The Children's Fairy Tale Collection Tarantula Tales
11 primary works • 12 total works
Book 1
Chicken Licken is the fable of a little chicken that thinks the world is coming to an end, and runs about warning everyone that the sky is falling on them after a falling acorn from an oak tree hits him on the head. Chicken Licken rushes about, warning other animals that a piece of sky fell and hit him. He gathers Henny-Penny, Cocky-Locky, Ducky-Lucky, Drakey-Lakey, Goosey-Loosey, Gander-Lander, and Turkey-Lurkey who all run to find the King, to tell him that the sky is falling in. They do not come to a good end...The story was originally an oral tale, and is retold here by Judy Hamilton.It is thought the Brothers Grimm first wrote it down. Many countries have a form of this story, and many use a different name for the character. In this book, most of those names appear in the form of other characters that believe and follow Chicken Licken. The story is told to warn people not to believe all they are told. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 2
A long time ago, in a country far away, there once lived a very vain emperor who liked to spend a lot of his people's money clothes for himself, and to preen, and to look his best. One day two men arrived who told the emperor they were tailors. The men ordered the best fabric, which they kept for themselves, to sell in a market, and instead they pretended to weave and make new clothes for the emperor. These rogues tricked the emperor into believing he had new clothes - which he wore in a great procession in front of his people. It was only the courage of a little boy who drew everyone's attention to the truth...This story is retold from a Hans Christian Andersen story. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 3
The Gingerbread Man re-tells the traditional story of the woman who loves baking so much she makes a gingerbread man, one day, after making some gingerbread. But once he out of the oven, the gingerbread man comes to life and runs off into the town, where many people chase him until he meets a fox...You need to read the book to find out what happens next. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 4
Snow White lives with her father and stepmother, the queen. Everyone loves Snow White, and the stepmother is jealous of her. Every day the stepmother asks her magic mirror, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?' and the magic mirror tells her she is the fairest of them all. But one day when the stepmother looks into her magic mirror, the mirror says there is a fairer one than she, and the queen knows it is Snow White. In a rage, the queen orders a huntsman to kill Snow White, and to bring her the heart. However, the huntsman takes Snow White into the woods to hide and brings instead the heart of a deer to the queen. Meanwhile, Snow White finds a sweet little house, and once she has tidied it up, and found seven pairs of little shoes, and seven little pickaxes, Snow White falls asleep. She wakes up to find seven dwarfs staring at her. The seven dwarfs are very friendly to Snow White, and she stays on as housekeeper for them. The house is full of laughter. But back at the palace, the queen is staring at her magic mirror, and the clever mirror tells her Snow White is living in the forest.
The bad queen now dresses up as an ugly old woman, and knocks on the door at the dwarfs' house. Snow White opens the door, and unknowingly takes a bite from a rosy red apple that the old woman offers her; the apple is poisoned. Snow White falls into a deep sleep and is placed into a glass coffin, and the dwarfs chase the queen, who falls to her death. But don't worry - Snow White's life is about to change, as a prince is about to pass by. This famous fairytale is German in origin and was published by the Brothers Grimm. The story was made famous by the first animated film from Walt Disney in December 1937 who named the dwarfs. An earlier version by Grimm told it as the king's wife, Snow White's mother who was jealous of Snow White, but the story was changed to make it a stepmother, to tone it down for children. There are similar older fairytales in history in Russia, Albania and Armenia. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
The bad queen now dresses up as an ugly old woman, and knocks on the door at the dwarfs' house. Snow White opens the door, and unknowingly takes a bite from a rosy red apple that the old woman offers her; the apple is poisoned. Snow White falls into a deep sleep and is placed into a glass coffin, and the dwarfs chase the queen, who falls to her death. But don't worry - Snow White's life is about to change, as a prince is about to pass by. This famous fairytale is German in origin and was published by the Brothers Grimm. The story was made famous by the first animated film from Walt Disney in December 1937 who named the dwarfs. An earlier version by Grimm told it as the king's wife, Snow White's mother who was jealous of Snow White, but the story was changed to make it a stepmother, to tone it down for children. There are similar older fairytales in history in Russia, Albania and Armenia. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 5
Three billy goats live by a river and they are brothers, called by everyone the Billy Goats Gruff. Each billy goat looks different to his brother, but they are happy goats. One day they realise they have eaten all the grass in their field, and want to cross the bridge to get to the other side where there is plentiful lush green grass, but a big green troll lives by the bridge, and fights anyone who tries to cross it. When the Three Billy Goats Gruff decide to cross the bridge, to get past the Troll, an exciting day takes place. You need to read the book to find out what happens next. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 6
Once upon a time in a land far away lived a king and queen who had a baby princess. They invited twelve good fairies to come to the christening, and they would help with magic gifts such as beauty and kindness for the baby. But a thirteenth fairy that had been forgotten for years, also showed up. She brought bad wishes and said that when the baby was sixteen, she would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die. The twelfth fairy stepped forward and gave her gift, which was to change the bad fairy's wish into the princess sleeping for 100 years, instead of dying. On her sixteenth birthday, the princess slipped away and in the castle found an old woman spinning, and sure enough, the princess approached, pricked her finger, and fell into a deep sleep. The twelfth good fairy was there too, and cast a spell on everyone in the castle and put them to sleep for as long as the princess slept. And after many years, so it happened that a prince appeared, and cut down the brambles and thorns, and went into the castle where he found the sleeping servants, and princess. And then? You have to read the book to read the ending.
