Collected Stories for Children facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Walter de la Mare |
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| Illustrator |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's fantasy short stories, fairy tales |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
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Publication date
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1947 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 437 pp (first edition) |
| OCLC | 53052613 |
| LC Class | PZ7.D3724 Co |
Collected Stories for Children is a special book filled with 17 exciting fantasy stories and original fairy tales. It was written by Walter de la Mare, a famous British author. The book was first published in 1947 by Faber and Faber.
This collection is very important because it won the annual Carnegie Medal. This award is given to the best children's book written by a British author each year. Collected Stories for Children was the first collection of stories to win this award. It was also the first time that stories published before were considered for the prize.
Discover the Stories in This Collection
This book has 17 different stories. Each one takes you on a unique adventure. Here are some of the tales you'll find:
- Dick and the Beanstalk: Imagine if Jack's old beanstalk was still there! Dick finds it and climbs up. He discovers a land of giants who remember Jack.
- The Dutch Cheese: A young farmer is very stubborn. He upsets the playful fairies in the woods. His sister must then talk to them to make things peaceful again.
- A Penny a Day: A small dwarf offers to help a young girl with her chores. But his help comes with a price!
- The Scarecrow: An old man shares a magical memory with his niece. He tells her about the time he saw a fairy sitting on a scarecrow.
- The Three Sleeping Boys of Warwickshire: Three young chimney-sweeps have a cruel boss. They escape him in their dreams. But their souls get stuck, and they fall into a deep, enchanted sleep for 53 years!
- The Lovely Myfanwy: A loving father keeps his beautiful daughter almost like a prisoner. But news of her beauty still travels far and wide.
- Lucy: Three older sisters face tough times and lose their money. But the youngest sister finds she actually likes her new, simpler life better.
- Miss Jemima: An old lady tells her granddaughter a story from her youth. She almost left with a fairy a long, long time ago.
- The Magic Jacket: A kind admiral gives his lucky jacket to a young street artist. This jacket had brought him great success.
- The Lord Fish: A lazy young man loves to fish. He wanders into a strange land. There, he meets a girl who is half-fish! Then, he turns into a fish himself.
- The Old Lion: A sailor in Africa gets an amazing monkey. This monkey becomes a huge star on stage in London.
- Broomsticks: An old lady starts to feel suspicious about her beloved cat.
- Alice's Godmother: Alice's very old godmother offers to share her secret for living such a long life.
- The Maria-Fly: Maria has a very unusual experience with a fly. She tries to tell people, but no one understands what she felt.
- Visitors: Tom sees some strange birds. These birds change his life forever.
- Sambo and the Snow Mountains: Sambo tries every kind of medicine he can find. He wants to become white.
- The Riddle: Some children play with an old wooden chest. They had been warned to stay far away from it.
Meet the Illustrators
The first edition of Collected Stories for Children was illustrated by Irene Hawkins. She had already drawn pictures for some of Walter de la Mare's earlier books. People really liked her work. One reviewer in 1948 said that Irene Hawkins could "interpret his work so perfectly." Her drawings made the book even more charming.
Later, for the 1957 edition, new illustrations were created by Robin Jacques. He was also a very respected illustrator, especially known for his fairy-tale drawings. Many people think his line-drawings for this book are some of his best. They really show the cozy and simple feeling of de la Mare's stories.
