I was thinking about writing a children's story so when I saw a great volume of the Grimm brother's fairy tales in my bookshop I bought it thinking it would be good to stimulate the creative mind, but dear me - cannibalism, incest, decapitation, murder, metamorphosis, child cruelty - these stories are giving me nightmares. Also all females are either dependant and stupid or calculating and wicked (i.e. step mothers). Of course, of course it was a different time.

So on an entirely different note what's everyone's favourite fairy tale?

The more obscure the better. I'd have to choose a popular one though - snow white!-'bring me back her heart!’- although I always feel bad at the very end when her step mother dies, she clearly had issues if looks were that important to her (apparently I cried when she died in the Disney version)

I have one book I've read to young children, Magical Tales from Many Lands by Margaret Mayo. The cultural elements that reveal themselves through these stories are delightful as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Tales-Many-Lands-Margaret/dp/0525450173

Hmm....Stardust would have to be mine. It's by Neil Gaiman, and although some may say it's just a fantasy story, it is the definition of a fairy tale through and through. It's not making fun of fairy tales, it's not imitating fairy tales- it's a fairy tale, and a great one at that.

There's a book called 'The Book of Lost Things' by John Connoly. Its about a boy who gets himself lost in a fairytail world, it has all the regular fairytails, like red riding hood, the three bears, snow white, ect are all kind of warped and messed with. It's a very good book.

Red ridng hood has always been enjoyable, but I think Wolf is a bit misunderstood. Call me crazy but he's my favorite character.

I always loved Shirley Barber's books. They have beautiful illistrations and the stories are really great. They're all about fairies, well They'rer mostly set in fairyland and from what I can remember (unfortunatley I have no idea where my parents put the books) there isn't a difinative evil. Like there's no evil stepmother or wizard or wolf.

Ivy Mane

Jack and the Beanstalk!! My dad used to tell us that story as a kid, but he didn't need a book. He knew the story pretty much by heart, so growing up I always related that story to my father. It is one of the few things I can remember my dad doing as a "take some time out for the kids" kind of thing. "Fee fi fo fum!! I smell the blood of an English-man!!" :p