In Their Shoes

Nine well-known fairy stories return to their origins in this beautifully illustrated compilation. In the earliest version of Cinderella, from 9^th century China, the lonely heroine, Yexian, catches a magic fish. Her cruel stepmother kills and eats it, but its magic bones grant Yexian's wishes and in secret, she asks for beautiful clothes. One day she loses a tiny golden shoe which is found by the king, who decides its owner shall be his bride.

The remaining folktales include Charles Perrault's 17^th century French version of Puss in Boots, the Brothers Grimm's story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Hans Christian Andersen's legend of The Red Shoes - a dark and shocking morality tale about the consequences of vanity and disobedience.

*some of these stories contain disturbing scenes which younger children may find upsetting*