Racism to feed into dear little ears.Indigenous tales DELIBERATELY altered to make them more palatable to the white readers.

This one fares farther than the earlier ones, with a lot more from North America, Iceland, Egypt, etc. and fewer from Europe -- not that that doesn't demonstrate how the forms of stories can last. "The Sister of the Sun" and "The King Who Would Be Stronger than Fate" in particular are charming versions with local color of familiar tales. (Well, familiar if you read more than the Top Twenty(ish) Tales). I really don't like the first one "What The Rose Did to the Cypress," and some are more like n...

It was not as boring as some other were but it wasn't that good.

While I do like this book, this is probably my least-favorite of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. Not too many of the stories were interesting, compared to the others which have lots of stories that captured my attention. There are some good ones, though.My favorite stories:- The Story of the Yara (the best one in the collection IMO)- The Cunning Hare- The Turtle and His Bride- Habogi- The Sacred Milk of Koumongoe- Rubezahl (nice to see a German story from a source other than the Grimms!)- Story of th...

I adore fairy tales, and I could go on for hours about them, so I will attempt to be brief.I definitely liked this book, perhaps better than some of Lang's other Fairy books. This is probably due to the fact that in almost every single one of them, there was someone who actually had brains!!!!! It was an exciting discovery, and if you've read many fairy tales in their original forms, you know what I mean. The girls especially seem to need help, but occasionally, (and this is especially true once...

I liked this book! It had quite a few different fairy tales from areas relatively unheard-of in fairy tales.The ones I liked:- The Bunyip- The Story of the Yara- The Turtle and his Bride- How Geitald the Coward Was Punished- Habogi- The Husband of the Rat's Daughter- The Enchanted Head- The Prince and the Three Fates- Stronger Than Fate- The Story of Wali Dad the Simple-Hearted (Absolutely awesome)- The Knights of Fish

This was yet another solid collection in the Rainbow Fairy Series, with diverse stories from around the world. The illustrations were still excellent (and still not culturally accurate) and there remained no female heroines. Some of the language in several stories was also culturally & racially insensitive so be forewarned if reading to children. There were, however, plenty of stereotypically vile ogres, wicked witches, magic boots, and happily-ever-afters and, in the end, that’s what we’re all

I do not think I could ever get tired of read the Fairy Books by Andrew Lang.

I am struck, as I often am when reading fairy tales that are collected from all over the world at the similarities in the stories. These stories seem to be a part of what it means to be human.On to The Orange Fairy Book!

Favorites:Father GrumblerHabogiHusband of the Rat's DaughterMermaid and the BoyEnchanted HeadWhich was the Foolishest?Asmund and SignyRubezahlWali Dad

2.5 stars I can always find something to love in Lang's Fairy Books, and this one is no exception. I would never say that The Brown Fairy Book is bad or not worth reading, because even though it has the fewest stories that I would re-read out of the series so far, there were still some good ones and the reason I didn't love a lot of them is that they were so similar to ones I had read already. But the only one I recall outright hating was "What the Rose Did to the Cypress" because it was so draw...

As beautiful as this book is, with lovely illustrations, the stories simply fell flat. I struggled with most of it,only enjoying about 4 of the tales. If I'd had it read to me as a child,I likely would've loved it,but as an adult,I really only enjoy romantic fairytales and this particular volume had only a couple, surprisingly. There are lots of animal fables,silly stories and tales of youths on quests which somehow leave out any romance you'd expect. To say a book of fairytales was boring makes...

My mother had a whole shelf of the (color) fairy books. I remember there was a violet one, and a blue one...This one goes the furthest afield, dealing with folktales from many different peoples, and it was the one that impressed me the most. I particularly like the story of the bunyip.Those who are sensitive to such things (probably most of us, by now) will find the Preface offensive and patronizing. I very much doubt whether Aboriginal children, for example, would prefer to take their chances w...

It's difficult for me to rate this particular Fairy Book, as it's such a mixed bag. I really didn't like any of the stories about animals being dicks to each other (if any were allegorical, I'm afraid I completely missed the point!). There were several perfectly fine but forgettable stories, and the collection opener - 'What the Rose did to the Cypress' - started well, and even continued quite well, but then dragged on for far too long (it was interesting, though, to see so many clear influences...

Another one down.It was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Some of the stories I enjoyed, others not so much, and a few I ended up skimming just to get them over with. Still the same themes of brave knights, deserving peasants, damsels in distress, evil witches, deceitful kings and the like. But not a lot of stand out stories. Although I did like the one about the humble old man who ended up playing matchmaker, because he was trying to do a good deed. I think that one was Indian based but I'm not for

A lot of old, interesting fairy tales and fables. They feature things that most modern fairy tales avoid - kidnapping, forced marriages, theft, princes as thieves, blatant misogyny, and general darkness. These are moralistic tales. They are dark, with a purpose of teaching children to stay within boundaries - obedience to parents, social norms and mores, parental responsibilities, etc. Very different from Disney and pretty, light-hearted fairy tales. I like them though.

I remember this book series and its beautiful illustrations from long, loooong ago in my elementary school library. What I did not remember was the very offensive racism in the writing. How is this still being published??

Another terrific collection of folk and fairy tales from around the world, this one included many i had never read before and thoroughly enjoyed.

Love Andrew Lang's rewrites of collected tales.

It's impressive how uniform these stories feel given that they originate in different parts of the world and have been translated by different people before being put together for the collection. Though the subject matter and characters vary a lot, the tales somehow feel like pieces of a whole. As for the stories themselves, like all fairy tales they're fascinating and strange, with recognisable motifs repeated and adapted in all kinds of different ways. The illustrations for this edition are lo...