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The old nursery stories
"This book is a joy and would make a lovely gift for young readers." — Januarygray.net
Readers of all ages will find fresh enchantment in familiar fables with this charming storybook. Famed children's writer E. Nesbit, author of Five Children and It and Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers, offers captivating retellings of nine famous fairy tales.
This treasury of folklore begins with "Cinderella," "Beauty and the Beast," "Jack the Giant-Killer," and "Puss in Boots." Other timeless tales include "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Dick Whittington and His Cat," "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood," "The White Cat," and "Hop-o'-my-Thumb."
Readers of all ages will find fresh enchantment in familiar fables with this charming storybook. Famed children's writer E. Nesbit, author of Five Children and It and Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers, offers captivating retellings of nine famous fairy tales.
This treasury of folklore begins with "Cinderella," "Beauty and the Beast," "Jack the Giant-Killer," and "Puss in Boots." Other timeless tales include "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Dick Whittington and His Cat," "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood," "The White Cat," and "Hop-o'-my-Thumb."
- GenresFairy TalesShort Stories
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
5 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
E. Nesbit
1,045 books1,004 followers
Edith Nesbit
(married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.
Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.
At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.
Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).
In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.
Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.
At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.
Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).
In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 24, 2015
I love fairy tales and always have. Of course I like some better than others, and it's far from all that I love. When I saw this title on Netgalley, I just had to request it.
I knew the classic tales such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, but there were also some I didn't know like The White Cat and Hop-o'-my-Thumb. All of them were great reads and Nesbit has a fantastic ability to tell these old stories. I enjoyed reading a tale here and there and relive childhoods magical universe. If you like fairy tales then you should definitely check this one out. It's short and has a really nice cover.
My favorite fairy tale was Puss in Boots. What is yours?
I knew the classic tales such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, but there were also some I didn't know like The White Cat and Hop-o'-my-Thumb. All of them were great reads and Nesbit has a fantastic ability to tell these old stories. I enjoyed reading a tale here and there and relive childhoods magical universe. If you like fairy tales then you should definitely check this one out. It's short and has a really nice cover.
My favorite fairy tale was Puss in Boots. What is yours?
April 23, 2015
A newly-reset collection of traditional fairy tales by E. Nesbit: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Jack the Giant-Killer, Puss in Boots, Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington and his Cat, The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, The White Cat and Hop-O'-my-Thumb.
Originally published under a different title, these nine stories are faithful to the heart of the traditional tales without being Grimm. Truth and kindness are encouraged, while bravery and pure chance also play their part. There's a satisfactory end to each, balanced reward and justice, and the familiar touch of an actual narrator.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Originally published under a different title, these nine stories are faithful to the heart of the traditional tales without being Grimm. Truth and kindness are encouraged, while bravery and pure chance also play their part. There's a satisfactory end to each, balanced reward and justice, and the familiar touch of an actual narrator.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 28, 2023
These are really cheeky retellings and that adds a certain charm to them.
February 23, 2015
Fairy Tales for Young Readers
Author: E. Nesbit
Publisher: Dover Publications (Jan. 14, 2015)
Review copy courtesy of NetGalley
When I was young, I remember reading and listening to a few of the wonderful children's books by English author, E. Nesbit, so I was intrigued to see that a book was being republished of her classic fairy tales interpretations. I expected to enjoy them, but I had forgotten what an influence she had been on writers such as P. L. Travers (Marry Poppins), C.S. Lewis (Narnia books) and J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter books), all of whom echo at times her wry, clever humor. I recommend that parents read these aloud to their children, as there is as much for adults to enjoy as for the children, and both will delight and laugh in the imagery and wit.
As I read through the stories, I kept stopping and reading passages to my wife, so I thought I'd share a couple that I shared with her.
From the middle of Cinderella:
From the beginning of Jack the Giant-Killer:
While a few words may seem unfamiliar or antiquated, by and large the stories are timeless and charming. I strongly recommend these to both adults and children. They will remind you that children's literature can be so much richer than Captain Underpants without being boring or irrelevant to modern children.
Five out of five stars!
Originally reviewed for My Comfy Chair blog at original review.
Author: E. Nesbit
Publisher: Dover Publications (Jan. 14, 2015)
Review copy courtesy of NetGalley
When I was young, I remember reading and listening to a few of the wonderful children's books by English author, E. Nesbit, so I was intrigued to see that a book was being republished of her classic fairy tales interpretations. I expected to enjoy them, but I had forgotten what an influence she had been on writers such as P. L. Travers (Marry Poppins), C.S. Lewis (Narnia books) and J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter books), all of whom echo at times her wry, clever humor. I recommend that parents read these aloud to their children, as there is as much for adults to enjoy as for the children, and both will delight and laugh in the imagery and wit.
As I read through the stories, I kept stopping and reading passages to my wife, so I thought I'd share a couple that I shared with her.
From the middle of Cinderella:
For in those days shoes were not sold ready-made in shops, but were made specially to fit the people who were to wear them. And besides, the glass slipper was magic, and so had too much sense to have fitted any one but its owner, even if the country had been full of shops selling Rats' Ready-made Really Reliable Boots.
From the beginning of Jack the Giant-Killer:
In the long-ago days of King Arthur, who invented round tables, there was a sort of plague of giants in the West Country-just as nowadays there are plagues of wasps, and mosquitos, and millionaires, and the giants threatened to spread, like other plagues, till they had eaten up all the nice, proper-sized people in England.
While a few words may seem unfamiliar or antiquated, by and large the stories are timeless and charming. I strongly recommend these to both adults and children. They will remind you that children's literature can be so much richer than Captain Underpants without being boring or irrelevant to modern children.
Five out of five stars!
Originally reviewed for My Comfy Chair blog at original review.
July 23, 2015
I love fairy tales since I was a child, when in the evening I huddled under blankets and someone opened the big book (yes, I had one of those in hardcover which collected many stories) and he read one, any one. Find myself, after many years, such a book in his hands - even in digital format - took me back in time. The Edith Nesbiy's style is able to capture large and small, giving the ticket to fantastic worlds filled with extraordinary characters and magic. Among the various accounts, there were some who did not know and have proved wonderful surprises. A reading dedicated to all who love fairy tales and for those who want to fantasize with the eyes of a child.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews