ABSTRACT
‘Do you know any more like that, Miss?’ asked a ten year old boy in an inner city school, of the student who had just told the class the story of Cinderella. Daily for a week she told similar tales: ‘Red Riding Hood’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ … to a wide-eyed group of top junior children who, almost unbelievably, knew none of them and hung on every word. The children's librarian at my local public library reports that fairy tales are among the most frequently borrowed books, yet other students and teachers have told me, ‘Children these days don’t seem to enjoy fairy tales. They think they’re babyish.’
