Interesting from a “Freudian” perspective, Bettelheim’s books analyzes the lessons fairy tales teach children. The first part contains critical analyses of the tales, and the second part analyzes many of the classic tales themselves. The book attempts to explore the subconscious messages Bettelheim believes are projected from fairy tales to children and how children may use these tales as a tool to cope with the maturation process. This book is one of the premier books in fairy-tale criticism and is referred to, and denounced by, many other fairy-tale and children’s literature critics.

This book explores how fairy tales are used as a socializing tool for children. Tatar’s in-depth analysis of fairy tales, particularly the classics, provides insight into the true depth of the often deceptively simple fairy tale. By tracing how the tales have been edited and rewritten to convey specific meanings and why some versions have been more popular than others, Tatar inspires readers to think twice about the way they present fairy tales to children. This book is a good source to consult before teaching or reading a tale to a child, especially if there are concerns about the possible controversial messages in the tales, such as sexism.

Within this book are many insights relevant to current trends of fairy tales and other fantasy stories. Through this book, Zipes endeavors to explore and analyze the “socio-political-cultural” context of fairy tales: the role they play in our culture, the fact that they are always popular, and the way they pervade our lives in movies, poetry, television commercials, and through any number of other media. Included are seven essays that have been revised and updated since the 1979 publication. Zipes goes beyond exploring the rise of fairy tales in Germany; he includes discussions of the media and refers to the authors popular today: J. R. R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowlings. This book is valuable for its examination the way fairy tales permeate our lives.

This book is a wonderful source for anyone looking for alternatives to the classics or for anyone who would like a new take on some of the classics. The first and second parts of this book contain sixteen fairy tales written from a feminist perspective for both “young and old readers,” and the third part includes four critical essays about fairy tales from a feminist perspective. Some of the fairy tales in the first two sections are feminist retellings of well-known tales such as “Snow White” and “Little Red Riding Hood,” but others are original stories. The critical essays cover such topics as “’Some Day My Prince Will Come’: Female Acculturation through the Fairy Tale” and “The Queen’s Looking Glass,” an essay from Gilbert and Gubar’s The Madwoman in the Attic. This source is excellent for someone who is concerned with the sexism prevalent in fairy tales, although the agenda behind the tales may make them more (or less) enjoyable for adults than children.

Especially appropriate in modern culture, this book, created as a collection of essays with interweaving themes, addresses the adaptation of—and appropriation of—fairy tales into movies. While also providing a history of the transformation of fairy tales in their written form, Zipes is mostly concerned with analyzing the increasing use of fairy tales as the basis or inspiration for movies. With trends such as the popular Disney remakes being examined, this book is a valuable source for anyone who would like to know more about how fairy tales are better known today as movies than written stories.