Though her patron is hideous, his disarming generosity slowly leads to a surprising connection. Accessibly and with great compassion, Max Eilenberg sheds fresh light on one of our most beloved fairy tales. Angela Barrett's enchanting illustrations illuminate both the sumptuous palace and the horrifying beast himself. The resulting tour de force reminds us that ultimately love conquers all.

    - The Sandman- The Jumpers- Thumbeline- The Rose Tree Regiment- The Naughty Boy- The Swineherd- The Emperor's New Clothes- The Princess and the Pea- The Nightingale- The Little Match Girl

    Traveling to Arabia as an ambassador from the exiled Fables community, Snow White is captured by the local sultan who wants to marry her (and then kill her). But clever Snow attempts to charm the sultan instead by playing Scheherazade, telling him fantastic stories for a total of 1001 nights, saving her very skin in the process.Running the gamut from unexpected horror to dark intrigue to mercurial coming-of-age, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall reveals the secret histories of familiar Fables characters through a series of compelling and visually illustrative tales. Writer Bill Willingham is joined by an impressive array of artists from comic book industry legends to the amazing young painters of the next wave. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall is both a welcome entry point to the critically acclaimed series and an essential part of Willingham's enchanting and imaginative Fables mythos.

    It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm. But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom--an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop.When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine--tests of trust, strength, and true love.

    Never fear, this smart cookie has a plan to outfox the fox. Will it work? Let's just say that the ending is sweet for everyone. Ernst's familiar art, here placed against gingham-check backgrounds, utilizes the oversize format to best advantage, with large characters leaping out of their frames. On the cover, the candy-studded Gingerbread Girl with licorice-whip hair stares boldly out at readers. Kids won?t be able to resist following her inside. Booklist

    Enter that sly opportunist, the devil, who wraps the soldier in the armor of a dead bear’s skin, fills its pockets with gold, and makes a dangerous and horrible wager. An unforgettable retelling of a classic Grimm tale, THE BEARSKINNER is a story about the struggle between the two sides of our selves, and the heroic strength it takes to claim a victory.

    Their mom has just kicked them out of the house and it's time they make their own way and start constructing new homes in the heart of the swamp. When ol' Claude the gator comes sneaking along, however, the three brothers are forced to question their choice of construction materials! This hilarious tale from the creators of the popular Petite Rouge (which School Library Journal declared "A treat from start to finish") will once again take you to the heart of the Cajun swamps and show you the Three Little Pigs like you've never seen them.

    The wild and seductive energy in this collection never lets one put the book down. (In fact, any one who opens the collection in the bookstore and reads such poems as The Conversation and Job Requirements: A Supervillain's Advice will want to buy the book!) For her delivery is heart-breaking and refreshing, so the poems seduce us with the sadness, glory and entertainment of our very own days. Propelled by Jeannine Hall Gailey's alert, sensuous, and musical gifts, the mythology becomes all our own." -Ilya Kaminsky, author of the award-winning Dancing in Odessa

    Meet them in their black house, take a hazardous ride on Winnie's broomstick, join them on a hot and sunny winter's day, find out what happens when Winnie's wand stops working, discover how much chaos a computer can cause, and spend a day with them at the seaside. Includes: Winnie the Witch / Winnie Flies Again / Winnie in Winter / Winnie's Magic Wand / Winnie's New Computer / Winnie at the Seaside.

    A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil, but about being a hero in your own home. The opening story, "The Brambly Hedge," tells the origin of the castle itself, which is abandoned by its princess in a comic twist on "Sleeping Beauty" when she rides off into the sunset with her Prince Charming. The castle becomes a refuge for misfits, outcasts, and others seeking sanctuary, playing host to a lively and colorful cast of characters that inhabits the subsequent stories, including a talking anthropomorphic horse, a mysteriously pregnant Lady on the run, and a bearded nun.

    But one day the wind screams fiercely and the sun does not rise over the mountain. Someone has stolen the sun! "Perhaps it has lost its way," says Lucia, who despite her mother's pleas sets out to find it with only a bit of bread, a tinderbox, and her milk-white cat to keep her company. In dramatic pastels, Mary GrandPre illuminates troll-pocked frozen mountains and wraps Lucia's family in a blanket of warmth. Inspired by Nordic lore, Phyllis Root spins a golden yarn of courage, love, and the age-old longing for the return of light.

    Now, for the first time, she reveals her closely guarded secrets in one wondrous volume. Everything a girl needs to know about being a princess is presented in this facsimile of the fairy godmother's personal journal, from how to wear a sparkling tiara and choose a fancy gown to what to expect at a royal ball and how to recognize a true prince. In addition to her advice and tips, the fairy godmother offers stories and personal reminiscences, all illustrated with breathtaking paintings of rich landscapes, marvelous castle interiors, and princesses from around the world. This is an incomparable gift for girls who dream of having a little fairy godmother magic in their lives.

    Taking inspiration from numerous fairytales and weaving them into a wholly original story, Into the Woods is a whirlwind of a novel, full of imaginative happenings and dastardly deeds.

    Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page.Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl's own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered mermaid to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente's enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you've come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun.

    

    The Fairy Godmother is tired of helping everyone else live happily ever after because nobody ever thanks her, and she's had enough, but can she really quit her job?

    A freshly baked gingerbread man escapes when he is taken out of the oven and eludes a number of pursuers until he meets a clever fox.

    comic book series detailing the true story of Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan's 13-year search for the lost Princess of Wonderland, queries and kudos from around the world have filled the mailbox at the Hatter M. Institute for Paranormal Travel and Research. After the publication of Issues #1 and #2, the creators were both thrilled and stunned by the avalanche of public reaction as readers contacted the Institute en masse to enthusiastically join in authenticating Hatter's search and adventure. In an effort to respond to the readers the Institute called upon their panel of experts to roundtable the latest inquiries and developments in the Looking Glass Wars Deep Travel Symposium entitled: Hatter M. Questions, Answers and Revelations.This special issue 2.5 was released at Comic-Con 2006 and is included in the trade paperback Hatter M: Volume 1.

    You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"The Gingerbread Cowboy can run from the rancher, he can dash past the javelinas, and he can giddyup right by the cattle grazing on the mesa. But what happens when he meets a coyote sleeping in the sun?Janet Squires and Holly Berry retell this classic tale with a Wild Western flair, filled with rodeo-romping fun.

    This elegant telling of his inspiring story captures all the power and poetry that marked his life, from his harrowing infancy hidden in a basket in the bulrushes to his final days as he looked toward his people’s freedom in the promised land.      Gorgeously illustrated by renowned artist Barry Moser, Moses will be treasured by the entire family.

    One hundred traditional nursery rhymes, riddles, songs, games, and limericks.For ninety years, The Real Mother Goose has been delighting millions of young children. Now these enchanting verses are collected in a beautiful new anniversary edition. From "Little Bo-Peep" to "Jack and Jill," "Humpty Dumpty" to "The Old Woman in Shoe," all the familiar rhymes, riddles, and songs are here--along with Blanche Fisher Wright's beautiful illustrations.

    "All the better to hear you with." snaps back the wolf. Enjoy finding out how Little Red Riding Hood outwits the wolf, in this quirky retelling of the classic fairy tale.

    It deals with break-up, depression, illness and death. But it also reveals an intense involvement with nature and a capacity for healing and love. There are intimate personal poems reflecting on relationships with people and creatures; poems which enter the lives of real and imaginary characters, Keats and Medea and Blodeuwedd, for example; and also poems which engage with paintings and political events.Set in a territory which connects child with adult, myth with reality, the personal with the universal, the book shows a poet fully open to the richness and possibilities of the world but also aware of its violence and pain, not as a remote observer but as someone who is a part of it.

    With the help of his newfound treasure he finds wealth and happiness . . . and wins the heart of the Sultan's daughter.AnansiRead by Denzel WashingtonOriginal Music by UB40 These two stories feature Anansi, the hilarious spider of West Indian folklore. In the first, he outwits a prideful snake to win possession of all the stories in the jungle. The second recounts his getting tangled in his own web of lies at his mother-in-law's funeral.East of the Sun, West of the MoonRead by Max von SydowOriginal Music by Lyle Mays In this Norwegian tale, a peasant farmer sends his youngest daughter to live with a mysterious white bear in exchange for untold riches. But when the girl ignores the bear's advice she must travel to a castle East of the Sun and West of the Moon to face the Troll Queen and make things right.The Five Chinese BrothersRead by John LoneOriginal Music by Bill Douglass and David Austin Five brothers, each of whom has an amazing physical gift, join forces to outwit the evil Emperor who has forced thousands into slavery to build the Great Wall of China. The older brothers are put to the test but the youngest proves to be the most gifted of all.

    It is one of Americas finest Gothic Revival mansions, but at Christmastime it becomes something more, something magical; thats when designer Bob Pesce decorates each of the castles 15 main rooms in the style of a different childrens story. In "A Fairy-Tale Christmas," readers all across America can experience that enchanting transformation and learn how to make it happen in their own homes. See what Cinderellas sitting room looks like fully decked out for the holidays, or what Little Red Riding Hood hangs on her tree. Take a look at Snow Whites bedroom, with seven pairs of stockings over the mantle, or Alice in Wonderlands game room, with its playing cardbedecked tree. Featuring 150 glittering photographs, this book offers detailed decorating instructions that allow readers to re-create many of the same effects. Recipes inspired by the stars of each storyfrom The Nutcrackers Sugarplums to Peter Pans Crocodile Tears Punchare included as well, along with fascinating facts about these beloved tales. This charming book is a beautiful keepsake that captures Lyndhurst in all its holiday glory as it guides readers into giving their own yuletide homes a special, fairy-tale feel.

