Traditional fairytales hold untold treasures both for children and adult readers. Unfortunately however, finding a good rendition of the stories of our ancestors is difficult, particularly so in English. There are many books published of traditional tales to be sure, but the majority of them do not retain the splendour of these stories. I would avoid many of these books because they give readers the wrong impression about fairytales.

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Thankfully, there exist some worthwhile collections and translations of traditional fairytales. Virginia Haviland has published several books retelling traditional tales from around the world. These are to be cherished.

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This particular book is from a series of books by Haviland and tells stories gathered from the canon of Czech and Slovak traditional tales. It is well told, beautifully illustrated and maintains the magic and strength of these stories. They are written for children but an adult will certainly benefit from them also. Reading fairytales from other countries is an excellent way to get a feeling for other cultures and other ways of seeing the world. Slavic fairytales in general are remarkable. They are rich with deep human themes.

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If you cannot find this particular book, get other fairytale collections by Virginia Haviland.