Are mermaids real? Well of course they are! Just ask the four very English children who, when on vacation by the sea, find out about one being held in a circus and, since 'they die in captivity' decide on a daring midnight rescue. Is she a real mermaid? Well, help read this book and find out. Oh, and they fight sea monsters, engage in underwater battle and lots of other exciting and magical stuff. They are all mostly brave and helpful. If you like magic and water and peril and heroism, and the writing of E. Nesbit, this is the book for you.

Jane Pentzer Myers's only book was dedicated to Kate Winifred: 'Just between the 'Land o' dreams' and broad daylight is a beautiful world, where good wishes come true: where the poor and lonely are rich in castles and friends: and where sorrowful folk are happy.' These twelve charming tales transport us to that wonderful land of dreams and delight and enchant children of all ages.

Set in the early 1900's, this is a delightful story of a tribe of Teddy Bears arrival in the department store and the adventures some of them have when they are brought into a family's home. - Summary by Linda Andrus

The Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. All stories we of course have heard many times. But these are retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in a unique way that keeps the flavor of the original French of Perrault but adds a delightful easy of reading and speaking them. - Summary by Phil chenevert.

Children's Short Works Collection 023: a collection of 16 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of members. - Summary by Ruth Golding

What better thing can I say about this book except that it is written by Evelyn Sharp the author who writes fairy stories with a flowing and beautiful style. These eight stories are different in that they are a bit longer than usual fairy stories, taking time to explore motivation, mood and plot; the characters seem to be real people not just two dimensional elements put there to round out the story. - Summary by Phil chenevert

Eric, artist for the king, has created a marvelous painting of a royal wedding. It is finished except for the face of the queen, which appeared to him in a dream. When he awoke, he had forgotten the form of the features. Obsessed with recapturing this vision, he goes on a quest to find the woman because he cannot paint another stroke until he sees those eyes again. During his journey, he discovers much more, perhaps even the true meaning of his dream and of his life. - Summary by Amy Gramour

Here are five of the most loved Fairy Tales retold in verse by the English humourist and writer, Tom Hood . The tales are; The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Cinderella and Hop o' my Thumb. Summary by Noel Badrian.

This is a volume of eleven beautiful and original little fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

Children's Short Works Collection 024: a collection of 15 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of members.

This is a collection of fairy tales, retold by Sabine Baring-Gould. The collection contains such well-known stories as Cinderella and the Beauty and the Beast, but also tales which are now not as widely known, such as the Yellow Dwarf and the White Cat. - Summary by Carolin

We all know that Santa Claus has a large family in which to help him in the delivery of presents, peace, and good cheer. So what would you do if you were Miss Santa Claus and met two children on Christmas Eve traveling to a strange town to be reunited with their father and new stepmother? Why, naturally you would tell them the story of Princess Ina and a powerful charm they could use to turn their feared stepmother into a real mother. Follow the children as they learn to pick starflowers of obedience and kindness to make a mantle of love and become a real family.

This is a collection of fairy tales by Rev. David Bearne. The stories take place in the "Bright Ages" as opposed to the more common epithet "dark ages", where heroes saved the world, saints performed miracles, and also anything else was possible. Most of those stories are based on half-forgotten legends and footnotes to the history of England, charmingly retold by Mr. Bearne. - Summary by Carolin

This book contains many of Shakespeare's most famous plays, retold for children. - Summary by kathrinee

In this volume, Ms. Cowles has collected her favourite fairy tales and retold them for children. All of the most famous authors are represented, such as Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. But instead of retelling all the standard tales, Ms. Cowles has chosen fairy tales that are not quite as famous, but contain an important message. - Summary by Carolin

Wild animals play a big role in many fairy tales, and foxes are some of the best-represented animals in folklore. In this volume, Clifton Johnson has collected stories about foxes from all over the world, adapted for children as bedtime fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

"Once upon a time a king had an extreme passion for silkworms..." So begins one story in this unusual collection. Here you may also find a farm girl cursed by becoming a queen, a prince blessed with having his every wish denied, a princess turned into a monkey at birth, three sisters who disguise themselves as knights to seek their fortunes, a princess cursed to bring death to her brothers, and a princess only able to marry the man who can step on her cat's tail!This collection of European fairy tales includes many lesser known stories such as the original "Goody Two Shoes" and "The Beneficent Frog"...

