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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 20 2010 at 9:27am | IP Logged
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I keep finding these recommended on so many different lists, with all sorts of colors. Is there any rhyme or reason to the different collections and colors? Age appropriate or genre?
Do you use these at home, or have you found some other books to fill this suggested item?
I see Wikipedia has the stories nicely laid out by book.
Just trying to see more rhyme and reason, and if people actually like them!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Aug 20 2010 at 9:39am | IP Logged
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I am curious, too. I keep checking these out from the library and returning them unread... maybe because I don't like the illustrations in the ones I can get? I'm not a huge fairy tale fan to start...
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CrunchyMom
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I'm not sure what significance the colors have.
I've gotten them from the library and enjoy them.
For that style of story, I actually enjoy Howard Pyle's Wonder Clock and Salt and Pepper stories better, but there is a lot more of Lang.
To me, they are also comparable to a good translation of Hans Christian Andersen.
To me, the appeal is the variety. There are lots of different fairy stories outside of the "standards" (Grimm's etc...) but with the same themes and beautiful language. We don't own many, but its the sort of thing I would grab at a library sale or used book store.
I have a very nice copy of the Orange Fairy book (which is just selections from the Orange book) illustrated by Gertrude Espsenscheid, and when I just now pulled it out to get the illustrator's name, ds6 just said "Oh, that's my favorite." So, I guess its time to pull it out again, lol. Anyway, it is full color and charming.
To me, these are the sorts of stories we enjoy in spurts.
I'm pretty sure that the books are all on The Baldwin Project and available on librivox as well.
ETA Here is the illustrated version we have
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Lindsay
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 20 2010 at 12:28pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| I have a very nice copy of the Orange Fairy book (which is just selections from the Orange book) illustrated by Gertrude Espsenscheid, and when I just now pulled it out to get the illustrator's name, ds6 just said "Oh, that's my favorite." So, I guess its time to pull it out again, lol. Anyway, it is full color and charming. |
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I just found one yesterday, Lindsay, and that is what stimulated this post. I just havne't been attracted to the Dover editions over the years, and this one was so inviting.
But that isn't to say that I wasn't introduced to a heavy dose of fairy tales and legends and myths. But I think many of them came from my Anthology of Children's Literature, written by various writers. To me, they weren't as dry. There weren't a lot of illustartions either.
So I'm just trying again to see what has put me off with Andrew Lang's and wondering if it's just me.
Hans Christian Andersen, love him, but he's so bittersweet. My boys opt to not hear his stories.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Aug 20 2010 at 12:48pm | IP Logged
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That's why I really like Howard Pyle. He's very tongue in cheek and makes me laugh with his flippant asides. To me, its more "fun" than Lang even though the stories are often similar.
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Lindsay
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My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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ekbell
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I loved these books as a child, and still enjoy them.
The main benefit was and is the variety. Lots of chances to compare and contrast different stories with the same basic plot or start making lists of all the basic plots.
[I was thrilled when I discovered that I wasn't the only one to keep track of fairy(folk) tale plots.]
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Sanveann
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Ekbell, have you ever heard of the Aarne-Thompson classification system for folk tales? I only recently learned of it, and think it's just fascinating! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarne-Thompson_classification_s ystem
(Incidentally, I remember reading the Red Fairy Book as a child and just adored it!)
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ekbell
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Sanveann wrote:
Ekbell, have you ever heard of the Aarne-Thompson classification system for folk tales? I only recently learned of it, and think it's just fascinating! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarne-Thompson_classification_s ystem
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Yes! Lots of fun.
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Sarah
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I have all of these. We never read them anymore. Although, I find that some of the stories do have some values, I also found that some did not have any worth at all. In fact, the bad guy won from very sinful pursuits. It was not at all a case of good vs evil with the good guy winning. Furthermore, many are very dark, grim, scary, weird, etc. I did not really have the time to read through all of the stories first before reading them aloud but that would probably be what a mother should do. There are also disturbing pictures for young children. So, I would definitely try to get a peek into these before you bought them. They are not for everyone despite what others recommend. I have learned one great thing in homeschooling and that is that every family is different. Even though famous, credible people recommend something, doesn't mean its good for your kid. I am at such peace now that I can say, "wow, we loved this or that but he really hated the other." Know what I mean? When my son was about 7 I bought all these Lang books blindly just because they were recommended by a famous person and a Classical curriculum. I wished I had read them first.
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 07 2010 at 8:44am | IP Logged
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Sarah, thank you for that. I remember Maryan talking about putting away the books for similar reasons.
I did check them out from my library to preview. I have learned my lesson also I can field opinions and advice but ultimately it's my responsibility as the parent to preview and make my own evaluation and decision. And it might differ from people I hold highly.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Andrew Lang's Fairy Books
