Toadstool Tales by Beatrix Bloxam

A Visit to Fairyland by Shirley Barber

Title: Toadstool Tales 

Author: Beatrix Bloxam

Publisher: not known 

Source book: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling 

Now, you might have come across my comments about The Tales of Beedle the Bard in other posts. So you may be aware that I think they all sound quite dreadful and, and I don’t think I phrased it quite like this, I think fairytales for Muggle children sound a whole lot better than the nauseating-sounding tosh handed out to wizarding children. Put it this way, I am not impressed. My husband will tell you this is not an opinion to be taken lightly.

However, I have discovered that a certain Beatrix Bloxam decided that Beedle’s stories were not wholesome enough for the dear little kiddies. So she bowdlerised the stories to make them extra sweet and sickly and published them in a dear little book called Toadstool Tales (I am indebted to Harry Potter fandom for all this). Perhaps you’d like to see what the fandom writer has to say? It really is worth a quick look.

I can’t tell you more because I don’t propose to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard. So I will leave it there. Except, why are ickle cutsey fairies so often dressed in faux medieval style? This one flying on a bat’s back isn’t cutesy. You can tell just by looking.

Fairy riding a bat by Ida Rentoul
Not nearly cutesy enough but a lovely image