This concise version of Folk and Fairy Tales is designed to provide a more compact and versatile collection for teaching children’s literature. Like the complete edition, it includes comparative versions of classic tales (Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and a selection of coming-of-age tales) from different cultures and time periods, substantial introductory material, color illustrations, and a selection of critical articles. The second edition features an expanded section of color illustrations, more criticism, and a new section on “Brain over Brawn.”

Martin Hallett's profile page

Barbara Karasek's profile page

Martin Hallett has retired from teaching and lives in Grand Pré, Nova Scotia. Barbara Karasek has retired from teaching and lives in Montreal. Together they have published articles and presented seminars on fairy tales and have been co-organizers of the Montreal Children’s Literature Conference.

“I love that this new edition now follows the full version by including contemporary tales in all of the sections, and I appreciate the addition of the trickster section. The contemporary tales chosen are by some of the most significant writers of literary tales: Gabriel García Márquez, Emma Donoghue, and Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (these join one of the fathers of the literary fairy tale, Hans Christian Andersen, whose ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ is also new to this edition). Finally, I find the three new pieces in the Criticism section, by Bruno Bettelheim, Donald Haase, and Marina Warner, to be excellent choices; in these pieces, Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek have encompassed the trajectory along which I teach fairy tales in my courses.” — Elizabeth Robinson, Texas A&M University

“A well-organized concise edition that should be very useful in introductory classrooms where the full edition might prove overwhelming to students. The tales are grouped clearly and include a nice mixture of familiar and lesser-known versions. The preface also gives an admirably clear statement of the volume’s focus and intended audience.” — Jennifer Geer, University of Louisiana