The Golden Dog Book of Fairy Tales and Animal Stories

Teya Rosenberg is an assistant professor of English specializing in
children’s literature at Southwest Texas State University.

This collection consists of 22 tales, chiefly from European traditions,
with some contributions from Asian and North American culture. A number
of well-known tales from Grimm, such as “The Frog Prince,” “Hansel
and Gretel,” and “Cinderella,” are balanced with lesser-known
Grimm tales, such as “The Widow’s Two Daughters.” Contributions
from Perrault include “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Puss in
Boots”; while Madame de Villeneuve’s “Beauty and the Beast”
further represents the French tradition. The fairy-tale section of the
collection ends with a Japanese tale, “The Stone Cutter,” and one
tale each from Anderson (“The Ugly Duckling”) and Wilde (“The
Selfish Giant”). The selection of animal tales includes three Uncle
Remus tales by Harris, one Inuit and two Haida tales, a tale from
Kipling (“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”), and one from Seton (“Redruff”).

Although this book would be a good addition to any library, it is
obviously intended for classroom use. An introduction, notes on the
authors, and list of further readings are included. The wide range of
selections would permit an overview of the history of folktale
tradition, as well as various thematic and structural approaches. Highly
recommended.