Rating: 
Summary: Positively Wonderful
Review: This is a great book! Wonderful pictures! Great for all adges!!
Rating: 
Summary: The art alone makes it a "must-buy"
Review: This is one of the most beautiful books ever printed and a wonderful introduction to the archive of great Victorian and Edwardian illustrated versions of the classic fairy tales. I was a little disappointed with the text, however. Tatar's introduction and annotations are insightful enough, if a little sparing, but her translations of the twenty-six fairy tales represented in this volume are surprisingly flat in comparison with the 300 illustrations, many of which are reprinted in full color. It's a pity Tatar didn't use translations from the same period. I know some of these are excessively bowdlerized, but others, such as Lucy Crane's versions from "Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm," are as engaging as the pictures they accompanied. Still, this book is a "must-buy" for anyone interested in fairy tales or the Golden Age of the illustrated picture book. The sumptuous reproductions of "Little Red Riding Hood" and the seven other fairly tale adaptations from the Walter Crane "Toy Book" series alone are worth the cover price.
Rating:
Summary: Fairy tales for the serious student
Review: This is probably not the edition of fairy tales you want to curl up with while reading to your three-year-old (primarily because of its measurable heft). This was the version I purchased after reading dozens of fairy tales to my sons and began wondering why these tales have been so enduring -- or, endearing -- over the centuries. Tatar's versions, along with her helpful introductions, helped me greatly understand why these stories have been handed down through the generations. She brings in not only the historical context of several French and German fairy tales, but remains as faithful to the "original" version as possible, given the fact that these were primarily oral stories being told. Of primary value within this volume for me were the numerous original-edition illustrations generously sprinkled throughout. These, as much as Tatar's well-written and researched narrative, helps the reader understand what portions of the fairy tales were emphasized over the years.
Rating:
Summary: Fairy tales for the serious student
Review: This is probably not the edition of fairy tales you want to curl up with while reading to your three-year-old (primarily because of its measurable heft). This was the version I purchased after reading dozens of fairy tales to my sons and began wondering why these tales have been so enduring -- or, endearing -- over the centuries. Tatar's versions, along with her helpful introductions, helped me greatly understand why these stories have been handed down through the generations. She brings in not only the historical context of several French and German fairy tales, but remains as faithful to the "original" version as possible, given the fact that these were primarily oral stories being told. Of primary value within this volume for me were the numerous original-edition illustrations generously sprinkled throughout. These, as much as Tatar's well-written and researched narrative, helps the reader understand what portions of the fairy tales were emphasized over the years.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Beautiful & Insightful!
Review: This wonderfully illustrated book has 26 classic fairy tales in it to keep both children and adults captivated from the beginning to the end, although it’s geared more towards adults readers due to the somewhat scholarly tone of the book. There’re well-known stories like “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Little Match Girl”, as well as lesser-known ones such as “Vasilisa the Fair” and “The Juniper Tree”. The format of the book and contents are in such a way that reading is made easy, plus the beautiful illustrations, more often than not, liven up the stories in the book.
The annotations themselves are insightful enough, and there is just so much to be learnt from the deeper meanings and morals of each fairy tale. I am glad Tatar did not just focused on the “good” side of the fairy tales, but also on the darker history and cultural effects of each story.
The book also comes with biographies of authors and illustrators, and the collection of illustrations in the appendix is a nice addition for readers. I wished there were more tales collected in this book though, but generally, this is a very entertaining and enriching book for those interested in learning more about fairy tales, or to share meaningful stories with young children.
Rating:
Summary: Child Magic
Review: We got this book as an impulse purchase from my Dad when we all [my daughter Emily, Dad and I] were waiting for the restaurant buzzer to go off at the Mall. Emily, age 9, could not wait til we got home, and was entranced by the glorious illustrations all through dinner. We've been sharing the stories in read aloud mode for the past four days--Emily likes to read to me a bit too-- and the old tales we all love like Red Riding Hood and Cinderella come to new life in Prof. Tatar's wonderful translations which seem perfectly suited for reading aloud. Emily has really taken the "moral" parts of these stories to heart, especially after 9/11, and she seems able to see in her own developing way how complex and challenging the world can be. This classic selection of tales has just been a wonderful resource. Somewhere in the introduction Prof. Tatar says these stories were orginally created to help children, and adults, 'navigate' the moral and ethical uncertainties of a changing time, and that is so true, especially if you share this book with a child. It is just a wonderfully created book with beautiful illustrations and stories, a book to treasure. I highly recommend this for all parents who want to share stories with their children.
Rating:
Summary: Rich, Imaginative, Fun
Review: What a delight it is to have such readable versions of these stories in a user-friendly format. The commentary is refreshingly free of Freudian jargon and sentimental cliches. Getting the historical background is, as I discovered, vital to understanding what is at the heart of these tales. I will never read Little Red Rood or Goldilocks and the Three Bears in the same way again after learning about how they have evolved from adult stories to childrens' tales. Shrewd and insightful, but also full of wit and imagination, Tatar takes us to a new level with her commentary--which is neither overly elusive nor condescending.
Rating:
Summary: Rich, Imaginative, Fun
Review: What a delight it is to have such readable versions of these stories in a user-friendly format. The commentary is refreshingly free of Freudian jargon and sentimental cliches. Getting the historical background is, as I discovered, vital to understanding what is at the heart of these tales. I will never read Little Red Rood or Goldilocks and the Three Bears in the same way again after learning about how they have evolved from adult stories to childrens' tales. Shrewd and insightful, but also full of wit and imagination, Tatar takes us to a new level with her commentary--which is neither overly elusive nor condescending.
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