We're bringing George MacDonald's very best stories back to life and re-introducing them to a new generation!
Your children or grandchildren will absolutely LOVE these charming fairy tales that inspired the likes of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, Madeleine L’Engle, and countless other fantasy authors.
The Golden Key and Other Fairy Tales
Written by George MacDonald
Edited and Introduction by Haley Stewart
Illustrated by Anastasia Nesterova
Word on Fire Votive | November 16, 2023
Hardcover | 200 Pages | 5.5" x 7.5"
Suggested Age Range: 8+
Retail Price: $24.95 $19.96 (20% OFF & Free U.S. Shipping!)
Processing PaymentDon't leave this page!
Order
Items
Summary
Total
Average Shipping Time: 7-10 Business Days
Questions? Need help placing your order?
Email us at support@wordonfire.org or call (866) 928-1237.
Much of society has lost sight of the need for wholesome fairy tales that respect the young reader.
Which begs the question: Do these stories have a place in modern children’s literature anymore?
Stories are the way every human being understands himself, the world, and his place in the world. Ideally, they offer a framework that ends in hopeful resolution, something we desperately need imprinted on our imagination in an age of despair. We need stories like those from the “forgotten father of fantasy fiction” George MacDonald.
The Golden Key and Other Fairy Tales will introduce readers to George MacDonald, the influential 19th century Scottish writer and Christian minister whose fairy tales–though not explicitly religious–continue to fulfill the need for wholesome children’s stories that emphasize virtue, especially the virtues of courage and hope.
According to C.S. Lewis, there is “hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continuously close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself,” than MacDonald, who deeply influenced the Christian fantasy writers who followed him, including G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien and Madeleine L’Engle.
This delightful collection of classics includes MacDonald’s stories “The Golden Key,” “The Light Princess,” and “Little Daylight,” as well as stunning full-color illustrations by Anastasia Nesterova and an introduction for the young reader by children’s book author and Editor of Word on Fire Votive Haley Stewart.
3 of George MacDonald's most iconic stories in one book:
About "The Golden Key"
In "The Golden Key" Mossy and Tangle must go on a journey because they are longing to visit a place they have never been, "the place from whence the shadows fall". Not even knowing what that place may be but guided by fantastical creatures, they begin searching for the keyhole where they can use the Golden Key. Will their wandering lead them to the place calling them home?
About "The Light Princess"
"The Light Princess" is funny, witty and even a bit silly. In the kingdom where the story takes place, an evil witch has stolen something very unexpected. She has taken away the princess's gravity (meaning not only that the princess can fly about like a feather on the wind but also that she cannot be serious about anything.) In a world where evil holds great power, is there anything that can break the witch's spell?
About "Little Daylight"
In "Little Daylight" the story also begins with a princess who has been cursed. A witch has turned the proper order to things upside down! Poor Daylight must sleep in the day and be awake in the night, and her body will wax and wane with the moon. Evil is always upending the goodness of creation, but how can things be set right?
“The wisest people have always known that fairy tales are important. We might make the mistake of thinking that such stories aren’t true because they’re full of make-believe. But as these stories lead us through enchanted worlds, they teach us that we also live in an enchanted world that is full of wonder and mystery if we only have the eyes to see.”
— HALEY STEWART
from the Introduction
About the Author
George MacDonald
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish writer and Christian minister. He wrote over fifty books, including Phantastes, Lilith, and The Princess and the Goblin. He and his wife, Louisa Powell, were the parents of eleven children. He is considered the “grandfather” of the Oxford Inklings and had enormous influence on the fantasy genre.
About the Illustrator
Anastasia Nesterova
Anastasia Nesterova has illustrated many books for children, but her favorites are classics and stories about magic, nature, and friendship. When she was a little girl, she told her mother that she would work in a bookshop. That dream never came true, but being a children’s book illustrator is wonderful, too. Anastasia didn’t discover the works of George MacDonald until she was a grown-up, but they fascinated her from the very first page. She is grateful to Word on Fire Votive for the opportunity to share how she imagines MacDonald’s fairy-tale world with young readers.
About the Editor
Haley Stewart
Haley Stewart is the Editor of Word on Fire Votive and the award-winning author of The Sister Seraphina Mysteries, a series for young readers. Haley and her four children live in Florida.
Haley also wrote the introduction to The Golden Key and Other Fairy Tales.
Here’s What People Are Saying...
"Once in a great while a writer comes along who is so original and so wise that every writer after can't escape his influence. George MacDonald's pioneering work opened paths we didn’t know were there. At last, we have a beautifully bound and thoughtfully arranged edition of these boldly original stories."
—Tyler Blanski, author of An Immovable Feast: How I Gave Up Spirituality for a Life of Religious Abundance
“Readers of this beautiful book will encounter the strangeness and wonder of George MacDonald’s imaginary worlds—places where fish and princesses fly. They are also places where quests can’t be achieved without virtues like courage, love, and sacrifice. Anastasia Nesterova’s illustrations combine the childlike and enchanting in much the same way as MacDonald’s stories.”
—Marianne Wright, editor of Plough’s The Gospel in George MacDonald
“Bring the best books into your home and read them to your children and grandchildren. George MacDonald’s The Golden Key and Other Fairy Tales is one of these books. MacDonald not only influenced C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, but his stories will also impact and shape the moral imagination of a new generation in need of the good, beautiful, and true. Thank you, Word on Fire, for bringing this exceptionally beautiful version of a children’s classic into print for all of us.”
—Marcie Stokman, Founder of Well-Read Mom
“To enter into the fantasy worlds of George MacDonald is a lasting experience, not to be forgotten but pondered, rather, over a lifetime. This elegantly illustrated volume contains three of MacDonald’s most imaginative fairy tales. The young protagonists in these stories will remain a lesson taught and inspiration to virtuous living. The Golden Key, The Light Princess, and Little Daylight are by all estimates three of MacDonald’s best fairy tales. They have the power to enrich a child’s moral imagination like few fairy tales can.”
— Vigen Guroian, author of Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination
CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML
WordOnFire.org | Privacy | Contact
1-866-928-1237 | support@wordonfire.org
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.
CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML
WordOnFire.org | Privacy | Contact
1-866-928-1237 | support@wordonfire.org
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.