I first encountered The Ugly Duckling from a Danny Kaye record. It's the only one of the stories that I recall hearing in this way, a combination of story and song. I can remember being utterly puzzled by the story, since even at this age I knew that ducklings grew up...

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a tale about a little girl who gets lost in a forest and ends up in the home of three bears (traditionally portrayed as Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear). She sits at the table (where the chairs are too large, too small and finally...

As a child, I always loved the story of Rapunzel. I read it at an age when I still had long hair, and this story of an imprisoned princess who lets down her hair to allow access to her presence captivated me. Maybe it was the realisation that my hair would never be as...