Changes

Martin Waddell stays true to all the stories, yet he often passes brief comment at the beginning or end. To call it an aside to the reader would make it sound more separate than it is; it's the author's voice coming through strongly. It's putting his own stamp on the stories, without overshadowing them, and it works brilliantly. His writing is punchy, engaging, and evocative. The vocabulary is suitable for very young book fans, being read these traditional fairy tales for the first time ever, but it's so strongly written and exciting so that older readers will treasure it for years, through learning to read to reading it all on their own.

Emma Chichester Clark's illustrations are gorgeous and sit perfectly alongside the text. They're traditional enough to not be jarring, yet have their own unique style that means you don't take them for granted. They look great from the very beginning, but they actually grow on you throughout the book, until you feel like you've known them your whole life. I particularly loved seeing the tin soldier deal with the witch - gruesome enough to get the reaction that should be there in fairy tales, but appropriate enough to not be scary for even the littlest readers.