A World of Fairy Tales - Hardcover

Lang, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803712502 ISBN 13: 9780803712508

Publisher: Dial, 1994

Synopsis

A collection of fairy tales from the folk literature of such countries as Romania, Japan, Scotland, Spain, and Zimbabwe

About this title

Reviews

Grade 4 Up-Culled from Lang's 12 "color" fairy tale books, this remarkable collection features the full-color paintings and line drawings from the originals and covers a wide geographic range. An introduction provides background on Lang and the 24 tales, as well as good source notes for each one. The language is poetic and may prove challenging to some readers, but it does offer a rich source of vivid imagery. Ford's illustrations demonstrate the Pre-Raphaelite influence on his work and are so consistent with the tales that text and art form an integrated whole. The Rainbow Fairy Book (Morrow, 1993), illustrated by Michael Hague, is a comparable anthology. While it has more stories (31), they are more familiar ones, including "Hansel and Gretel," "Rapunzel," and "Cinderella." Only two are duplicated. Hague's volume has a similar introduction and a bibliography that gives early sources but does not indicate which book each story comes from. Librarians would be justified in purchasing both.
Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4-7, younger for reading aloud. This collection of 24 great fairy tales from 16 different countries--Iceland to Zimbabwe, Turkey to Japan--has been selected by folklorist Philip from Lang's Colored Fairy Books. Unlike other Lang collections, such as the Rainbow Fairy Book (1993), newly illustrated by Michael Hague, this volume contains the original lush romantic paintings and line drawings by Henry Justice Ford. And, unlike Hague, Philip deliberately excludes the well-known stories, such as "Cinderella" and "Rumpelstiltskin," choosing instead a rich collection of world stories that will be new to many readers. They're amazing stories, beautifully told, drawing the reader in as they've always done from the first sentence. The book is handsomely designed for reading alone or for sharing in classroom, library, and home, with thick paper and clear type. In brief notes at the back, Philip gives a few facts about sources and points out some common tale types and motifs. These tales endure not because of role models or messages but because they're great stories. The universals of heroes and monsters and perilous journeys are presented in all their wonderful particularity and variety. As Philip points out in his brief introduction, "Once upon a time" is now. Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803712502
• ISBN 13: 9780803712508
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Philip Neil