Audiobook · read by volunteers
Wonderwings and other Fairy Stories
Edith Howes (1872–1954)
Read by Claire Goget · 3 chapters · 23 min
About the book
Three fairy tales from the pen of Edith Howes, each with a gentle moral tucked inside its magic. The collection takes its name from the first story, Wonderwings, and goes on to The Magic Mirror and Fairy Tenderheart, titles that promise wings, enchantments and kindness in equal measure. These are stories in the tradition of early twentieth-century fairy writing, where the small and the magical are close at hand and good conduct is quietly rewarded. The telling is light and brisk, and the three tales are short enough to enjoy in a single sitting, which makes them especially well suited to young listeners at bedtime. Anyone with a fondness for old-fashioned fantasy and its plain, cheerful lessons will find something to smile at here, whether they listen alone or alongside a child.
Introduction
Edith Howes (1872-1954) was a writer for children who was born in England and made her career in New Zealand. She is regarded as one of the early authors of children's literature in that country, and she wrote fairy tales and other stories for young readers. Wonderwings and Other Fairy Stories appeared in 1918.
The book belongs to a tradition that flourished in the early twentieth century, when the fairy story was a favourite form for children and often carried a moral. As with many writers of her time, Howes combines whimsy with instruction, suggesting that kindness, courage and honesty matter even to the smallest of creatures. The lesson is never hidden, and the telling is meant to be enjoyed as much as it is meant to instruct.
This is a very short recording, with three chapters and a total running time of only about twenty-five minutes. It was read by a volunteer. That makes it an ideal choice for a bedtime story, a short break, or a first taste of the older kind of children's fantasy, in which the natural world and the fairy world are never far apart. Adults who enjoy period charm will find it a pleasing curiosity as well. The stories are simple, the characters are small and the lessons are plain, but the pleasure lies in the telling. Because the stories are so short, they can be heard in one go, or one at a time over three evenings. For anyone building a collection of short recordings for children, or looking for a quiet interlude, these three tales are a charming choice.
Public domain
Edith Howes died in 1954: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text