Tales to Grow On

Fairy tales are more realistic than they may at first appear; while the magic in them almost heightens the realism. The magic sets us wondering how we ourselves would react in similar circumstances. It encourages speculation. It gives a child license to wonder. And this is the merit of the tales, that by going beyond possibility, they enlarge our daily horizon. For a man not given to speculation might as well walk on four legs as two. A child who does not feed wonder is but an inlet for apple pie.

~The Classic Fairy Tales, Iona and Peter Opie