A sumptuous treasury of original fairytales from the brothers Grimm, introduced by award-winning author Cornelia Funke and with full colour illustrations by artists Quentin Blake, Raymond Briggs, Axel Scheffler, Oliver Jeffers, Helen Oxenbury and Emma Chichester Clark celebrating the bicentenary of the first volume of Grimms' original fairytales. From the land of fantastical castles, vast lakes and deep forests, the Brothers Grimm collected a treasury of enchanting folk and fairy stories full of giants and dwarfs, witches and princesses, magical beasts and cunning children. From classics such as 'The Frog Prince' and 'Hansel and Grettel' to the delights of 'Ashputtel' - the original Cinderella - all hold a timeless magic which has enthralled children for generations. Illustrators Quentin Blake, Raymond Briggs, Axel Scheffler, Helen Oxenbury, and Oliver Jeffers have each chosen their personal favourite fairytale to illustrate, and their individual styles make this a unique treasury for all the family to share. Contains over 50 original fairytales, collected and written by Jacob Ludwig Carol Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786-1859), universally known as 'the brothers Grimm'. Born in the German state of Hesse, their ambition was to collect traditional tales in order to preserve Germany's heritage. They published two volumes in 1812 and 1814 which include some of the best-known fairy tales of all time, such as 'Tom Thumb' and 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'. Grimms' original fairytales - some dark and scary, others light and fun - are the foundation of many favourite picture books today. This beautiful treasury is published to celebrate the bicentenary of the first volume of Grimms' original fairytales, and includes full page colour plates by today's top children's book illustrators.