The Complete Fairy Tales

Gr. 4-6. In his introduction, Philip gives Perrault his due as a folklorist who told the tales without "literary embroidery" and as a writer whose retellings are characterized by acerbic wit rather than by sentimentality. This volume includes all 11 tales attributed to Perrault, including his dramatic "Little Red Riding Hood," without a huntsman coming to the rescue, "Sleeping Beauty," in which the princess doesn't live happily ever after until she has endured bitter trials, and the bloody tale of "Bluebeard," as well as lighter stories such as "The Fairies," in which a good girl is blessed with jewels falling from her mouth while her bad sister is cursed with toads springing from hers. The illustrations, line drawings with watercolor washes in delicate hues, are well crafted and, in the best sense, pretty. Though they're a bit misleading, since the writing presents the tales "unprettified," the pictures should attract readers. The volume ends with a biography of Perrault, notes on the translation, and a page or two discussing the origin and history of each tale.