A First Book of Fairy Tales

by Allysha H on 2011-04-03
This was the only book in the entire core that my girls weren't thrilled about. Some of the illustrations (like the Selfish Giant) frightened my 3-year-old. I didn't like the content of some of the stories - especially The Little Mermaid. Her sisters encourage her to kill the prince with a knife to save herself - and even though it was a good place to stop and talk about the sixth commandment, it seemed to me that that kind of subject matter belongs in a core for older children. The one story they did like quite a bit was 'Diamonds and Toads', and they still ask for it! Even though the book wasn't a huge hit in our house, we'll use it with our younger children - it allowed for some good opportunities to talk about what God says about (stealing, lying, cheating, deceit, unkindness, etc) when we encounter those topics in the stories!

by Chris P on 2011-03-16
There are very few details in these stories. It's as if the authors wanted to be as brief as possible. We were very disappointed with this book. The illustrations are very nice, but the stories themselves are poorly told. The interesting details of the stories are left out. There are several fairy tale books in the Sonlight p 3/4 list... If you have limited funds, the "Tall book of Nursery Tales" is a much better pick. It is a great size for children and the stories are full of details.

by Rhea H on 2011-01-11
Very good first fairy tales book! My girls love the stories and they are just the right length to keep their attention span. Great choice for this age!

by JANA C on 2010-07-01
This book took a bit longer for the kids to warm up to. I remember the stories from when I was a child.

by REBECCA T on 2010-05-19
A great collection of Fairy Tales, just as I remember them when read to me in my childhood :)

by CATHY H on 2010-04-26
Great collection of fairy tales! This is my son's favorite book included with the P3/4 package. He asks me to read from it nearly every day. I like that they kept the fairy tales true to their original form. Many fairy tale collections try to modernize the tales or change the endings to make them funny. However, this book tells the tales they way they have been told for generations. I also like that there are bright, full color illustrations that match nicely with the text. This helps hold the attention of even very small kids. Another reason that I love this book is that it remembered to include all of the "repeatable phrases" from fairy tales that make them so fun to read aloud.

by MARY R on 2010-03-02
This book is fabulous. I am in the first year of using a Homeschool program and my 3 year old and 6 year old love these stories. They are playing Rapunzel as I type rather than watching TV!!! Yeah Sonlight, Thanks for this great book I would have never picked on my own!!!!

by LAURALEI C on 2009-03-11
I love the original fairy tales in this book and so do my children. The art in the book is very cheerful. I love the vocabulary my children are learning from this book. It is nice to get the true story on these tales instead of relying on disney to do that for us.

by JILL E on 2008-10-30
This book is a favorite around here. My little 4 yr old nephew comes over weekly to play and do Sonlight's Preschool with me. This is the book he asks for over and over. He especially loves Jack in the Beanstalk. When he lowers his voice and rumbles "Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman" we both end up laughing. There are not too many words on a page and the pictures are very engaging. Just perfect for him.