LONDON.- Fairy Tales celebrates the iconic heroes, villains and fantastical creatures that populate the captivating worlds of fairy tales. Young children and their families will travel through a mysterious forest and an enchanted palace to discover the characters, creatures and ideas that shape magical stories and their retellings. From encounters with powerful spells and curses, to the iconic heroes and villains from across storytelling cultures, Fairy Tales will encourage children and their parents or carers to explore the wonders of the fairy tale world.

Visitors will begin their journey in a cosy cottage with a crackling hearth, where they will discover the oral storytelling origins of fairy tales. Here children will explore the breadth and wealth of storytelling traditions as shown by a collection of French stories in Histoires du temps passé by Charles Perrault, a beautiful illustration by Mervyn Peake for an edition of Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm and folk tales from around the world including the fascinating stories of Anansi and other cunning trickster characters. Children will also re-discover the origins of their favourite stories through historic manuscripts and early printed editions, including a depiction of the legend of Mulan.

Leaving the comforts of the cottage behind, visitors will enter the deep dark woods, where they will encounter heroes and villains from Little Red Riding Hood and other tales. Through examples from old favourites such as Goldilocks and Rapunzel and contemporary retellings including Zombierella writtenby Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Freya Hartas, this section of the exhibition questions and challenges how the representation of fairy tale characters has evolved over time. Visitors will marvel over colourful pop-up books inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, and see puppets of Kai and Gerda from the Little Angel Theatre’s production of The Snow Queen, relive the adventures of Hansel and Gretel through a printed edition of the tale illustrated by Kay Nielsen and peek into Goldilocks’ letter to Mr and Mrs Bear, from The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. This section also features a walk-through gingerbread house from the tale of Hansel and Gretel and a dressing-up area where young visitors will be able to transform into their favourite fairy tale character.

Following their journey through the woods, families will arrive in a royal palace where they will discover the different forms of magic that exist within the world of fairy tales, from spells and curses to fantastical objects. Beginning with a copy of Cinderella illustrated by Arthur Rackham, visitors will be guided through stories filled with fairy godmothers, enchanted porridge pots, flying horses and fairy tale wishes, including: the reproductions of Disney sketches and concept artwork from Cinderella; original illustrations by Quentin Blake; a copy of Vasilisa the Beautiful illustrated by IvanBilibin and a copy of The Fisherman and his Wife by Eric Carle, creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. While exploring fairy tale magic, children and their families will also come across interactive magical objects, including witches’ potions and a genie’s lamp.

From the palace families will step in to a ‘far far away land’ where they will be introduced to the world of magical creatures that inhabit fairy tales, from talking bears and cats to selkies, mermaids, trolls and dragons. Families will delve into books and illustrations that feature magical beasts and shapeshifters including Beauty and the Beast illustrated by Walter Crane, a fold-out book of the Three Bears’ House and a beautiful manuscript illustration of a dragon from the Persian legend, thestory of Darab. As they travel through the exhibition, visitors will come across an interactive troll bridge and a breakfast table set up for the Three Bears.

Fairy Tales culminates in a ‘happily ever after’ inspired ending, where families can read through their favourite stories together, while marvelling at iconic tales from the British Library’s collection, such as the original manuscript of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground by Lewis Carroll. The final section of Fairy Tales encourages younger visitors to reflect on the infinite potential of storytelling and how magical tales continue to be retold and reimagined.

Laura Walker, Lead Curator Modern Archives and Manuscripts at the British Library said: ‘The exhibition invites families to explore the world of fairy tales through beautiful items drawn from the Library’s rich collection and beyond. It will be an opportunity to see wonderful original illustrations, books and puppets that shaped the perception of many iconic characters and how authors and illustrators continue to re-interpret them. Fairy tales have always sat at the heart of storytelling, and we hope that the exhibition encourages families to revisit their favourite tales and heroes, while also introducing them to stories from around the world and their many retellings.’

Rebecca Campbell-Gay, Family and Community Programmes Manager at the British Library said: ‘Fairy Tales brings to life the magical stories that continue to captivate readers around the world. Visitors will also have a chance to touch and feel the magic through interactive elements displayed across the exhibition, from potions and magical lamps to a troll bridge. We hope that the exhibition is a joyous adventure for families and an opportunity to experience the wonders of fairy tales and to re-discover what makes those tales so timeless.’

Richard Lawford, Managing Director of Wayland Games Ltd, said: ‘Wayland Games is delighted to support the British Library’s Fairy Tales exhibition. As a retailer of tabletop games rooted in storytelling and imagination, we see fairy tales as the foundation of many worlds players love to explore, places shaped by magic, moral choices and unforgettable characters. This exhibition celebrates the enduring power of these stories to be retold, reimagined and shared across generations. We hope visitors are inspired to rediscover familiar tales and create new adventures of their own.’

Fairy Tales will be accompanied by The British Library Book of Fairy Tales published in partnership with Hachette UK. Retelling 12 fairy tales from around the world including Little Red Riding Hood, Vasilisa the Beautiful, The Swineherd and The Jealous Sisters, the individual stories feature original illustrations by Erin Brown, Hung Duc Le, Jensine Eckwall, Tinuke Fagborun, Jiatong Liu and Anastasiia Panchenko.