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11 magical tales for little kids: "Babes in the Wood", "Snow Drop" and "Seven Little dwarfs", "The Magic Mirror", "The Crow", "The Wizard King", "The White Duck", "The Golden Crab", "The Dragon and his Grandmother", "The Six Swans", "The Story of the Emperor's New Clothes", "The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership". The imagery in fairy tales (such as personified animals, adults represented as giants and allegorical magic vegetables) allows the child to explore their fears in remote and symbolic terms.

The Adventures of a Jackal is a classic children's short story : "In a country which is full of wild beasts of all sorts there once lived a jackal and a hedgehog, and, unlike though they were, the two animals made great friends, and were often seen in each other's company. One afternoon they were walking along a road together, when the jackal, who was the taller of the two, exclaimed: "Oh! there is a barn full of corn; let us go and eat some." "Yes, do let us!" answered the hedgehog.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Born in the Republic of Genoa under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Those voyages and his efforts to establish settlements on the island of Hispaniola initiated the permanent European colonization of the New World. At a time when European kingdoms were beginning to establish new trade routes and colonies, motivated by imperialism and economic competition, Columbus proposed to reach the East Indies (South and Southeast Asia) by sailing westward.

"The Most Frugal of Men" is a funny story about masters of frugality outperforming each other; "The Moon-Cake" about the dangers of asking for a cake that would resemble the moon; "The Ladle that Fell from the Moon" tells about the witty attempt to confound an elderly scammer; "The Young Head of the Family" tells about a father being outwitted by his daughter-in-law; and "A Dreadful Boar" tells how a poor old woman could defend herself of an elf that met her in the form of a wild boar, threatening to devour her granddaughter.

The Celtic folk tales collected by the leading British folklorist Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) introduced the children of the world to the special vision and color, the unique magic of the Celtic folk imagination. Here are three stories from this timeless masterpiece, presenting the most colorful characters of it all: "King O'Toole and his Goose", "The Haughty Princess", "Jack and his Master".

"King Kojata" is a Slavonic fairy tale. A king and a queen had no children. One day, the king was travelling and grew thirsty. He found a spring with a cup floating in it. He did not succeed at trying to grab the cup: it always evaded his hands. When he dropped to drink directly, a creature in the well grabbed his beard and would not free him until he promised to give it something he knew nothing about, and which he would find on his return home.

Set in 12th-century England, with colourful descriptions of medieval life and adventures, "Ivanhoe" is a realistic and vibrant story set in a kingdom torn asunder by the hatred between Saxons and Normans. Richard the Lionheart is headed home from the Third Crusade to reclaim his throne. Amid the heat of a tournament, King Richard comes to the aid of another crusader who has returned in disguise. Wilfred of Ivanhoe also seeks to recover a lost heritage - and the hand of Lady Rowena, "a rose of loveliness, and a jewel of wealth; the fairest among a thousand."

Beatrice Clay's retelling of Arthurian tales remain as vibrant today as when they first became a popular success eighty years ago. Sir Galahad, Sir Launcelot, Queen Guenevere and Morgan Le Fey, all these beloved characters are brought together for a vibrant recreation of life in the Middle Ages. This great treasure-house of stories is to English culture what the stories of Ulysses and Aeneas were to the Greeks and Latins, a national inheritance of which they should be, and are, proud.

"Fanciful stories" is a collection of folk-tales, fairy tales and delightful poetry to encourage children to dream and connect their imagination with the tales of old. Learn about the mystery of the house-elves, dance with the fairies and breathe the air of the legendary forests with these fantastic short stories for children. The collection: "White Magic"; "The Brownies" by Juliana Horatia Ewing; "The Story of Peter Pan"; "Sir Lark and King Sun" by George MacDonald; "The Imps in the Heavenly Meadow" by Kate E. Bunce; "The Birthday Honors of the Fairy Queen" by Hapgood Moore.

Classic fairy tales and stories are an essential part of children's development. This collection brings together rare fairy tales, stories, myths and legends, to feed the intelligence and imagination of children in their years of development. Here are seven of the rarest and most delightful tales: "How to Tell a True Princess" and "The Darning Needle" by master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen; "Belling the Cat" and "The Wolf and the Fox", taken from Aesop's fables; an English fairy tale, "Master of all Masters"; "Persevere and Prosper", and "The Story of Caliph Stork", two old Arabian tales.

"The Six Swans" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. An evil stepmother uses witchcraft to turn the six sons of her daughter-in-law, the Queen, into swans. The curse can only be broken if their sister sews six nettle shirts and remains silent for seven years. She retires from the world and starts her work, but another King is stricken by her beauty and wants to marry her.

"Hop-o'-My-Thumb" (Hop-on-My-Thumb), or "Hop o' My Thumb", also known as "Little Thumbling" or "Little Poucet" is one of the eight fairytales published by Charles Perrault in "Histoires ou Contes du temps passé" (1697). "Hop-o'-My-Thumb" is the youngest of seven children in a poor woodcutter's family, and his greater wisdom compensates for his smallness of size. When the children are abandoned by their parents, he finds a variety of means to save his life and the lives of his brothers, eventually confronting a scary ogre.

"Hans in Luck" is a fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the brothers Grimm. It is an ironic tale which inverts the normal "rags to riches" story format: in it, Hans gradually loses more and more while persuading himself of his good luck, thus warning children about the dangers of denial and bad business sense. This charming and ancient tale is told by Katie Haigh.

These "Tales for Tiny Tots" are ageless and varied very short stories, aimed at those who are just nascent at listening, to provide them with delight and inch them towards a broader understanding of the world. Each tale contains a wise moral brought forth by colorful imagery: there you will find the "Tale of Peter Rabbitt", by Beatrix Potter, "Little Red Hen", "Dolly Dimple", "The visit to Santa Claus Land", and many more read by Katie Haigh.

"The Goose Girl" is a German fairy tale in which a widowed queen sends her daughter to her bridegroom in a faraway land, only accompanied by a waiting maid and a magical talking horse. But the evil maid rebels and forces the princess into trading clothes with her and swearing secrecy, effectively taking her place until they arrive at a foreign palace.

"The White Cat" is an old French fairy tale written by the Comtesse d'Aulnoy in 1698. It is a variation on an old German tale, "Puddocky", and "Cherry", another tale collected by the brothers Grimm in the nineteenth century. A king has three sons and sets them tasks to perform so that he can decide who gets the kingdom after his passing. The tasks are increasingly difficult, but the youngest prince encounters the aid of a mysterious white cat, who seems to have been human at some time but will not tell its sad story.

"The Fir Tree" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, about a fir tree so anxious to grow up, so anxious for greater things, that he cannot appreciate living in the moment. It is a melancholy story, warning about the dangers of always expecting greater glory just around the corner, only to be disappointed or to regret the unappreciated instants; only the moment is worthwhile.

"The Flying Trunk" is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. A young man squanders his inheritance until he has almost nothing left. A friend sends him a trunk with directions to pack up and be off. Having nothing to pack, he gets into the trunk himself, only to discover that the trunk is enchanted and carries him to the land of the Turks.

"The Fair One with Golden Locks" is a fairy tale by Madame d'Aulnoy. It has also been translated under the title "Pretty Goldilocks", which is not to be confused with the Story of the Three Bears. A princess is so beautiful and has such golden hair that she is known as Pretty Goldilocks. A neighboring king falls in love with her from her description and sends his servant to plead his cause.

"The Tinder Box" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. A poor soldier returning home from war meets a witch who asks him to climb into a hollow tree to retrieve a magic tinder box. In the tree, he finds three chambers filled with precious coins guarded by three monstrous dogs, "one with eyes the size of teacups", who guards a vault filled with pennies, one with "eyes the size of water wheels", who guards a vault filled with silver, and one with eyes "the size of Round Tower", who guards a vault filled with gold.