The Sleeping Beauty is based on a very old fable, and takes many forms. The Brothers Grimm recorded it in writing, and the story has been adapted for poems, music, songs, films, plays, novels and ballet. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
The Sleeping Beauty is based on a very old fable, and takes many forms. The Brothers Grimm recorded it in writing, and the story has been adapted for poems, music, songs, films, plays, novels and ballet. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 8
When a little boy finds a solitary egg on the riverbank, he places it on a nest with other eggs. When the eggs crack open, four yellow ducklings hatch, with one that doesn't look like the others. All the ducklings are treated the same way by the mother duck, but soon the one that looks different is called names, and is teased. People call him the 'ugly duckling'. The little duckling runs away to escape the taunts, but is found by a kind man and wife, who nurse him back to health. When the spring comes, the ugly duckling goes to a lake, where he meets some swans, and then finds out who he really is. Read the book to find out the happy surprise at the end. Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish writer whose fairy and traditional stories have been adapted into songs, films and many books, first wrote the story of the ugly duckling. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 9
Rapunzel tells the story of the young princess locked up in the tower who lets down her hair to her rescuer, the prince. This story is retold for young children bu Judy Hamilton, a writer for children.
Book 9
The Princess and the Pea is a traditional story of the prince who is given the best of everything. When the prince's family decide it is time for the prince to get married, they invite many suitable princesses and young charming women to meet the prince, but none of them is princess-perfect enough for him. Then one day a poor girl, bedraggled by the rain and life, appears at the castle door, and she is invited to stay. She has a terrible night's sleep, which proves to the family that the princess is indeed princess enough to marry the prince. What is the key to their discovery? You need to read the book to find out! This is a fun, well-told, happy story with lovely illustrations. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 11
Puss in Boots tells the story of a lowly man who has a talking cat, who has no name, and when the poor man has spent all his money, and has no further chance of getting a job, the talking cat comes to his rescue. The cat asks the man to use the money he has left, and to get him a pair of boots. Once the cat puts on his boots, Puss travels about with his master. He makes a gift of a rabbit to the king, and pretends it is from his master; the cat says his master is the Duke of Carabas. Determined to make his master's fortune, the cat also tricks a giant and manages to get rid of him. The king decides he wants his daughter to marry the cat's owner, and the cat persuades his master to remove his clothes, and dive into the river. When the king stops to help, the cat explains that the Duke had been bathing when robbers took his clothes. The king dresses the Duke in fine clothes, and the princess sees him. You need to read the book to find out if it is a happy ending! As the story is so old and well known, you probably know what happens. Puss in Boots was a European cat story and first written down by an Italian.
The story has been a favourite in the western world for centuries, and is seen as the first main story where an animal and pet helps a human. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
The story has been a favourite in the western world for centuries, and is seen as the first main story where an animal and pet helps a human. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
Book 12
A pretty stork meets a handsome fox at a party and they dance all night. At the end, the fox invites the stork to his house, and to eat the soup he provides in a bowl, which the fox can eat easily but the stork cannot drink with her beak. The stork returns the favour, and invites the fox to eat at her house, but the fox gets an unpleasant surprise when the stork treats the fox as he treated her. This moral tale has been around since the Middle Ages, and teaches the golden rule of conduct - to do to others what one would wish for oneself. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.
The hare in the forest is always boasting, and on this day he says he can run the fastest of all the animals in the forest, and challenges the other animals to a race. None of the others will race him, except the tortoise. The gentle and sensible tortoise sets off in the race, and the hare rushes off, laughing at the tortoise. Most people know how this story ends, and Judy Hamilton tells the story charmingly in this edition. This classic fable is originally by Aesop who lived in Ancient Greece in 620 BC. The story has changed through time, and has many re-tellings, but today we interpret the story as one of using ingenuity and skill to overcome boastful, or difficult people and bullies. The Tarantula Tales are much-loved traditional fairy tales and fables, retold for today with friendly and humorous illustrations, for any time and bedtime. The series is ideal for reading aloud and sharing with 2-4 year olds, and perfect for new readers to tackle alone.