Book Description

Fairy Tale Parade was first published, by Dell Publishing Co., in June 1942 and it ran for 9 issues until November 1944. The series is now critically acclaimed primarily as it showcases work by a true comic book great Walt Kelly. Kelly had recently left Walt Disney Studios and it was Walt Disney who advised him to work in comics. The publishers were obviously extremely pleased with Kelly's work as at the front of issue #1 was a Foreword which is reproduced beneath: 'Fairy Tale Parade is an attempt to bring to young and old a series of picture books of folk tales and stories of many lands - not as a shortcut to reading but in the hope of instilling the desire to read and re-read the fairy tales, legends and myths of bygone days. 'Often we have longed for more pictures in our favorite fairy tale book. Now Walt Kelly, the artist who drew all the wonderful pictures in this book, makes our wish come true. So, let us go with him into the land of trolls and wicked witches.' 'Let us tip-toe through enchanted palaces past deep dungeons where iron chains clank and rattle, meet giants and tiny dwarfs. Let's step into the fairy ring and meet the little people.' Cover art by Walt Kelly. Thumbelisa, pencils by Walt Kelly. Little Black Sambo, script by Helen Bannerman (original text), pencils by Walt Kelly; Little Black Sambo runs into tigers in the woods. The Story of Hansel and Gretel, art by Walt Kelly. Winkie and the Wishing Well, art by Walt Kelly. The Flute O'McTootle, art by Walt Kelly. Big Claus and Little Claus. The Sleeping Beauty, art by Arthur E. Jameson. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Prince Joel text story. The Wise Men of Gotham. The Nose Tree, art by L. Bing. The Tail of Rufus Redfox, script by Gaylord Du Bois; Rufus Redfox, proud of his pure red tail, gets caught raiding Squire Beaver's grapes, catches what for, concocts a fable of the Boogly Bird, is scoffed at, goes home, creates a Boogly Bord of tar and feathers, scares Squire Beaver into giving up goodies, is found out, gets his tail tip burnt; the fur will grow in white, now all red foxes have a white-tip tail. Beauty and the Beast, art by Arthur Jameson. The Legend of the Stars, art by Walt Kelly; Bright and Glum are sprites in charge of day and night; Glum gets depressed and decides not to work anymore. The Gingerbread Man, pencils by Walt Kelly; The gingerbread man can outrun everyone, but can he outrun a wiley fox? The Frog Queen. The Wild Swans, art by Arthur E. Jameson. Saku, art by Bill Brady. Cover art by Walt Kelly. The Dragon of Dilly Dun Dee, art by Walt Kelly. The Ugly Duckling, art by George Kerr; Adapted from the story by Hans Christian Andersen. The Brave Prince; Adapted from the Hungarian fairy tale. The Mermaid, script by Gaylord Du Bois, art by Arthur E. Jameson; The mermaid falls for the prince, strikes a deal with the sea witch, but the prince marries another, and mermaid girl dies. Walt Kelly cover and art. Sinbad the Sailor, the Three Little Dwarfs, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Cover art by Walt Kelly. Prince Robin and the Dwarfs, art by Walt Kelly. The Legend of Saturday Mountain, art by Arthur E. Jameson; A Polish fairy tale. The Snow Queen, script by Gaylord Du Bois, art by L. Bing; adapted from the story by Hans Christian Andersen.