This slim volume caught my eye because the author listed on the cover is Angela Carter. I didn't read the synopsis on the back really...other than that she adapted Perrault's fairy tales. Being relatively familiar with Carter's other work, I was hoping for more scintillating and perverse adaptations, but these seemed pretty much run-of-the-mill to me. In that respect, this was just OK. However, there were a few of the fairy tales with which I was not familiar, so that was nice to add to the ol' backlog. I hadn't given much thought to how long it has been since I've read any fairy tales until I read this book, and I found the sometimes-inconsistent themes and sometimes-meandering plots pretty fascinating over and above the sometimes-goofy morals included at the end of each story. I know that folklore was often intended to serve as some sort of mandate on behavior and moral code for children (once upon a time), but I wonder anymore if these "oldies" are just too quaint to scare a child into obeying his or her parents or to never talk to strangers. I certainly can't recall learning any real life lessons from reading fairy tales as a child--I loved them, but they were pretty much just wild entertainment for me. Of course, the wisdom intended in some of the stories is obvious, but after reading this, I am kind of tempted to read up on the psychology and sociology that might not appear so glaringly.... (*sigh* all I need is another self-imposed homework assignment)