Jack and the Beanstalk and The Three Wishes; Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty; Hansel and Gretel and The Princess and the Pea; Rapunzel and Rumpelstilt-skin

This series of four books each contains two traditional fairy stories. They were originally published in 1992 in one volume as The Orchard Book of Fairy Tales. The author retells these familiar tales, remaining largely true to the originals and yet bringing freshness and gentle humour to each story - Jack, of beanstalk fame, for example, manages to squander his first ill-gotten gains but 'isn't that always the way with money' observes Impey.

A witch and small strange man, respectively, strike up baby adoption deals in Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpelstiltskin is, unusually, written in the present tense with the exception of one rogue paragraph, which escaped the proof-reader's eye. Cinderella is fortunate to be invited to two balls in Impey's lively version.

Throughout the four books, Bailey's small and simple line illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the text. These titles are ideal for reading to younger children or to be read by confident young readers.