Boys and Girls Bookshelf (Vol 2 of 17): Folk-Lore, Fables, And Fairy Tales

In Short

This second volume of the Boys and Girls Bookshelf series brings together standard and forgotten fairy tales, nature fables, animal folk stories, and original narrative verse designed to nurture young minds. Across its pages, humble wood-cutters' sons outwit giants, vanity receives swift lessons, animals speak with surprising philosophical sharpness, and forgotten magic lies tucked inside quiet woods and stormy seas. The collection weaves together traditional German, Celtic, and Scottish lore with contemporary early twentieth-century children's writing and Native American legending.

Through every tale runs an insistence that cleverness, patience, and kindness outshine mere strength or worldly ambition. The volume preserves a world where a lost child receives safe harbor from a wandering bear, a simple cobbler finds enduring joy in a single green leaf, and a conqueror learns humility from a gurgling baby. It has endured as an archetype of traditional storytelling because it treats children's imaginations with absolute seriousness, presenting morality not as a set of rules, but as an adventure of the human heart.

The Story

The anthology opens with an explicit defense of imagination over literal facts, asserting that fairy tales enrich life by revealing its hidden magic. What follows is a vast tapestry of narrative arcs that begin in simple cottages, humble workshops, or lonely moorlands, before stretching across magic-infused lands and stormy seas.

In one strand of the collection, personal vanity and physical absurdity spark transformative journeys. Prince Hyacinth, burdened with an extraordinarily long nose, wanders into the cottage of an old fairy who loved his father. Ravenous with hunger, the Prince finds himself forced to endure the chatter of the fairy, who insists that his nose is ridiculous. His journey toward self-awareness requires him to look past his own vanity to survive. In a parallel lesson on pride, a beautiful but scornful princess mocks every suitor at her father’s banquet—dubbing one prince "King Grisly-Beard" for his rough hair. Enraged by her arrogance, her father marries her off to a filthy traveling singer. Driven out to live in poverty, the princess travels through lush woods, green meadows, and grand cities, weeping with regret as she learns each belongs to King Grisly-Beard. Her husband subjects her to hard labor and embarrassment, slowly melting her vain heart until he reveals himself to be the very king she once mocked, now offering her a restored home built on genuine humility.

Other paths lead into the intimate safety of home disrupted by wild elements. Snow-White and Rose-Red live with their mother in a spotlessly kept cottage, spending snowy evenings spinning flax by a gleaming copper kettle. When a massive black bear knocks at their door begging for shelter from the cold, the family sweeps the snow from his shaggy coat and allows him to sleep peacefully on their hearth. The children play good-naturedly with the creature, unaware of the prince trapped inside the bear's skin.

Courage and domestic order are often juxtaposed with comic chaos in the wild. A little black-and-white pig wanders into a manicured flower garden, convinced that rooting up pansies is proper garden behavior. A brown hen with thirteen chicks, a red cow craving tender stems, and a hopping rabbit join the party, delighting in each other's company until the gardener returns in tears to survey the wreckage.

Darker, more arduous quests demand profound sacrifice. In the tale of the Children of Lir, four royal siblings—Finola, Aed, Fiacra, and Conn—are transformed into swans and condemned to three hundred years on the tempest-tossed Sea of Moyle. Though visited once by Dedannan horsemen bearing news of their sorrowing father, the swans are forced back into the icy waves. Frozen to the rocks in the black frost, Finola cradles her brothers under her wings, sustaining them with song and faith until their centuries of doom expire. In another tale of devotion, little Gerda travels to the ends of the earth to rescue her playmate Kay from the Snow Queen. Guided by a fierce little robber-girl, riding a faithful reindeer over Lapland snows, and taking council with Lapp and Finn women in smoke-filled huts, Gerda moves forward through frost and howling wolves, powered entirely by her innocent love.

Elsewhere, fortune shifts on simple choices. Simple, a kindly youth who owns a flying ship, seeks to win a beautiful princess. With the help of extraordinary companions—including a man who turns scattered sticks into fully equipped regiments—Simple marches at the head of a massive army to claim his bride. In contrast, two poor cobbler brothers, Scrub and Spare, encounter a magic cuckoo on the first of April. The bird offers them a choice of gifts: Scrub greedily chooses a golden leaf, while Spare asks only for a green leaf from the merry tree. Scrub wins temporary wealth and local praise, but Spare’s choice leads to lasting, quiet joy.

