Fairy Tale Treasury

by Virginia Haviland (Editor), Raymond Briggs (Illustrator)

Thirty-two colorfully-illustrated fairy tales introduce young readers to the best-loved inhabitants of the land of make-believe

Genres: Folklore, Fairy Tales

Paperback

First published August 15, 1980

About the author

Virginia Haviland was for many years the Director of the Children's Literature Center at the Library of Congress and was also author of more than two dozen books. She was graduated from Cornell University, and for her dedication to children's literature, she was awarded the Regina Medal in 1976.

Reviews

[Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a Christmas gift when I was 7 but never really truly appreciated it until now years later reading it and wondering at the power of the original stories by Aesop, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, Sara Cone Bryant, Joseph Jacobs, The Grimm Brothers, and others so many of which have been over the years changed so drastically for film and other adaptations diluting their original power and beauty; Snow White for instance is infinitely better here in its original form than in the Disney adaptations and the same can be said for Cinderella, The Ugly Duckling, The Three Little Pigs, The Frog Prince and many others. Nothing beats the original and that's what you get here that are so powerful that even adults can appreciate and understand the powerful life lessons that are here. I also have to say the illustrations here are very good and kudos to the very talented artists who lent their talents throughout. Very highly recommended.

[Lara and Literature]

I will read this book and post my opinion on it.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may seem strange to be reviewing a treasury of fairy tales but it's a book and it counts!!! Besides, it has actually been quite relaxing from time to time to re-read these stories from my childhood and to note the cross-cultural variety in this collection. It was also interesting to note the more complex versions of more well-known "classics" like 'Red Riding Hood' or 'The Princess and the Pea' or the "Emperor's new clothes'. I'm not inspired to try to find an English translation of the original Grimm collection.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite bedtime books when I was in elementary school. It has fabulous illustrations and a variety of fairy tales. Some of the tales are very well known and some are not as well known. Two memoriable stories in this collection are "The Sun & The Wind" and "Mollie Whoopie".

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do love this man's illustrations. We had a great time moving through this book together. I even read one of the stories to my high school class. They loved it!

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Good group of fairy tales" according to my 5th grade cumulative reading log. I started it on 2/2/1997 and gave it a 5/6.

[Mollie the Cat]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12950183

[Marsha Valance · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic collection of short folktales for telling or reading.