Classic Fairy Tales – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Original fairy stories, collection, illustrated.
Children’s book title: Classic Fairy Tales.
Children’s author: Hans Christian Andersen & The Brothers Grimm.
Children’s illustrator: A. Duncan Carse, Charles Folkard & David Wardle.
Genre: Children’s Fiction, fairy tales.
Published by: Bloomsbury Education.
ISBN: 9781801997751.
Recommended for children aged: all ages.
First published: Hardback, October 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: comparing the original versions of fairy tales and how they have been adapted for their movie counterparts.
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Our review:
Most children are aware of fairy stories and the morals of these stories, which are similar to those from different cultural backgrounds. All the stories here originated in Western culture and were written by authors such as Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.
These stories are not the Disney versions, but anyone familiar with the movies will be able to recognise the changes and come to their own decisions as to which version they prefer.
Our verdict:
This is a beautiful book; the artwork shows a far more authentic version of the authors’ vision for their work, both in full-colour plates and line drawings. Although designed more for reading at home than in an educational setting, there is still plenty of scope for discussion and related classroom activities.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Fairy tales are some of the first stories told to children, but they have changed over the decades since they were written. Which of the stories in this book have you seen as a movie? Which do you prefer, the original or the modern versions?
- Most cultures have their own equivalent to fairy tales. What information can you discover about popular stories from a culture different to your own?
- The artwork in this book is quite old-fashioned and nothing like the updated movie versions. Why do you think the filmmakers did not use similar characterisation to the original stories?
- This book does not have a suggested age range for readers. Why do you think that is? What age range would you give this book to?
- Were there any stories in this book you had not heard of?
- Do you think these stories stand the test of time? If you were going to write a fairy story, what subject would you choose?
- One of the things companies like Disney do is add cute animals to the stories. What creatures would you have in your fairy tale?
Many thanks to Bloomsbury Education for the review copy.
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