Forgotten Fairy Tales of Brave and Brilliant Girls

Forgotten Fairy Tales of Brave and Brilliant Girls

By Author / Illustrator

Kate Pankhurst, Various

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

5+

Publisher

Usborne Publishing Ltd

ISBN

9781474966429

Format

Hardback

Published

01-09-2019

Synopsis

Once known, now largely forgotten, these empowering fairy tales have been brought together to inspire a new generation of readers. Discover heroines who outwit giants, fight evil, awaken sleeping princes and, of course, live happily ever after. With a foreword by Kate Pankhurst, author of Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World.

Reviews

Nikki

We love this book! This has been an instant hit in this household, bedtimes seem to have got later each evening as my girls have pleaded with me to keep on reading. They are definitely motivated and inspired to read more. As the title suggests, each of the chapters in this book is a different fairy tale though very different from the ones we were taught as children. These tales follow the adventures of some super sassy, fearless heroines who pushback at those archaic stereotypes of sweet, helpless princesses stuck in towers waiting to be rescued by a strong prince. There are eight fairy tales in this book, each with some reassuring links to well-known tales children know and love. My daughters both took great pleasure in spotting these familiar tales. The stories are quite long, hence the lengthy bedtime reading, although they are fast flowing, gripping and will keep children engaged throughout. Initially I felt the illustrations were sparse and could have meant that my youngest daughter of 5 would lose focus. As we moved through the book, we found that this was not the case and quickly got used to the set up. I believe this book has been cleverly designed to be able to hold a wide age range of readers attentions. The illustrations are maybe not my favourite thing about the book although they are in keeping with the traditional feel as with the cover and the hardback binding. There is no doubt that this book is refreshing and empowering for young girls. Princess Bessie uses her tool belt to free a prince from a stove and another courageous princess crushed thicket of thorns, storming through in her'stylish' iron boots. What is not to love about these brilliant adventures. As a parent, I really enjoyed the nostalgia of seeing my daughter enjoy a princess story like she used to but one which was both enticing and engaging for her as a now nearly nine-year-old who feels she's outgrown it all. Lots of laughing out loud too! Although aimed at girls aged four to 10+, there is no reason why boys couldn't love these adventures just the same. This book could be enjoyed in upper KS1, lower KS2. 208 pages / Ages 5-10 years / Reviewed by Nikki Stiles, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+

 

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