controversial” without explanation, presumably embedded as a code word for adults with parochial values. But the attached ribbon bookmark is pretty.

Children, brave or otherwise, in search of classic stories have plenty of other choices. (Folk & fairy tales. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews