ON READING FAIRY TALES

Do you remember these stories? I’m sure you do. And do you ever wonder why these old stories still resonate with us today? Fairy tales and folk stories are certainly a special breed of literature. After all, they were handed down generation upon generation as part of an oral storytelling tradition long before ever being written down. Each generation changed them a little, adding something, taking away something, refining the tale with each telling.

I can well remember my own mother reading these tales to me at bedtime. And back when my own three children were younger, they too received a healthy dose of folk tales and enjoyed hearing them as much as I did.

At the end of the day these old tales are, quite simply, great stories. The fact that they have survived for so long attests to that. Some people may say these stories have no relevance in our culture today, but I disagree. I believe these stories are popular because they cleverly reflect upon the core fabric of who we are as people: our uncertainties and strengths; our fear of loss, of hunger; our worries about money, love, death, danger, and abandonment; but they also provide life lessons about the rewards of optimism, determination, strength of character, and the belief that no matter how hard times may get, if you just keep moving you will come out okay. I think these are lessons we need as much today as we did two hundred years ago. So slow down, snuggle up with a child, read, enjoy the pictures, and remember these as the special times, because before you know it, that little person beside you will be reading these stories to his or her own children.

Thanks and enjoy the book,