The Illustrated Treasury of Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are a cultural legacy that has its origins in virtually every country and every society known to recorded human history. Many of these fabulous tales have exited for centuries in only an oral form and where passed down from one generation of storytellers to another before finally being written down -- beginning around the turn of the 18th century. The Illustrated Treasury Of Fairy Tales showcases ten of the world's best-loved fairly tales superbly enhanced with museum quality artwork which is as visually entertaining to the eye as the stories are engaging to the mind's imagination. Enhanced with the inclusion of a section devoted to "Historical & Biographical Notes", the fairy tales comprising this simply outstanding compendium include: Beauty & The Beast; Cinderella; Hansel & Gretel; The Three Languages; The Fisherman & His Wife; The Queen Bee; Bushy Bride; The Sleeping Beauty; The Enchanted Pig; and The Fir Tree.

The title of this book really tells its tale: "Illustrated" and "Treasury." I admire the "stretching outside the box" with illustrations outside the standard approach of these well loved (and a couple not so well known) fairy tales. For example, "Cinderella" is illustrated in a style reminiscent of the 1920's."The Three Princes" shows an urban setting which could be placed in any decade of the 20th century through today.I also loved the opening section which tells the history of Fairy Tales in general, which taught me another fun fact: Beauty and the Beast started out being a 362 page book!!This is a great book for people to read and discuss the fairy tales, especially with children of different ages and willingness to sit through the longer reads.