Summary
Summary of The Yellow Fairy Book
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Many lands share a storytelling spirit
Andrew Lang brings together country storytellers and famous writers, gathering tales from Russia, Germany, France and other lands alongside Native American stories. His playful preface argues that a story pleasant to read is true enough for children. He even suggests that smoke and schoolmasters have frightened England's fairies away.
The tales have different origins, but they share quick plots, clear heroes and plain rules. Each stands alone, while familiar patterns connect the adventures across their different settings.
Key idea 2
Broken rules set trouble in motion
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Key idea 3
Cleverness gives the weaker a chance
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Key idea 4
Magic power still needs good judgment
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Key idea 5
Small kindnesses can bring unexpected help
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Key idea 6
Faithfulness matters when enchantment sets rules
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Key idea 7
Andersen finds humor in human fears
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Key idea 8
Loss brings a quieter fairy mood
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Key idea 9
Familiar patterns connect the separate adventures
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
You will love this book if you enjoy witches, talking animals and enchanted princes, if you like tales that sound good read aloud, or if you wish to share bedtime stories with a child.
What this book is
What would you do if a soldier's tinderbox could call a dog with eyes as big as a tower? The Yellow Fairy Book, gathered by Andrew Lang, holds tales from Germany, Russia, Greece, Iceland, Hungary, Poland and North America, with stories by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm among them. You meet witches, talking animals, enchanted princes and a girl no bigger than a thumb. Each story is short and moves fast. First, here is how Lang chose them.
In this summary
- 1Lang gathers tales from many landsFree
- 2Greed and broken promises bring trouble
- 3Quick wits defeat bigger and stronger foes
- 4Magic objects give power and temptation
- 5Kindness to animals is repaid
- 6Enchanted princes wait for a faithful heart
- 7Andersen adds gentle, witty stories
- 8Northern and Native American tales add chill
- 9How to read the tales aloud
Key point 1 of 9
Lang gathers tales from many lands
Andrew Lang edited the Yellow Fairy Book as one more in his series of colored fairy books. He argues in his preface that any story pleasant to read is true enough for children. He gathers tales from Russia, Germany, France, Iceland, Hungary, Poland and Greece, adds stories from the Iroquois and other Native American peoples, and includes literary tales by Hans Christian Andersen and Madame D'Aulnoy.
The preface is playful. Lang teases the president of the Folk Lore Society, who thinks too many fairy books appear, and he says he knows people who have heard fairy music in the Scottish Highlands. He adds that in England the fairies have been frightened away by smoke and schoolmasters.
The result is a mixed shelf of stories. Some come from country storytellers, others from famous writers, and all share quick plots, clear heroes and plain rules. Each tale stands alone, so you can open the book anywhere and begin.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
Why do warnings near the start of these tales matter?
Right. “Listen for the warning near the start of each story, because it nearly always comes back.”Not quite. “Listen for the warning near the start of each story, because it nearly always comes back.”
What gives weaker characters an advantage against stronger opponents?
Right. “The lesson is that cleverness and friends matter more than size.”Not quite. “The lesson is that cleverness and friends matter more than size.”
What drives the court's behavior in The Emperor's New Clothes?
Right. “Fear of looking foolish drives the whole court.”Not quite. “Fear of looking foolish drives the whole court.”
Who’s who
- The sister
- The sister in The Six Swans must rescue her enchanted brothers through silence and patient endurance.
- The brothers
- The brothers in The Six Swans suffer an enchantment that their sister works quietly to overcome.
- The emperor
- The emperor loves fine clothing and trusts men who claim to make an extraordinary fabric.
- Cat
- Cat sets up a shared household with Mouse, placing their partnership between trust and appetite.
- Mouse
- Mouse shares a household and stored food with Cat, whose interests may differ from a companion's.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 113,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 7 h 30 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about The Yellow Fairy Book
What is The Yellow Fairy Book about?
It is a collection of fairy tales from many countries, edited by Andrew Lang. It includes stories by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, Russian and Icelandic folk tales, and Native American stories, full of witches, magic and talking animals.
Which Hans Christian Andersen stories are in the Yellow Fairy Book?
Andersen's tales here include The Emperor's New Clothes, Thumbelina, The Nightingale, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Swineherd, The Tinderbox, Big Klaus and Little Klaus, How to Tell a True Princess and A Story About a Darning Needle.
Are the stories in The Yellow Fairy Book true?
They are fairy tales, so they are not true accounts. In the preface, Lang says they are printed for entertainment. Some come from old folk traditions, others from writers such as Andersen, and they were gathered in the 1890s.
Is the Yellow Fairy Book good for children?
Its stories are short, with clear heroes, simple rules and memorable rhymes, so they suit reading aloud. Lang addressed the book to children, and each tale can be enjoyed on its own at bedtime.
What is the Magic Ring in the Yellow Fairy Book?
It is a Russian-style tale in which a poor man named Martin rescues a dog and a cat and receives a ring from an underground king. Tossing it from hand to hand summons twelve young helpers.
