Not so long ago, in a city you most likely have heard of and may even have been to, a soon to be middle-aged, balding dad was lying in bed reading good night stories to his young daughter.
While lying there with the little one in his arms, he noticed something strange. It seemed that all princesses in these fairy tales needed to be saved and that their most important characteristic was their beauty.
He did not like that at all. He didn’t want his daughter to grow up in this kind of world. So, while reading, he started changing little words here and there. All of a sudden a ‘beautiful’ princess became a ‘brave’ one and he saw the sparkle in his daughter’s eyes!
From this came the idea of Fairy Tales Retold, with a simple, yet powerful premise:
Changing one word can change everything!
He did not like that at all. He didn’t want his daughter to grow up in this kind of world. So, while reading, he started changing little words here and there. All of a sudden a ‘beautiful’ princess became a ‘brave’ one and he saw the sparkle in his daughter’s eyes!
From this came the idea of Fairy Tales Retold - classic fairy tales retold for a modern world!
Based in Berlin, we published our first book, a retelling of Snow White in 2019. We then published an activity book in July 2020, and partnered with UBS in September to share some of our books with primary schools in London.
In 2022, we released our second book, Cinderella, after a crowd-funding campaign and are hoping to publish 2 more books in 2024.
As a (tiny!) business, we are trying to do our small bit towards creating better and more inclusive fairy tales, but know that there is so much further to go and so much more work we need to do.
Our ideas on how best to create books have changed since 2021. We now research each title extensively and work with dozens of individuals and groups to provide feedback and new ideas - and to ultimately ensure that our retellings are as exciting, inclusive and inspiring as possible.
We are always open to feedback, opportunities, and new ideas. If you would like to work with us, or have some thoughts on how we can improve, we would love to hear from you!
Stephan developed the original concept of Fairy Tales Retold. His 2 children keep him busy the rest of the time!
An artist in Sardinia, Claudia illustrates all of the books and characters for Fairy Tales Retold
A teacher in London, Iain helps with organisation behind the scenes for Fairy Tales Retold!
A true book lover, Lucy leads our marketing and social media online and in Berlin!