In about the year 1900, in a pleasant old town by the sea, lived a lad who was very, very fond of fairy tales. When he had read all the fairy-books which his parents and his uncles and his cousins and his sisters and his aunts had been kind enough to give him, he turned to the town library and read every single fairy tale he could find mentioned in the catalogue. But there was an end even to this treasure; and, finally, a day came when the fairy-tale lover could find no new tales to read. Every Christmas he would peek at the new books in the bookshops, only to find the same old stories printed, with new pictures, meant to please grown-ups. What could be the matter? Had the fairies all gone away, or locked the doors of Fairyland? Where, where, where were the new stories, and why, why, why didn’t people write them?
Some years passed. One pleasant summer day, as the fairy-tale lover sat reading a book beneath the low spreading branches of an oak tree, he heard a hum of wings, and looking up startled from his book, he discovered the Fairy Goldenwand standing close by.
‘Are you still seeking new fairy tales?’ asked the Fairy Goldenwand.
‘Yes, ‘ said the reader.
‘Will you write them down if I tell you some really new ones?’ said the Fairy.
‘Oh yes, indeed, ‘ said the reader. ‘And I’ll put them into a book; and next Saturday Mr. Day, the artist, will come down; we shall have tea here under the oak tree, –do you like hot buttered toast?–and you must tell him all about the fashions in Fairyland.’
‘Oh, that will be fine!’ said the Fairy Goldenwand. ‘I knew you wouldn’t mind my appearing so suddenly. Ever so many things have happened in Fairyland since the last books were written, and we all think it’s a dreadful shame that children haven’t heard about them. Just imagine boys and girls not knowing about the adventures of the Prince in Lantern Land! Shall I tell you the story?’
And that’s the way the author heard about the Shepherd of Clouds, Florian, Marianna, Giles, Bobo, and all the other new friends. That you may long enjoy their adventures is the wish of. In addition, the 13 illustrations by Maurice E. Day bring an added depth to the stories and to the reader.
So, now you know how the stories in this book came to be.
The stories that Fairy Goldenwand gave the Fairy Tale Lover are:
The Queen Of Lantern Land
The Adventures Of Florian
The Seller Of Dreams
The Treasure Castle
Prince Sneeze
Marianna
The Lost Half-Hour
The Enchanted Elm
The Bird-Boy
The Master Mariner
The Marvelous Dog And The Wonderful Cat
The Shepherd Of Clouds
The City Under The Sea
10% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities by the publisher,
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TAGS: Folklore, fairy tales, myths, legends, children’s stories, bedtime, childrens, fables, firelight, camp fire, fireplace, queen, lantern land, adventures, Florian, seller, dreams, treasure, castle, prince sneeze, Marianna, lost, half-hour, enchanted elm, bird-boy, master mariner, marvellous, dog, wonderful cat, shepherd, clouds, city under the sea, Prince, princess, king, queen, journey, caverns, Over hill, over dale, follow, magic ball, dream cost, Peter, golden florin, three rogues, locked, flying room, chest of secrets, black stone, world, yellow bird, dragon’s mouth, widest, maiden, watch woodcutter, wood, birthday, gray bird, Splash, fell, sea, lessons, Giles, task, open the door, cloud-bowl, three days, Merchant, pursue, ship, fiery sails
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