The collection closes among the wide plains and mountain valleys of Native American lore and plantation storytelling. Little Moccasin, a young brave held captive as a slave by the Crows, endures harsh labor under the protection of his foster-mother, Old Looking-Glass. She secretly provides him with a mouse-colored pony named Blue Wing, urging him to fly toward the rising sun. Meanwhile, a great Chief who boasts he can conquer any living creature is brought before a wise old woman. She points him to a solemn baby named Wasis sucking on a piece of sugar. When the Chief commands the child to approach, little Wasis only gruggles, smiles, and finally bursts into frightened tears—leaving the invincible warrior completely defeated by a toddler.

How It Unfolds

The defense of wonder — The volume begins with an introductory call to awaken the child's creative faculty through racial folklore and imaginative wonder, setting the stage for stories that value truth over cold facts.

The prince and his nose — A starving Prince Hyacinth stumbles into the house of a fairy, where his desperate demand for food is met with endless, flattering chatter about his father and jokes regarding his absurdly long nose.

The bear on the hearth — On a snowy winter night, Snow-White and Rose-Red welcome a frozen black bear into their sparkling clean cottage, letting him sleep before the fire while they gently play with his shaggy coat.

Disaster in the flower garden — A pig, a hen with thirteen chicks, a cow, and a rabbit enter an open gate and cheerfully wreck a beautifully planted garden before the weeping gardener arrives to clear them out.

The castle of gems — King Victor builds a magnificent castle out of rubies, emeralds, and milk-white opals, locking its golden gates with a magic key to keep out the unworthy—only to find that his own lingering pride prevents the gates from opening for him.

The transformation of the bee-man — A wandering Bee-man discovers he was originally a baby, and through the magic of a Junior Sorcerer, is turned back into an infant to start his life over under the care of a loving mother.

The flight of the wild swans — Finola and her three swan-brothers endure three hundred years of freezing sea-storms on the Sea of Moyle, singing mournful Gaelic songs to the Dedannan horsemen who gather on the shore to weep for them.

Gerda’s journey north — Mounted on a swift reindeer provided by a robber-girl, Gerda travels through Lapland and Finland, stopping at tiny huts where messages are written on dried fish, as she searches for lost little Kay.

The pride of King Grisly-Beard — A vain princess who mocks her suitors is married off to a poor wandering singer, traversing vast lands owned by the very king she insulted while learning the hard reality of humble work.

The cuckoo's gift — Two poor cobblers choose between magic leaves brought by an April cuckoo; one brother takes gold and wins quick fame, while the other chooses a simple green leaf from the merry tree.

The escape of Little Moccasin — An old Crow woman secretly frees a captive boy, placing him on a fast mouse-colored pony named Blue Wing and directing him to ride toward the rising sun before his captors wake.

The invincible baby — A boastful Chief who claims he can conquer anyone on earth is brought before little Wasis, only to be completely baffled and defeated when the baby responds to his war-cries with gurgles and tears.

The People

• Prince Hyacinth: A young prince possessing a remarkably large nose and a very direct appetite. What stands in his way is his own refusal to acknowledge his obvious physical flaw and his impatience with others. Through his interactions with a talkative fairy, he is forced to cultivate manners, patience, and self-awareness.
• Beauty: A gentle, courageous young woman who steps into the mysterious lair of the Lion to protect her family. What stands in her way is the initial terror caused by the Lion’s monstrous appearance. Over time, as she listens to his gentle conversation and unfailing courtesy, her internal perception shifts from revulsion to deep affection.
• Snow-White and Rose-Red: Two devoted sisters who maintain a spotless cottage for their mother. They desire only to live peacefully, care for one another, and perform their daily chores. Their kindness is tested when wild nature, in the form of a massive black bear, knocks at their door, but their gentle, fearless hospitality unlocks a hidden royal reward.
• The Vain Princess: A proud royal maiden who takes delight in mocking every noble suitor who seeks her hand. Her barrier is her own sharp tongue and haughty self-importance. After being married to a dirty beggar and forced to labor until her hands ache, she matures into a humbled, wiser woman worthy of King Grisly-Beard’s actual crown.
• Finola: The eldest daughter of Lir, transformed into a white swan along with her three younger brothers. She wants to protect her siblings and return to human form. Standing in her path is a cruel three-hundred-year curse and the freezing storms of the Sea of Moyle. She ends up as a symbol of tragic, unyielding devotion, sheltering her brothers beneath her wings through the bitterest frosts.
• Gerda: A pure-hearted young girl who sets out to rescue her playmate Kay from the distant ice realms of the Snow Queen. What stands in her way is extreme cold, vast distances, wild beasts, and dangerous bandits. She overcomes every obstacle through sheer innocence, emotional clarity, and unselfish love.
• Little Moccasin: A young Indian brave captured by enemy Crows and forced to perform the domestic work of squaws. He desires to regain his freedom and prove himself a legendary warrior. Aided by an old foster-mother who sees his true spirit, he escapes on a swift pony, hardened and refined by his ordeal.

