Fairy Tales for Fearless Girls is definitely a collection of short stories I would recommend.

Each story has it's own feminist tone on it and they are from various different cultures. 

The illustrations were beautiful and really capture the air of an old folk fairy tale.

*Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

What a great collection of different fairy tales that can be read in place of your typical stories where there's always a happy ending involving marriage (I know that some fairy tales do not end happily...). 

Some stories weren't as engaging, which is expected, but others showcased strong characters that were independent and chose their own destinies.

Highly recommend!

I so badly wanted this book to be a good read; however, it fell far below my expectations. The introduction, for apparent reasons, resonated with me because there is a lack of fairy tales with brave and fearless women in them. The book has beautiful pictures, but the content itself needs work. The tales are haphazardly written and jump around a lot. The tales lack overall finesse and don't give enough detail about the characters within the stories to make them compelling and exciting. I had more questions about minor characters and their magical powers than anything else. It is difficult to give a healthy level of detail with short stories, but ultimately, the stories felt unfinished.

Interesting illustrations for old folk stories from around the world.  While the stories were highly cut down to fit in a children's book, they still told the basics to the tales.  These are not common tales told in America so could be an interesting gift for someone that enjoys different folk tales.

"Fairy Tales for Fearless Girls" is a collection of lesser-known fairytales with strong female protagonists. I liked the idea of this collection and I think they offer a nice alternative to more traditional fairytales.
Unfortunately, the stories were rather repetitive and a little rushed in places.

This is the type of book in the type of story is that I wish I would have had access to as a kid. Each story features a strong clever young girl/ lady that does the unexpected or bucks the traditional Norm and I really appreciate the fact this book.

And they live freely, happily ever after, without restraint or narrowly defined roles...

Yes Anita! These words and this book fills me with such hope and happiness that I want to put it in the hands of every young girl and boy I meet.

Inspired by and written for fierce and fearless girls everywhere, this beautifully illustrated fairy tale collections is as equally charming as it is empowering. An absolute must read!

Such an empowering, charming book. The stories are written well and will make for an excellent bedtime read.

A cute little book of fairy tales. My daughter might be a little young to appreciate these years, but I really enjoyed the tales from around the world. A good addition to kids' steady diet of Disney and toned-down Grimm.

Not all princesses wait around to be saved by a prince. Some heroines can defeat the dragon themselves. And that's the beautiful point that Fairy Tales for Fearless Girls wants to make.

This is a selection of various stories where the hero, always a girl, shows great courage and intelligence, winning what they want on their own, while in the same time defining their own happiness. It's a very well-written book, full of beautiful adventures that children won't be able to wait to embark on!

I may be a mother of a young boy, but I was a young girl once. I loved fairy tales, and still do- but so many reinforce the resourcefulness of the youngest son, with women being either the hag to be outsmarted or the princess to marry. These tales are varied- sometimes they are pure adventure, sometimes plucky wit, and occasionally there is a marriage and happily ever after. In every case, girls and women have agency and accomplish their goals. I enjoyed it thoroughly- as did my son! The lovely illustrations added to the enjoyment and sometimes helped situate the culture of the tale- but I loved that no matter the culture, the heroines were fearless indeed.

This was a fantastic read - one that I will definitely come back to with the children I work with. I have seen others recommend it for those with daughters but I would encourage those with sons to read it with them even more. The messages are important and only by sending these messages early in life can we hope to make change. I will be recommending this to everyone!

This has some great stories and a few great images. Nice if you want some nice girl power stories that take place around the world. A good collection if you want stories that have a girl as a lead.

Classic fairytales with strong and smart female protagonists. Words are not challenging and make this book ideal for lower prep children or even younger reader as bedtime stories with their parents.

I love fairy tales and this is a wonderful collection of fairy tales and folklore from around the world showing the power of girls and young women.

The stories are all well written and each tale flowed quite nicely together to create a well represented and international reading experience. I enjoyed the feminist leanings along with diverse cultural viewpoints and traditions explored in the work. A perfect book to teach children about the different parts of the world in a fun way.

I believe that we should never stop narrating the so-called ‘’classic’’ fairy tales of our childhood. Yes, for many (including me) Cinderella and the rest of the squad may seem outdated but it’s the way you tell a story and how you explain its message that matters. If parents have neither the time nor the inclination to do that, then even the finest, fiercest tale is wasted. However, times call for discovery and reimagining, icons and roles aren’t firmly established anymore. Thank God for that. Now, there is an abundance of collections aiming to a younger audience, dedicated to lesser-known heroines from all over the world that prove we can’t just wait for the prince that was promised. So, let us take fate into our hands. This is the most important message we need to pass to the younger generations. Fairy Tales for Fearless Girls succeeds in that field. Diverse heroines, from every corner of the world, intelligent, determined and wise.

But we should also repeat the word ‘’respect’’ until our tongue stiffens. Respect is something our world lacks today and respect is absent from the Introduction of the collection. It is written as if a petulant, spoiled child decided to write a school essay full of Internet memes. Being independent, daring and feisty doesn’t equal being rude. Another problem was the writing or retelling itself. I know that middle - grade children are the target group of the collection but I don’t think that simplifying the language is beneficial. Children are intelligent (unlike us adults) and when we try to converse with them as if they were babies, they realize it and, trust me, they don’t like it at all.

