The Macmillan Fairy Tales Collection is, at the very least, exactly what it says it is: a collection of fairytales. Not a collection of modern retellings, or sci-fi reenvisionings, or feminist analysis of the misogyny and objectification of women in these stories, or queer recastings of the original tales. Just fairytales, plain and simple. These range from the ubiquitous, like “Cinderella” or “Beauty and the Beast,” to the somewhat more obscure, like “The Bremen Town Musicians,” with a few stories from different parts of the world thrown in at large intervals. Although the book markets itself as “perfect for readers of all ages,” it is clearly intended for a younger audience.

Even if the writing had been superb, I would be unable to forgive this book its utter lack of consideration for the messages it conveys about gender. The Macmillan Fairy Tales Collection is obviously aimed toward younger readers, and it takes no responsibility for perpetuating antiquated ideas about gender norms and the objectification of women. Nearly every story ended with the female lead marrying a man, usually one she had known for scarcely a few days. If the woman was the hero of the story, this was presented as the ultimate accomplishment and realization of her potential, and if the man was the hero, the woman was presented as a prize for his achievements. Worse still was the overpowering focus on beauty as a woman’s paramount goal and measure of worth. If the stories were true to the frequently strange and sometimes horror-esque Grimm originals, this would have been understandable, but The Macmillan Fairy Tales Collection cleans up the fairytales just enough to make them palatable to a modern audience while maintaining the misogynist messaging, with not so much as a preface to acknowledge it. In short, this is not the book the world needs in 2021.

Even looking beyond this, though, the book simply disappoints. Fairytales are simple stories with simple morals, and yet The Macmillan Fairy Tales Collection frequently manages to muddy the focus and leaves the simplest messages unclear. The writing itself is bland, and the pacing often felt stilted or rushed, with the conflict resolved in a sentence or two. Even the picture book renditions of these stories are more involving than those to be found within the pages of The Macmillan Fairy Tales Collection.

Finally, the book struck a very odd balance of western European stories and fairy tales from other places. The latter were sprinkled in at large and irregular intervals, with the undeniable end result that it felt more like a token attempt at diversity than any commitment to multiculturalism. With stories from various parts of the world, intermittent as they may be, it also seems like an obvious step to include their place of origin, but there is no such label provided. Without this, the reader is forced to rely on various clues in the story just to figure out where they’re from.  

Unless you’re looking for an excellent jumping off point in an analysis of misogyny and harmful gender roles in fairy tales, there is not much in the dry writing, predictable story selection, and relentless objectification of women to recommend The Macmillan Fairy Tales Collection. Readers of any age are better off waiting for the fairy tale collection that celebrates, uplifts, and takes ownership of the messages it passes on.