Many people in England have little knowledge of genuine 'English' fairy tales. The stories that many of us grew up with are from overseas: for example "Snow White" is German, "Cinderella" is French and "Aladdin" is Arabian. But folk tales and legends are an intrinsic part of English national culture and the author has revived our best tales for a new generation of readers with 12 classic tales rewritten to engage readers.This terrific collection is a great introduction to the different types of traditional story and their place in English oral and written heritage. The 12 stories include tales of giants, dragons, fairies, beauty-and-the-beast, and Arthurian Romance. Each tale is linked with a specific place or county in England: for example, "The Dragon Castle" from Northumberland, "The Girl Snatched By Fairies" from County Durham, "The Princess and the Fool" from Kent and "The Dark Moon" from Lincolnshire.The second half of the book has notes on each story: where the history came from, its development and short summaries of many related or similar stories. It is a timely book on real English fairy tales, from tales of dragons to Robin Hood. It retells 12 classic tales to engage new readers. Each tale is linked to a specific place in England or county. It includes notes on the history, development of each tale and similar types of tales.

Author Biography

Rosalind Kerven has written over 50 books, many for children, with co-editions and translations in 17 countries. One of her great passions is world myths, legends and folk tales. She wrote King Arthur (Dorling Kindersley), Earth Magic, Sky Magic (Native American stories), The Giant King (Norse Myths) and Enchanted Kingdoms (Cetlic myths) for the British Museum. She lives in Morpeth, Northumberland.