These are the tales included.

The Tale of Brave Bradamante and Her Amazing Flying Horse: Bradamante is the bravest knight of the kingdom. No one can defeat her and she falls in love with a worthy knight. However, she has to fight against evil forces that threaten her and her beloved. A tale of a fearless girl from France.

Atalanta The Fleet-Footed Huntress: I believe the Greek myth of Atalanta is well known to most of us. The princess, who was abandoned in the woods to die, was raised by a bear and became an unbeatable huntress and runner, defeated a wild boar and became a legend.

Nana Miriam and the Horrible Hippopotamus: A strong girl wants to save her village from a dangerous hippo. A tale from West Africa.

The Amazing Adventures of Tokoyo: A young woman wants to visit her father, an exiled Samurai. What Tokoyo doesn’t know is that she will need to face a monster that enjoys eating young maidens. A tale from Japan.

How Little Molly Whuppie Outwitted the Giant: Molly and her two sisters are left in the woods by their parents. Their hunger leads them in front of a giant’s house and Molly’s adventures begin. A tale from England.

How Mizilca Tricked a Sultan and Saved Her Father from Disgrace: Mizilca shows that intelligence and bravery walk hand-in-hand and neither sultans nor dragons are a match for a girl who is clever and ready to stand her ground. A tale from Romania.

Tatterhood and Dacia: A lovely Norwegian tale of twin girls who were very different but equally brave and loyal to each other. Tatterhood is an icon.

Princess Imani and the Magic Fan: A boring, repetitive, unoriginal tale from India.

Maada and the Mountain Dweller: Maada and her little sister run away from suitors and an oppressive mother. They face challenges and meet an impressive young man. And Maada shows what it means to refuse to change to what is ‘’proper’’ and ‘’acceptable’’. A tale of the Haida people from Canada.

Sumac and the Search for the Magic Lake: A girl’s kindness, intelligence and perseverance lead her to a lake with the ability to heal. A beautiful tale of the Incas.

Feng Mian, the Head of the Family: This one troubled me. It is a combination of two well known Japanese tales, the creation of the lantern and the fan, and the mind games between a young bride and an elder of the community. Although these are slightly different versions, Ganeri places both in China and to my knowledge, this is not correct. This inaccuracy was jarring to me but otherwise, it is a beautiful story.

Unanana and the Elephant: A widow fights an elephant to save her children and helps an entire village in the process. An unusual, fascinating Zulu tale from South Africa. 

The Warrior Queen and the Wizard: Hello there, beloved Maria Morevna! Her wit and kind nature defeat Koschei the Deathless and Baba Yaga and rescue her beloved Ivan. This is only one version of the story. The problem with this one was the inaccuracy of the illustrations. This is a Medieval legend and yet, Maria and Ivan are dressed in early 20th century clothes. Then, Maria is seen in traditional dresses. Are we aiming to educate children or to confuse them with mistakes?

Fallon, the Girl from the Northland: Fallon refuses to get married to a man chosen by her mother. She doesn’t bow to ambitions and uses her strength to forge her own future. This story can be found in certain versions of the epic Kalevala and I cannot stomach the use of the word ‘’okay’’.

The Princess, the Merchants, and the Very Unusual Cupboard: Amina won’t accept any merchant who wishes to wed her and use her as a commodity. A beautiful, funny tale from Sudan.

The illustrations by Khoa Le were beautiful and vivid. 

Sadly, I am not fully satisfied with this collection. While I appreciated the presentation of the themes associated with the tales, the theme of the arranged marriage quickly became repetitive and I don’t know why there was such an emphasis on such a detrimental subject that doesn’t concern children anyway. However, I loved the message that kindness and intelligence always pay off, along with respecting Nature and its creatures. In my opinion, this needed a better writer and a more thorough research. Would I buy it for my future children? I would but I’d definitely modify its overly simplistic language. Repeat after me: children aren’t idiots.

Many thanks to Arcturus Publishing Ltd and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

My grand-daughter and I read this book together and she loved it.  It is so refreshing to see some new stories about fearless , kick-ass girls, these girls are strong and plucky, self assured and confident; just what you want every girl to be.  the stories were wonderful  tales from all over the world.  She loved the illustrations, and this was the book we read every night, she was sad when it was over and I know for sure I will be buying a copy of this book in print.  The stories were just the perfect length for bedtime, and sometimes we reads an extra story snuggled up on the couch.

What a fabulous collection of stories for the modern girl! These are princesses who save themselves, who don’t need a strong, handsome prince and who easily outwit the bad guys! Very much 21st century tales told in the style of traditional fairy tales and fables - I particularly enjoyed ‘How Little Molly Whoopie Outwitted the Giant’  and ‘Unanana and the Elephant.’
I very much enjoyed this read and as soon as it comes out I’ll be buying a copy or two for the strong little princesses in my life, and I recommend that you do too!
I received a free ARC from Netgalley in return for a fair review.

I've read a few of these tales and I enjoy fairy tales very much, but I'm really sure these ones aren't for me. They are written for a newer age of strong girls. It wasn't that they weren't well written, or interesting, they were, and I liked the addition of being inclusive of different cultures. but I like the traditional ones best. However, it would make a nice new addition to a fairy tale collection.