Joanna Gilar

This book contains 49 tales, from 23 different countries or people, from 29 different authors, spanning form the sixteenth century all the way to the twentieth century. Since it would take forever to go into all these tales I'm just going to chose my favorites. Though, I love everything about this book. It has the stories sorted by century, the authors names. It also tells you where the author was from. There is a small note after each story, to better understand the author or the story itself. Plus, it has some beautiful illustrations. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful books I will ever own.

Alright on to the stories: (It was very hard to choose just FYI)

1. Constantino Fortunato by Giovanni Francesco Straparola
This is the first version of what most people call Puss and Boots. In which three poor brothers mother dies and leaves them each one thing, the elder two get useful tools. The youngest (Constantino) gets his mothers cat. The elder two refuse to help their brother, and the cat, who is really a fairy in disguise, goes out to seek his young masters fortune. By doing as the cat tells him Constantino later becomes a king. I liked this tale because I have already read Puss and Boots, and it was cool to compare the two. In Puss and Boots the brother that inherits the cat considers eating the cat, but the cat over hearing this decides to help his master. Also, there is no mention of the cat being a fairy.

2. Fair Goldilocks by Mme D'Aulnoy
This story is not a version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is about a fair maiden (Goldilocks) who refuses all her suiters. She is a princess with a beautiful palace, who is so rich "There were diamonds lying in heaps as if they had been just stones." So, of course, a king from a neiboring land wishes to marry her. One thing leads to another and the king lets his friend, Avenant, try to get Goldilocks hand for him. Avenant goes and Goldilocks likes him so much she gives him three impossible tasks to complete, thinking they will kill him. For she still doesn't want to marry the king. Though his kindness to others Avenant completes all three tasks. By this time Goldilocks has fallen in love with Avenant, but true to her word she returns with him and marries his king. Later on the king becomes jealous of Avenant and accidentally kills himself. Then Goldilocks marries Avenant. (Obviously I'm leaving out a lot of the story here, but I just wanted you to know enough not to be lost by my review.)
I liked it because I hadn't heard it before; and I really liked Goldilocks. She had a large part in the tale. In a lot of the fairy tales like this one, that I've read, the beautiful princess just comes in at the end, to marry the "hero". I thought her tasks that she set were a smart way to avoid an unworthy suitor. I also admire that she kept her promise and married the king, even though she was in love with Avenant. Avenant is also one of my favorite heroes because everything he does is to help his friend. He is so loyal, he reminds me a little bit of my brother.

3. The Fairies by Charles Perrault
This story was mentioned above >36 ronincats: and >37 thearlybirdy:. So, I feel less of a need to rehash it. I mainly wanted to mention this tale because I like comparing it to the other version I read.
(Fun fact Charles Perrault wrote Puss in Boots)

4. Hansel and Gretel by The Brothers Grimm
I'm going to assume most of you know this story, even if you haven't read it. I did, and after I read it I was amazed. I didn't know what smart children Hansel and Gretel were. For instance I didn't know that the first time their parents try to leave them in the woods, Hansel suspects them and prepares by taking stones from their garden that glow at night. Thus, Hansel can lead Gretel and himself home again. Course the next time their mother locks them in their room, but it was a brilliant plan nonetheless.

5. The Firebird and Princess Vailissa by Alexander Afanasyew
I believe this is the best tale, so far, to accurately describe human idiocy. One man gets himself into so much trouble simply by picking up a feather, he was warned not to pick up. Course seeing no harm he does it anyway. Upon presenting the feather to his tsar, the tzar believes him capable of even greater feats. So he then must complete the tasks before him or be killed. I was laughing through most of this story because of this sad "hero". Honestly his horse does all the work.

6. Dinewan the Emu and Goomblegubbon the Bustard by Mrs. K. L. Parker
This is a different kind of fairy tale that I think would (or in my opinion is) a folktale. It explains why the Emu is a bird that cannot fly; and why the Bustard only ever lays two eggs. I actually had to look up what a emu was. According to the dictionary it is "a large flightless fast-running Australian bird resembling the ostrich, with shaggy gray or brown plumage, bare blue skin on the head and neck, and three-toed feet." I find the more tales I read like this the more fond I become of them. I choose this one because of it's trickery and intelligence. In this type of tale we are told the story of why something is the way it is. In this tale we are told that emu used to be able to fly, but was tricked into removing it's own wings. Thus, from that time on the emu could no longer fly. Something similar happens to the bustard.

7. The Touchstone by Robert Louis Stevenson
Alright my final pick. I picked this story because it doesn't have a happy ending. The story is about a two brothers, who fall in love with the same women. Her father says "for one thing I will give you my daughter, and that is the trial stone. For the light of that stone the seeming goes, and the being shows, and all things besides are worthless." It is a stone that shows the truth of things basically. So the younger beings him back a mirror which the maidens father accepts "there is no truth but the plain truth",and then the younger marries the girl. The older brother decided to go out into the world to search for the touchstone, and knows none of this. After years of searching he finally acquires the real touchstone and returns to claim his bride. Upon his arrival, he leans of what transpired. He looks at both his brother and the maiden through the touchstone and sees that his brother has no love and the girl is dead inside. He then leaves.
I liked how the touchstone of truth was found, and how the "real truth" was presented. The absents of a happy ending was different for this kind of tale. Usually the good are rewarded and the bad punished. However, in this story nobody really won.

Okay, now I feel slightly bad because of how long this post ended up becoming. I didn't know how else to review this kind of book. So, I'm sorry and congrats if you actually read it.
(Please feel free to comment if you think there is something you think I could do better I the future)… (meer)