The Hidden Folk: Stories of Fairies, Dwarves, Selkies, and Other Secret Beings

I was looking for a book for my soon to be 9 yr old son who is interested in dwarves, fairies, etc. This book fit the bill perfectly. It has many stories that he has found to be very interesting and entertaining. I would highly recommend this book.

If you've had enough of plasticized, mass marketed, "Disney'd" fairytales, get this book. Illustrations are cute, and whether legitimate classics or variations thereof (I don't know...), the stories are wonderful.

This book is so good that I wish I had enough space here to include most of it. Oh I wish I'd had this book when my daughter was tiny. (She's six feet tall now and engaged and won't let me read to her any more.) Let me just quote a few sentences: "Flower fairies love flowers so much that some of them find their way into our gardens. In fact, the more flowers you plant, the more likely it is that the fairies will find you. Their favorite is the tulip because in the spring, when their babies are born, they can lay them down inside the petals and rock them to sleep." And then there is how the fairies invented parsley. And the selkie, who ... No, you need to read it. Perhaps my daughter will bring some grandkids into the family. Then I'd have an excuse. No, I don't need an excuse, tonight I'm going to put on a Harry Potter movie, and when it's over I'm going to bed and read this little book just to myself.