Publisher's Synopsis
In the late 19th century, historian, scholar, and anthropologist, Andrew Lang, began publishing collections of fairy tales from around the world. Lang wrote a number of books of fairy tales and differentiated each from the other by color; for example, this one is green, another is pink, another is blue, and others yellow, grey, brown, and lilac. The book contains several dozen tales. They are generally fitting for young children, with one exception. The Danish story The Princess and the Chest should not be read to a nervous child, Lang suggests, because "it rather borders on a ghost story." There are also stories from Sweden, Japan, Sicily, Africa, Germany, and France. Lang makes sure that in his tales the good people always win out at the end and the bad suffer. He urges his readers to be kind, for kindness always brings good in fairy tales. Frequently, everything seems to be going wrong, the hero seems to be about to lose what he or she wants so much, a princess or money. But then the hero encounters an old man or an old woman, usually appearing very poor. The person asks for help, such as food or lodging. The hero gives it and is rewarded with something magic that resolves all of the hero's problems.
