Oscar Wilde - Stories for Children

by Oscar Wilde, Charles Robinson (Illustrator)

Overview

A beautifully illustrated collection of Oscar Wilde's favourite children's tales known and loved throughout the world. It includes:

• The Happy Prince

• The Selfish Giant

• The Nightingale and the Rose

This gorgeous production brings Wilde's magical stories to a whole new generation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847175892
Publisher:	Irish American Book Company
Publication date:	01/04/2014
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	792,371
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 11 Years

About the Author

OSCAR WILDE (1854–1900) was an Irish writer and poet.

Date of Birth:

October 16, 1854

Date of Death:

November 30, 1900

Place of Birth:

Dublin, Ireland

Place of Death:

Paris, France

Education:

The Royal School in Enniskillen, Dublin, 1864; Trinity College, Dublin, 1871; Magdalen College, Oxford, England, 1874

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2014
Gr 3 Up—Three stories penned by Oscar Wilde are included in this book, along with the original illustrations by Charles Robinson. The first tale, "The Happy Prince," is the story of a bejeweled statue and a swallow, who use the statue's ornamentation to improve the lives of people around the city, at their own expense. "The Nightingale and the Rose" tells the tragic tale of a bird who sacrifices her life for true love. "The Selfish Giant" is about a giant who learns the value of opening his garden and his heart to children. The stories show hints of Wilde's signature wit, but their overall tone is very dark, with each tale culminating in a death. The emotional messages in each tale are valuable, like self-sacrifice and empathy, but the plots are not straightforward enough for young readers to easily grasp these lessons. Robinson's turn-of-the-century illustrations beautifully decorate each page, but like the entries, have low kid appeal. These "stories for children" may find more of an audience with adult readers.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT

School Library Journal

2014-02-26
Three of Oscar Wilde's fairy tales for children are republished with gorgeous original art by Robinson. It would be a loss for contemporary children not to have these stories: "The Happy Prince," who sacrifices his entire self to save those who need saving, with the help of a little bird; "The Nightingale and the Rose," another tale of love and sacrifice; and "The Selfish Giant," with its beautiful images of a garden of delight and a child savior. The language is stately and the tales, moral and sentimental, but at their cores, they are about love and how love behaves. The pairings of story and art glow with the truth that love knows no boundaries. The 1888 art is beautifully reproduced in full pages, while the linear, originally black-and-white images have been washed with color. The latter is always a chancy business, as the book's designer, Emma Byrne, acknowledges: "[T]his is a tightrope act, as it is important not to destroy the integrity of the fine linework." It does not seem meretricious in this case; the result is lovely. This is full-blown art nouveau: The watercolors are voluptuous in their sinuous line and delicacy of hue, and even the text pages have shadow patterns beneath their lovely type. Chaste biographies of Wilde and Robinson are appended. With great respect for the past, this edition succeeds in bringing the illustrations into the present. (Fairy tales. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews