The magic tree: And other tales,

by Marius Barbeau

Vintage children's book

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Young Adult

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books growing up, a collection of fairy tales from French-Canadian oral history that are different from most fairy tales that we typically hear. I found this book in my grandparent's house long ago and loved it ever since. I have read them to my children out loud several times and they really enjoy them, too. Our all time favorite tale is the first in the book called The Magic Tree. Highly recommended for all families to enjoy.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 I got this book because Kate Stradling wrote one of her books based off of a combination of two of the fairytales in here and I was curious to read the originals. This is definitely a great collection of fairytales and I’ve never heard of them prior to reading Goldmayne. I noticed there is definitely a theme of things in threes in most of the stories which was interesting. I would say my favorite story was the Fountain of Youth, and I would love for someone to write a novel inspired by it.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favorite, although we had the edition titled "The Magic Phoenix." I remembered only parts of it, but still think of it fondly!

[Daa_of_night · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a favorite book, my sisters and I literally wore the cover to pieces.
The stories include the two-part tale of Petit Jean. In the first part, he is a commoner's son, who sets out to seek his fortune. Instead, he finds a witch's castle. He hires on as a stable hand, and discovers his charge is a talking horse. The witch goes traveling, and Petit Jean enters a forbidden door, only to have his hair transformed to shining gold. Naturally, the witch notices. Petit Jean's escape with the help of the talking horse and some magic golden apples leads to part two...
Petit Jean, using a sheepskin (wool-side out) to hide his golden tresses, hires on as a gardener's assistant at a king's castle. The king, of course, has unwed daughters, and a crisis facing his kingdom. Petit Jean to the rescue! --in disguise, of course.
Other stories include the Golden Phoenix of the book's original title, and other folk tales related in a wonderfully dry wit.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved these fairy tales as a kid. A teacher read these to my class one year, and I have been a fan ever since.

6/25/18 - Just read this book again. It has been several years. All I had remembered from it, was the gold coins on the palace floor, and how the thief stole them (The Sly Theif of Valenciennes). I think it used to be my favorite of all the tales. I still like it, but now my favorites are "Scurvyhead" and "Sir Goldenhair."

Not your typical fairy tales.

[Kate Stradling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot adequately express how much I adore this book. The tales have a familiar feel to them, but they're still off the beaten path. My favorites are "The Princess of Tomboso," "The Sly Thief of Valenciennes," and, of course, "Scurvyhead" & "Sir Goldenhair" together, but the book as a whole (and each story on its own, really) is a literary treasure.

[2bnallegory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a child and really launched a love of myth and fantasy as it introduced me to phoenix tales and golden apples. The book is filled with many smaller stories that have a feel of the One Thousand and One Arabian Nights.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a treasured yard sale find that I loved as an adolescent. The morals of the stories are twisted, which makes these stories completely unique.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a child.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorites. It somehow made it into my library as a pre-teen and it's colorful moral lessons left a big impression. I love it!