This is THE book I get for friends who are expecting a child.
There are 71 stories in this book. That includes excerpts from, deep breath, THE WIZARD OF OZ, WINNIE-THE-POOH, MARY POPPINS, THE HOBBIT, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and more than I could possibly name. The excrepts are well-chosen and work as stand-alone stories that will have children wanting to read more, and most contain either the original illustrations or new ones by some of the best in the business.
There are also some excellent rarities, including a children's story by Ray Bradbury ("Switch on the Night"), an excerpt from the original version of PETER PAN, C.S. Forester's POO POO AND THE DRAGONS, and many originals of famous fairy tales.
Simply put: If you want a child to love books, get them this. It is out of print, but used copies are astoundingly cheap. A treasure for the ages.
I was so out of touch that I took this book to school for show-and-tell in first grade because I loved it so much.
When I was very little I only read the same dozen or so stories over and over (mostly the fairy tales), but I dipped into it for years, still discovering new favorites when I was a teenager. (I almost took it to college with me, but ran out of space in the book box.) There's a great mix of fairy tales, fables, and chapters from classic books. Many of the illustrations are gorgeous--there's a huge variety of styles represented.
Really, I can't recommend this enough if you have kids--especially kids like me who loved to read but usually had short attention spans. This is the real stuff.
How the Whale Got His Throat by Rudyard Kipling, Illustrated by Nicholas Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, Illustrated by Lilian Obligado Poo-Poo Finds a Dragon from Poo-Poo and the Dragons by C.S. Forester, Illustrated by Robert J. Lee
Horatio Enjoys His Punishment Laughing Gas from Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, Illustrated by Mary Shepard Molly Cottontail. by Erskine Caldwell, Illustrated by Gloria Kames In Which Eeyore Has a Birthday and Gets Two Presents from Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, Illustrated by E.H. Shepard Cinderella by Charles Perrault - adapted by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Gordon Latte The Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault - adpated by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Adrienne Segur Drakestail by Andrew Lang, Illustrated by Richard Scarry (Illustrator) Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault - adapted by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by J.P. Miller Blue Beard by Charles Perrault - adapted by Louis Untermeyer, illustrated by Kanako Tanabe Hop O'-My-Thumb by Charles Perrault - adapted by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Mae Gerhard Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs by Jacob and William Grimm, Illustrated by William Sharp Rumplestiltskin by Jacob and William Grimm, Illustrated by William Sharp Hansel and Gretel by Jacob and William Grimm, Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin Tom Thumb by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by William Dugan Snow-White and Rose-Red> by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by Gordon Laite Rapunzel by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by Gordon Laite The Fisherman and his Wife by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by W.T Mars Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen, Illustrated by Adrienne Segur The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, Illustrated by Lilian Obligado The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, Illustrated by Grace Dalles Clarke The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story from Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris, Illustrated by A.B. Frost How Brer Rabbit Was Too Sharp for Brer Fox Brer Rabbit Grossly Deceives Brer Fox A Stick of Wood That Talked from The Adventures of Pinocchio: A Robert Ingpen Illustrated Classic by Carlo Collodi, Illustrated by Gordon Laite Switch on the Night by Ray Bradbury, Illustrated by Hilary Knight The Amiable Giant by Louis Slobodkin, Illustrated by Grace Dalles Clarke Dorothy Meets the Wizard from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by. L. Frank Baum, Illustrated by W.W. Denslow Doctor Dolittle Learns Animal Language from The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting The Kitten Who Barked by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Lilian Obligado Raoul the Owl by Jay Williams, Illustrated by Lilian Obligado Ting-a-Ling and the Five Magicians from Ting-A-Ling Tales by Frank R. Stockton, Illustrated by Jean Winslow Bambi Finds the Meadow from Bambi by Felix Salten, Illustrated by Charles Harper The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin, Illustrated by Mae Gerhard The Magic Fishbone by Charles Dickens, Illustrated by W.T. Mars The Story of the Enchanted Horse from The Arabian Nights, Illustrated by Robert J. Lee Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Illustrated by Gordon Laite Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp edited by Andrew Lang, Illustrated by Lowell Hess Favorite Fables of Aesop retold by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by A. and M. Provensen The Race Between the Hare and the Hedgehog by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by Jean Winslow Peter Pan from The Little White Bird, or Adventures in Kensington Gardens by J.M. Barrie, Illustrated by Jean Winslow The River Bank from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Illustrated by E.H. Shepard The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, Illustrated by Denver Gillen Count Beet retold by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Robert J. Lee An Unexpected Party from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Illustrated by Robert J. Lee Hungry Hans from The Fat of the Cat and Other Stories by Gottfried Keller, adapted by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Jean Winslow The Wart Meets a Giant from The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White, Illustrated by Mircea Vasiliu Tweedledum and Tweedledee from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Sir John Tenniel The Boy Who Kept His Finger in the Dike retold by Michael Lewis, Illustrated by Peter Spier The Boy Who Drew Cats by Lafcadio Hearn, Illustrated by Gordon Laite The Leaping Match by Hans Christian Andersen, Illustrated by Gordon Laite Old Sultan by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, Illustrated by Gordon Laite The Language of Beasts edited by Andrew Lang, Illustrated by Gordon Laite Androcles and the Lion retold by Louis Untermeyer, Illustrated by Harlow Rockwell
FINALLY! I have been looking and looking for this book for years. I couldn't remember the name, only the illustrations and how much I enjoyed reading it as a kid. I can't wait to get a copy so I can read it again.
Fabulous book! A childhood favorite, this book has amazing stories--classics in their original form and more modern tales as well. Aesop's Fables. Saturated with incredible, gorgeous, full-page illustrations from famous artists. I still have my childhood copy and this book was one of the first I bought for my daughter when she was born!
This is a book I used to read when I was a kid. My mom found it in their recent move and I took it home with me. It's a great collection of stories, some of which I remember from the Little Golden books and others I've only ever read in this treasury. A great childhood memento and a great collection of stories.
Man, oh man does this bring back memories! My mother bought this book for my older brother back in the eighties, but I was the one who took full advantage of it, reading and re-reading all the wonderful stories inside. I'd definitely recommend this to kids today. The title says it all!