Old French Fairy Tales

An ostrich-drawn carriage, an enchanted forest of flowering lilacs and a coachman tempted by sweets introduce a world where small weaknesses can have large consequences. Sophie Ségur's collection of French fairy tales opens with Princess Blondine, whose father's second marriage brings a jealous queen into her life. The queen sees an opportunity in the young coachman's appetite, while the king tries to protect his daughter from the dangers around her.

The collection also includes Good Little Henry, Princess Rosette, The Little Grey Mouse and Ourson. In the mouse story, Rosalie discovers that the creature she has released is a powerful fairy and her father's enemy. A burning broom and water turned into milk make the encounter both strange and alarming. These stories join magical incidents to direct lessons about kindness, obedience and the consequences of curiosity. Readers interested in older children's storytelling will find royal households, animal figures and sharply drawn moral choices.