This is a 1910 edition of the Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen. This volume is nicely mixed, containing both the most famous tales as well as some which are not quite as well-known. The translation is adapted for American readership and in some ways brings a new facet to some of the stories. Listeners may want to have a look at the online text for its beautiful colour illustrations. - Summary by Carolin

This is a volume of fairy tales and folk tales from the Cossack people, compiled and translated by Robert Nisbet Bain. The tales are special as most children will not have heard them a hundred times before, and as they take listeners into a different region of the realm of the fairy tale. The Cossacks are a group of people living mostly in what is now Ukraine and Russia. The fairy and folk tales contained in this volume allow a glimpse into both the cultural traditions of the Cossack people, as well as into how this culture was perceived by others. - Summary by Carolin

Seven original fairy tales . . . "Now for the stories you promised us." "Well, how many shall there be?" "O, seven, one for each." And here are our seven stories; affectionately dedicated to any little curly heads that like to read them.

Folk Lore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Anderson have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

A retelling of the adventures of Ulysses, including his adventures both the Cyclops and Circe, as he journeys home to his home of Ithaca. The story then continues to include his quest to rejoin his wife and family of whom he has been separated from for twenty years. This is Homer's Odyssey for the younger set.

Bears make an appearance in so many fairy tales and fables, it is difficult to imagine a fairy-tale world without them. However, in most of those fairy tales, the bear is just a side-character. In this volume, Clifton Johnson has collected 18 stories in which the bear takes a lead role. - Summary by Carolin

Oscar Wilde said of his story The Happy Prince that it was "an attempt to treat a tragic modern problem in a form that aims at delicacy and imaginative treatment; it is a reaction against the purely imitative character of modern art.” His Fairy Tales then were only partly written for children and as he said, "partly for those who have kept the childlike faculties of wonder and joy, and who find in simplicity a subtle strangeness".In The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and the Rose, Wilde explores love and self sacrifice...

This is a collection of French fairy tales by different famous authors. Included in this collection are such famous tales as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, but also tales which are now not as well-known but closely connected and certainly of interest to anyone enjoying fairy tales of that description. The translation is well made by James Planché , a connoisseur of historical costume, which to this day plays a big role in fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

"Here are 150 nature myths and short stories from all parts of the World. They are the kind that children delight in -- tales of transformations of maidens into trees and fountains, of youths into flowers, and of men into birds. Blossoms, fragrance, and joy are the themes of many of these tales, while a few a tender, pathetic, or humorous." - Summary by Frances Jenkins Olcott

In this volume I present selections made from the Russian chap-book literature, and from the works of various Russian and Polish collectors of Folklore—Afanasief, Erben, Wojcicki, Glinski, etc. The chap-book tales, and many of those of Glinski, are, there is little doubt, of foreign origin, but since Russia and Poland are the countries in which these tales have found their home, and since they have there been so adapted by the people as to incorporate the national customs and lore, they appear to me to belong properly to the present volume. - Summary by Charles John Tibbets

A collection of fairy tales regarding myths and legends of the Isle of Man. Sophia was considered one of the key figures of the Manx cultural revival. - Summary by afutterer

The old English Folklore Tales are fast dying out. The simplicity of character necessary for the retaining of old memories and beliefs is being lost, more rapidly in England, perhaps, than in any other part of the world. Our folk are giving up the old myths for new ones. Before remorseless “progress,” and the struggle for existence, the poetry of life is being quickly blotted out. In editing this volume I have endeavoured to select some of the best specimens of our Folklore. With regard to the nursery tales, I have taken pains to give them as they are in the earliest editions I could find...

"He was brave and kind and merry always, and all the English people—except England's oppressors—loved him with all their hearts and delighted in his adventures. The story of what he did was put into songs and sung at every fireside; and no man was better loved than this outlaw with a price upon his head. Here are a few stories of Robin Hood and his men, and a great many more may be found which are well worth your reading." - Summary by preface

Here are some really amusing stories and fables told with delightful wit. Some poke fun at human foibles and some are there for the simple joy of silliness. all read for you by the amazing volunteers.- Summary by Phil chenevert

This is a wild mix of different children's stories by different authors. All lof the stories are original, and some of them use a well-known story and bring a novel and often humorous twist to it. Children of all ages and all different tastes should find something they particulalry like in this collection. - Summary by Carolin