Books with title Treasury of Fairy Tales

In the garden all the apple-trees were in blossom. They had hastened to bring forth flowers before they got green leaves, and in the yard all the ducklings walked up and down, and the cat too: it basked in the sun and licked the sunshine from its own paws. And when one looked at the fields, how beautifully the corn stood and how green it shone, without comparison! and there was a twittering and a fluttering of all the little birds, as if the day were a great festival; and so it was, for it was Sunday. All the bells were ringing, and all the people went to church, looking cheerful, and dressed in their best clothes. There was a look of cheerfulness on everything. The day was so warm and beautiful that one might well have said: "God's kindness to us men is beyond all limits." But inside the church the pastor stood in the pulpit, and spoke very loudly and angrily. He said that all men were wicked, and God would punish them for their sins, and that the wicked, when they died, would be cast into hell, to burn for ever and ever. He spoke very excitedly, saying that their evil propensities would not be destroyed, nor would the fire be extinguished, and they should never find rest. That was terrible to hear, and he said it in such a tone of conviction; he described hell to them as a miserable hole where all the refuse of the world gathers. There was no air beside the hot burning sulphur flame, and there was no ground under their feet; they, the wicked ones, sank deeper and deeper, while eternal silence surrounded them! It was dreadful to hear all that, for the preacher spoke from his heart, and all the people in the church were terrified. Meanwhile, the birds sang merrily outside, and the sun was shining so beautifully warm, it seemed as though every little flower said: "God, Thy kindness towards us all is without limits." Indeed, outside it was not at all like the pastor's sermon. The same evening, upon going to bed, the pastor noticed his wife sitting there quiet and pensive. "What is the matter with you?" he asked her. "Well, the matter with me is," she said, "that I cannot collect my thoughts, and am unable to grasp the meaning of what you said to-day in church—that there are so many wicked people, and that they should burn eternally. Alas! eternally—how long! I am only a woman and a sinner before God, but I should not have the heart to let even the worst sinner burn for ever, and how could our Lord to do so, who is so infinitely good, and who knows how the wickedness comes from without and within? No, I am unable to imagine that, although you say so." It was autumn; the trees dropped their leaves, the earnest and severe pastor sat at the bedside of a dying person. A pious, faithful soul closed her eyes for ever; she was the pastor's wife.

This beautiful children's story treasury brings together 14 classic children's fairy tales and 17 well-known myths and legends from around the world in one magical collection.Perfect for children aged 5-7, these charmingly illustrated books bring together the best-loved characters and stories from across time, ideal for enjoying together at bedtime or reading aloud to little ones. A First Book of Fairytales includes everlasting favourites such as Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Pea, and Cinderella, while A First Book of Myths brings well-known tales to life including The Fall of Icarus, How Butterflies Began, and The Kingdom Under the Sea. Brought together in a beautiful slipcase, A First Book of Fairytales and A First Book of Myths are the perfect gift for a young loved one.Full contentsFairytales: Cinderella, The Selfish Giant, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Frog Prince, Beauty and the Beast, Diamonds and Toads, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Fisherman and his Wife, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, The Snow Queen.Myths: The Fall of Icarus, The Golden Touch, Andromeda, Wolf Babies, Coyote Dances with a Star, The First Corn, A Newborn Warrior, How the Animals Got Their Shapes, How Butterflies Began, Balder the Beautiful, Rama and Sita, The Enchanted Island, The Kingdom Under the Sea, The Crocodile and the Baby, How the Sun and Moon Appeared, The Goddess and the Farmboy, The Weaver and the Cowherd