    The big bad wolf huffs and puffs his way through the tale of the brave pig who outsmarts his fellow oinkers by simply working harder in the all-time favorite The Three Little Pigs.RumpelstiltskinRead by Kathleen TurnerOriginal Music by Tangerine Dream When the king orders a young woman to spin a room full of straw into gold, she turns to a mysterious elfin man for help . . . but will the price of his aid be her first-born child?The Tiger and the BrahminRead by Ben KingsleyOriginal Music by Ravi Shankar "I shan't eat you if you let me out of the cage," the tiger tells the Brahmin before the holy man discovers that the tiger intended to eat him all along. Only the intervention of a clever jackal can save the Brahmin from his fate.The Ugly DucklingRead by CherOriginal Music by Patrick Ball Rediscover the inner beauty in all of us with this beloved Hans Christian Andersen story of the outcast duckling who finds himself transformed into a beautiful swan.

    On the one hand, these stories come out of the great wellspring of Scandinavian tales that have so influenced the Western imagination: Here are elves and trolls, ghosts, goblins, and monsters; drama and mystery and moral. But Iceland’s particular geography, its long nights and savage weather, also led to the development of a unique oral tradition, from which grew the famous Icelandic family sagas and stories.

    She gets farther and farther away from home. Hopelessly lost and afraid of losing her father's great love because of her naughtiness, Madison begins to cry. Will anyone come to her rescue?

    Based on the story of Rumpelstiltskin, this sharp, dark tale of a girl and the creature who offers her assistance is a finely woven tapestry of daughters, fathers and lovers and the breaking of the threads that bind them.

    

    Maggi leads us straight to the heart of what Italian Renaissance culture thought familiar spirits were. Through close readings of Giovan Francesco Pico della Mirandola, Strozzi Cigogna, Pompeo della Barba, Ludovico Sinistrari, and others, we find that these spirits or demons speak through their sudden and striking appearances—their very bodies seen as metaphors to be interpreted. The form of the body, Maggi explains, relies on the spirits’ knowledge of their human interlocutors’ pasts. But their core trait is compassion, and sometimes their odd, eerie arrivals are seen as harbingers or warnings to protect us. It comes as no surprise then that when spiritual beings distort the natural world to communicate, it is vital that we begin to listen.

    One day she swims up to the surface of the sea, where she catches a glimpse of Prince Caspar on board a sailing ship and falls deeply in love.Ian Beck's powerful storytelling and jewelled illustrations bring this enchanting, timeless tale to life, making it the perfect gift for little girls everywhere!

    The tale begins when a loving couple discovers a tiny baby girl in a thicket of bamboo stalks and takes her home to raise as their own. The Bamboo Princess, as she comes to be known, grows into womanhood while fending off suitors, caring for her new family, and ultimately fulfilling her destiny by returning to her true and rightful home—the moon. In the mold of traditional Japanese morality tales, this story reinforces values of bravery, hard work, and humility. A full explanation of the research and meticulous preparations behind the illustrator’s intricate artwork, which harkens back to time-honored Japanese block prints, is also included.

    I'm too ugly. So he leaves his home and goes out alone into the world. Will he ever find anyone to love him?

    . . "Happily ever after" keeps getting happier These two new Jump at the Sun Fairytale Classics are sure to be a big hit this spring. These superb retellings feature two of the most popular princesses of all time-Beauty and the Beast, and Rapunzel. Simply told and beautifully illustrated by Disney artist John Kurtz they are sure to capture the imagination of every little princess who's lucky enough to receive them. Beauty and the Beast. Rapunzel

    The Talking EggsRead by Sissy SpacekOriginal Music by BeauSoleil Good versus evil takes on a Cajun flavor with the story of Ruby Rouge, her mysterious friend Conjure Woman and two baskets of talking eggs with very different yolks.The Fisherman and His WifeRead by Jodie FosterOriginal Music by Van Dyke Parks A simple fisherman catches a magical fish who promises to grant his wishes . . . but when the man's wife starts making outlandish demands the flounder fulfills a wish of his own.The Emperor and the NightingaleRead by Glenn CloseOriginal Music by Mark Isham In ancient China, the Emperor and his court are enchanted by the singing of a beautiful nightingale . . . but when the Emperor receives an artificial bird encrusted in jewels will he forget what the real treasure is?

    Terrific illustrations, adventure-filled stories about Polly Pocket(tm), and an easy-to-read, easy-to-hold format make these suitable for early readers age 3 - 6, or girls who want to read along with others. Each book features 24 pages filled with quality art and a sprinkling of surprises and twists to hold readers' interest. One book features a Polly(tm) storyline called aPolly's Fabulous Pet Palace, a while the other follows the storyline from the DVD PollyWorld(tm).

    We give you cautionary tales, tales of revenge and of the things we'll do for love. You'll find re-imaginings of of the traditional tales as well as several new.