The best compendium of fairy stories IMHO is...

[toolly]

Please give some recommendations. I would like all the usual suspects, Red Riding hood, Rumpestiltskin et al. My ultimate book would be a massive book of the ladybird book of classic tales of circa late 70s and 60s but that doesn't exist. Looking for well told tales and evocative pictures.

DD (4)and I are fairy tale mad so I'll tell you what we've got.

The one I like the best is the Usborne Illustrated Fairy Tales it's a lovely thick book with a ribbon book mark(very fairy tale like). All the stories have different illustrations which I quite like.

Another real favourite is Fairy Tales and Fables by Gyo Fujikawa. I had this book as child,loved it mum found it for dd but it was in pieces. The very next week I was in Waterstones and found it had been re-printed and was in stock!!!!!!!

We also have DK A first Book of Fairy Tales which has lovely illustrations.

None of those have Hansel & Gretal and I'm having probs tracking down a nice version. DD has the Lauren Child Goldilocks which is lovely.

I've paid a small fortune for some of the Ladybird 606D ones on e-bay. I'm not telling what I paid for Cinderella (the one which had 4 dresses)but the joy I get from sharing it again with dd is priceless. Re-reading them is like re-visiting old friends.

I know, I cannot justify bidding for Cinderella on ebay even though I think my children will love it. I have already spent 10 quid on Ladybird nursery rhymes.
I have a very very very bad book habit and should take advantage of the library but I just love books

We have The Macmillan Treasury of Nursery Stories.

It contains:
The Three Little Pigs
Musicians of Bremen
Ugly Duckling
Little Red Riding Hood
The Country Mouse and the City Mouse
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids
Beauty and the Beast
Cinderella
The Little Mermaid
The Six Swans
The Frog Prince
The Three Sillies
The GIngerbread Man
The Magic Porridge Pot
Sip and her Sisters
The Princess and the Pea
The Three Wishes
East o the sun and West o the Moon
Kate Crackernuts
Dick Whittington
Hansel and Gretel
Rapunzel
Thumbelina
The Emperor's New Clothes
GHare and the Tortoise
Little Red Hen
The Sunand the Wind
The Pigman and the Princess
Belling the Cat
The Fisherman and his Wife
The Table the Donkey and the Sack
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White
Three Heads in the Well
Rumplestiltskin
Twleve Dancing Princesses
Puss in Boots
Jack and the BEanstalk
Three Billy goats Gruff
Clever Gretel
Brave Mollie Whuppie.

I prefer reading these allowed to the ladybird books as the telling of the story is less repetitive, but it is quite short on illustrations, only one or two small drawings to a page.

I too had to search high and low for a copy of Cinderella with the four dresses, lucky enough to get mine for 10p though. Smoke and Fluff was always my favourite ladybird book.

MilaMae, we have just bought a lovely version of Hansel and Gretel, retold by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark. Here is the link.
Yes, I too would happily buy a collected Ladybird Well-Loved Tales, but in the meantime, have enjoyed browsing this site.
It includes pictures of all Cinderella's dresses - my favourite (although a hard decision!)was balldress number two...the "pale blue satin, with floating overskirts of pale blue net, embroidered with silver thread" which she wore with pale blue slippers embroidered with silver, and silver stars in her hair. Yes, I do have a copy - I was very lucky to find one in a charity shop!

What a fantastic website. Has brought back all kinds of memories of little girldom.

Re the Ladybird Cinderella I paid over £20 ,10p is a major bargain!!!!!!!!!!

Don't worry MilaMae, I paid over £50 for a children's book I was after . What's more I still have not read it as I am still trying to get hold of the book before it in the series!

i like this one as the pictures are great