In Its Own Voice

"America has at present greater facility in producing 'smart' men than in producing able men; the alert, quick-witted money-maker abounds, but the men who live with ideas, who care for the principles of things, and who make life rich in resource and interest, are comparatively few."

Dr. Hamilton Wright Mabie’s introductory words lay out the guiding philosophy of the anthology, arguing that children need imaginative literature to cultivate depth of character rather than simple practical efficiency.

"The pansies had a garden bed all to themselves, and the young vines were just beginning to climb up on the frame that the gardener had made for their special benefit."

Maud Lindsay introduces the pristine, orderly world of the gardener's yard just moments before a stray pig, a hen, a cow, and a rabbit merrily invade the open gate.

"Look! here are two loaves and a ham."

The rough little robber-girl speaks to Gerda as she ties the child onto the back of the reindeer, showing her coarse yet genuine affection before sending her into the freezing expanse of Lapland.

"He was indeed weary and faint with the heat, because, though a King, the sun beat hot upon him!"

The narrator describes the humbling realization of Hashnu, a newly crowned ruler who discovers that human majesty is completely helpless against the raw power of the natural elements.

What It's Really About

Beneath its charming surface of magical beasts and talking animals, this volume is an argument for the education of the human heart. The core theme running through these diverse tales is that true power, dignity, and fulfillment cannot be bought, coerced, or inherited through pride.

Again and again, the narratives contrast superficial vanity with quiet internal virtue. Kings who build castles of jewels find themselves locked outside their own gates because their hearts remain proud, while simple wood-choppers and humble maidens step easily into grace. In stories like King Grisly-Beard and Prince Hyacinth, physical appearance and social status are stripped away to reveal that self-knowledge is the prerequisite for true happiness.

The volume also explores the sacred duty of hospitality and compassion toward the vulnerable. Whether it is a mother welcoming a freezing bear to her hearth, a little girl sharing her mittens with a friend on a freezing trek, or animals banding together to free a trapped tortoise, safety and joy are created through unselfish connection.

Finally, the collection addresses the limits of human ambition. The story of Hashnu—who demands to be a king, then the sun, then a cloud, and finally a rock—demonstrates the ultimate futility of chasing external control. The anthology argues that peace comes not from dominating the world around us, but from mastering ourselves, honoring our obligations to others, and remaining open to the quiet magic hidden in daily life.

Why Read It Today

Boys and Girls Bookshelf (Vol 2) offers a refreshing antidote to the hyper-fast, highly commercialized entertainment of the modern era. Reading it feels like sitting beside a bright hearth in a quiet room while a master storyteller spins yarns that have weathered centuries of retelling.

readers who appreciate classic folkloric structure will find enormous satisfaction in the book's unhurried rhythm and clear moral sanity. It is ideal for parents reading aloud to children, as well as adult lovers of myth, fable, and early twentieth-century children's anthologies. The prose strikes a delicate balance between antique charm and crisp readability, moving effortlessly from the rustic, rhythmic humor of plantation tales to the high, melancholic poetry of Celtic legend.

The volume does contain period characteristics that modern readers must navigate. Readers will encounter regional dialects rendered phonetically in the animal stories, period depictions of Native American life, and structural repetition typical of traditional fairy-story collections. Yet these elements are rooted in an authentic effort to preserve folk tradition rather than cheap sensation.

What lingers long after the book is closed is its atmosphere of gentle resilience. Images of Snow-White and Rose-Red brushing snow off a friendly bear, Finola singing over the icy waves of Erin, and a tiny pig trotting happily into a garden remain stamped on the imagination. It reminds us that the oldest stories endure for a reason: they remind us how to be human, how to treat our neighbors, and how to look at the world with eyes full of wonder.