Introduction

fairy tales

/ferē tāl/ noun

a) a story involving fantastic forces and beings

b) a story where improbable events lead to a happy ending

We all love fairy tales! We grow up hearing them as bedtime stories and seeing them made into movies and musicals. Is it the magical beasts or happy endings that we long for? For me, it is the magical beasts that make fairy tales so intriguing and different than any other stories! Do you remember when you thought if you believed hard enough you could fly and ANYTHING was possible? I remember the days when all I ever hoped for was to be taken away on a magic carpet to see the world! Let me take you back. All of us have fantasy, lying dormant, waiting for a good story to take us on an adventure.

Regardless of where they come from, fairy tales are full of adventures and fantastic forces. These Italian Fairy Tales are nothing short. You will encounter wonderful creatures from she-bears to enchanted snakes as well as Princes and Princesses, Kings and Queens! My rendition of these Italian fairy tales will be ones from the Pentamerone, which is one of the oldest fairy tale collections ever! The stories within the Pentamerone were collected by Giambattista Basile and published in Naples, Italy in 1634. Stories from the Pentamerone influenced many well known fairy tales, including the Brothers Grimm stories such as Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Puss and Boots, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Cinderella. These stories were not always as uplifting as we find them today, for in their original form they are brutal, vicious, and filled with terrible puns. Many writers and editors who encountered these tales had the same reaction as I did - "I need to rewrite these!" In this storybook I will be rewriting some other brutal and intense Italian fairy tales and turning them into mystical, light-hearted stories, just like the Disney did with the Grimm Brothers' tales!

Let me take you on several adventures from the beautiful countryside of Italy, to ancient villages. There you will be thrown into the midst of stories full of magical creatures, noble households, journeys through the wilderness, thrilling contest of both love and hate, and above all - happy endings. There will be curses that must be broken, courage that will be tested, and challenges that must be overcome. Join me in the world of "Once Upon a Time."