A collection of folktales from around the world which demonstrate the triumph of brains over brawn

Halva is traveling with her trained bear to visit the King of Denmark when they stop for the night at a cottage where, they learn, a pack of trolls is about to make its annual Christmas Eve visit, causing trouble and making a big mess. Includes author's note about the story's origins

In this retelling of an old Scottish ballad, a Scottish lass, on the Halloween after her sixteenth birthday, reclaims her family home which has been held for years by the fairies and at the same time effects the release of Tam Lin, a human held captive by the Queen of the Fey

Relates how a turnip farmer's daughter outwits the fearsome witch Baba Yaga

A group of distinctly different giants have problems to solve when they decide to live together on a farm.

Accident-prone, thirteen-year-old Gorse, the youngest fairy in her family, falls into a trap while on her way to the palace to bless the newborn princess, Talia, but arrives in time to give a gift which, although seemingly horrific, may prove to be a real blessing in this take-off on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty