The Kingfisher Book of Fairy Tales

French gives and illuminating rationale for her choice of seven traditional fairy tales ('Jack and the Beanstalk', 'Hansel and Gretel', 'The Fisherman and His Wife', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'The Elves and the Shoemaker', 'Rumpelstiltskin' and 'Cinderella') to retell in this large, sumptuous book. Her retellings are direct, dramatic, sometimes disturbing and wonderful to read aloud; indeed it is impossible when reading them not to put on a performance. Malone is not afraid to portray the dark and scary side of the tales in his bewitching collection of double, full, half and quarter page paintings and the oval and jigsaw shaped vignettes that adorn the book. His masterful and painterly style is at once arresting, challenging and haunting. The quality of both text and illustrations make this a book which transcends age barriers: the youngest listeners will relish the opportunity to visit the magical worlds created primarily through French's retellings, older readers can begin to explore the visual landscapes finding they will be drawn to them again and again; there are lessons aplenty for art and theatre students too.