Now a Musical with Music from Tori Amos! “One day [the prince] lost sight of his retinue in a great forest. These forests are very useful in delivering princes from their courtiers, like a sieve that keeps back the bran. Then the princes get away to follow their fortunes. In this they have the advantage of the princesses, who are forced to marry before they have had a bit of fun. I wish our princesses got lost in a forest sometimes.” ― George MacDonald, The Light Princess When a princess is cursed to lose her "gravity" she loses both her wit and her ability to keep her feet on the ground. This short (43 page) novel makes an enjoyable read for children and adults alike. In this book, a familiar fairy tale (Sleeping Beauty) is twisted into a funny, lyrical and wise story about a young princess who saves the prince. This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it.

George MacDonald occupied a major position in the intellectual life of his Victorian contemporaries. This volume brings together all eleven of his shorter fairy stories as well as his essay "The Fantastic Imagination". The subjects are those of traditional fantasy: good and wicked fairies, children embarking on elaborate quests, and journeys into unsettling dreamworlds. Within this familiar imaginative landscape, his children's stories were profoundly experimental, questioning the association of childhood with purity and innocence, and the need to separate fairy tale wonder from adult scepticism and disbelief.

A collection of eight of the best-loved fairy tale princess stories from around the world.

Her atrocious aunt had deprived the child of all her gravity. If you ask me how this was effected, I answer, "In the easiest way in the world. She had only to destroy gravitation." For the princess was a philosopher, and knew all the ins and outs of the laws of gravitation as well as the ins and outs of her boot-lace. And being a witch as well, she could abrogate those laws in a moment; or at least so clog their wheels and rust their bearings, that they would not work at all. But we have more to do with what followed than with how it was done.The first awkwardness that resulted from this unhappy privation was, that the moment the nurse began to float the baby up and down, she flew from her arms towards the ceiling. Happily, the resistance of the air brought her ascending career to a close within a foot of it. There she remained, horizontal as when she left her nurse's arms, kicking and laughing amazingly. The nurse in terror flew to the bell, and begged the footman, who answered it, to bring up the house-steps directly. Trembling in every limb, she climbed upon the steps, and had to stand upon the very top, and reach up, before she could catch the floating tail of the baby's long clothes.When the strange fact came to be known, there was a terrible commotion in the palace. The occasion of its discovery by the king was naturally a repetition of the nurse's experience. Astonished that he felt no weight when the child was laid in his arms, he began to wave her up and-not down, for she slowly ascended to the ceiling as before, and there remained floating in perfect comfort and satisfaction, as was testified by her peals of tiny laughter. The king stood staring up in speechless amazement, and trembled so that his beard shook like grass in the wind. At last, turning to the queen, who was just as horror-struck as himself, he said, gasping, staring, and stammering, -"She can't be ours, queen!"Now the queen was much cleverer than the king, and had begun already to suspect that "this effect defective came by cause

Journey through a magical realm where talking animals, wicked stepmothers, and brave princes weave tales of wonder and adventure. Rediscover the timeless magic of classic fairy stories, brought to life with vivid storytelling. From the depths of the ocean to towering castles, let these enchanting narratives transport you to faraway lands. Lose yourself in a world of folklore and fantasy – perfect for dreamers of all ages.

A brave young princess sets out on a dangerous adventure to rescue both her mother and her baby son in this traditional tale from Brazil new in our series of first chapter books for early readers. AGES: 6+ AUTHOR: Mary Finch has loved folk and fairy stories since she was a child. She has also written 'The Little Red Hen' and 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' for Barefoot Books. She has two daughters and two grandchildren, and lives in Bath, UK. ILLUSTRATOR Martina Peluso was born and grew up in Naples, Italy and now lives in Scotland. She's wanted to be an illustrator since childhood, and dreams of opening windows onto the world with her drawings and paintings. This is her first project with Barefoot Books. SELLING POINTS: * Brazilian folktale: traditional Brazilian story brought to life against lush rainforest background * Strong women: princess stories series features clever, courageous princesses of all kinds from cultures around the world * Multigenerational: tale spans three generations and celebrates family bonds * Early reader series: carefully chosen vocabulary and simple sentences, combined with vibrant and fun illustrations, ease emerging readers into the world of chapter books Colour illustrations

A king and queen have a daughter and invite everyone to the christening except the King's sister Princess Makemnoit, a spiteful and sour woman. She arrives without an invitation and curses the princess to have no gravity. Whenever the princess accidentally moves up in the air, she has to be brought down, and the wind is capable of carrying her off. As she grows, she never cries, and never can be brought to see the serious side of anything. She passionately loves swimming, and when she swims, she regains her gravity. This leads to the proposal that if she could be brought to cry, it might break the curse. But nothing can induce her to cry. This wonderful tale is clearly a precursors to Sleeping Beauty. Also included in this volume are the stories The Giant's Heart and The Golden Key.