Selected Fairy Tales
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Cover Story
Our front cover this month features an illutration by Mark Longworth for Gillian Cross's new paperback, The Revenge of the Demon Headmaster. Puffin publish this book in April 1995 (see the Gillian Cross Authorgraph for full details) and we are grateful to them for their help in using this illustration.
Selected Fairy Tales
Julia Cobold
The selection here was chosen by the author as representative of her best work produced throughout a long career. I approached the anthology rather warily but was surprised and impressed by the quality and range contained within it. These stories explore many themes and cultures, but it's the narrative style which makes the most impact. It has the dignity of an old and beloved armchair - well-used and a reliable source of comfort and ease. Particularly good for classroom use would be 'Count Alaric's Lady', 'Bertrade and Dominic' and an interesting comparison could be made of the first and last stories. A collection which reads aloud well or it could be suitable for confident readers in Years 6-8.