8 h 54 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your only hope lies in strange beans, a dangerous bargain, or the wit to fool a giant?
In English Fairy Tales, Flora Annie Webster Steel retells old English folk stories with quick action and a storyteller's ear. Jack trades the family cow for strange beans and enters a giant's world. In Tom Tit Tot, a young woman bargains with a small black imp, then needs her wits to face the terms.
Elsewhere, Henny Penny sets off to warn the king that the sky is falling, while Dick Whittington heads to London hoping to make his fortune. Molly Whuppie faces danger with courage and cunning. Beneath the magic lie familiar worries: too little food, leaving home for work, and promises that carry a price.
What you’ll discover
- Bargains with a bite Meet strange helpers whose tempting offers turn an ordinary problem into a dangerous test.
- Small heroes, huge enemies Follow Jack into a giant's house, where a poor boy's courage faces an enormous challenge.
- Courage and quick thinking Discover girls like Molly Whuppie and Cap o' Rushes, who meet hardship with good sense.
- Folly worth laughing at Enjoy foolish husbands, frightened animals, and people whose cleverness leads them in the wrong direction.
- The rhythm of storytelling Feel the pull of short sentences, swift action, tricks, and the familiar test of three.
Who will love it
For anyone who loves bedtime stories, folklore and rhymes, and for parents, teachers and storytellers who want tales to read aloud with funny voices and sharp little surprises.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The book opens with a knight nobody can buy
- A careless bargain can cost you everything
- Jack is the hero of many different adventures
- Clever girls win by wit and kindness
- Jealous stepmothers and angry parents drive the plots
- Fools and wise fools make people laugh
- Chains of repetition build the best-known tales
- Magic runs on rules, and rules can be broken
- The tales are made to be heard
Who’s who
- JackA quick, lucky lad who stars in many tales and trades a cow for beans, tricks giants and seeks his fortune.
- Molly WhuppieThe boldest of three sisters abandoned in a forest, she asks for supper at a giant's house despite her sisters' fears.
- Tom ThumbA tiny boy, born by a wizard's promise, who gets into scrapes and finds a place at King Arthur's court.
- Dick WhittingtonA poor orphan who goes to London for gold and finds hardship, a cat and the chance of a lifetime.
- Childe RowlandThe youngest brother, who sets out for Elfland with two rules from Merlin to rescue his sister Burd Helen.
- CaporushesA rich gentleman's youngest daughter, sent away for an honest answer, who hides in a robe of rushes and works as a scullery maid.
- Lady MaryA spirited bride-to-be who secretly visits the castle of the charming Mr. Fox because he never invites her there.
- St. GeorgeA knight raised by an enchantress, who refuses her gifts and sets out to fight a dragon in Egypt.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 54 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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English Fairy Tales
by Flora Annie Webster Steel · 1918
A boy trades a cow for beans, a girl bargains with an imp, and a knight faces a dragon in tales from England.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
What would you give a giant for a bag of gold, a hen that lays golden eggs, or a harp that sings? In English Fairy Tales, Flora Annie Webster Steel gathers dozens of old stories, from Jack and the Beanstalk to The Three Little Pigs, Tom-Tit-Tot and Mr. Fox.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The book opens with a knight nobody can buy
The first tale, St. George of Merrie England, sets the mood of adventure. The enchantress Kalyb raises a baby marked with a dragon, a red cross and a golden garter. When he is fourteen, she tries to keep him with gifts instead of force.
She shows him six captive champions of Christendom, a swift horse named Bayard, armor that no weapon can pierce, the sword Ascalon and her own magic wand. He refuses the first three offers, then takes the wand and uses it against her. Then he uses her wand on a great rock and shows what her cruelty has hidden inside it.
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What is English Fairy Tales about?
It collects dozens of traditional English stories, including Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, Tom-Tit-Tot, Mr. Fox and Dick Whittington. They feature giants, witches, clever girls, foolish men and talking animals, in stories full of danger, humor and magic.
Which stories are in English Fairy Tales?
The book includes St. George of Merrie England, Tom-Tit-Tot, Jack the Giant-Killer, Henny-Penny, The Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Childe Rowland, The Red Ettin, Molly Whuppie, The Rose Tree and the Gotham tales, among many others.
Is English Fairy Tales good for reading aloud?
The tales suit reading aloud. They are short, with repeated lines, rhymes and sound words that invite voices and joining in. Children enjoy the refrains in Henny-Penny, The Three Little Pigs and The Old Woman and Her Pig.
The author
Flora Annie Webster Steel
1847–1929 · British novelist
Flora Annie Steel, born Webster, was a British writer born in England in 1847. She lived in India from 1867 to 1889, then returned to Britain. She wrote novels, stories, and works about Indian history. Her books include On the Face of the Waters (1896) and English Fairy Tales (1918). She died in 1929.
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