British Library celebrates fairy tales in a major new exhibition

Fairy Tales is made possible with support from Wayland Games.

• Fairy Tales (27 March – 23 August) invites visitorsto explore the magical world of fairy tales through a display filled with illustrations, pop-up books, manuscripts, and puppets
• Children and their families will travel through mysterious woods and an enchanting palace to discover the brave heroes, fantastical creatures and magical objects that shape fairy tales
• Fairy Tales will welcome children to experience the magic of the stories themselves through interactive elements including a magic mirror, a genie and magical potions.

Opening 27 March, Fairy Tales celebrates the iconic heroes, villains and fantastical creatures that populate the captivating worlds of fairy tales. Young children and their families will travel through a mysterious forest and an enchanting palace to discover the characters, creatures and ideas that shape magical stories and their retellings. From encounters with powerful spells and curses, to the iconic heroes and villains from across storytelling cultures, Fairy Tales will encourage children and their parents or carers to explore the wonders of the fairy tale world.

Visitors will begin their journey in a cosy cottage with a projected hearth, where they will discover the origins of fairy tales in oral storytelling. Here children will explore the breadth and wealth of storytelling traditions as shown by a collection of French stories in Histoires du temps passé by Charles Perrault, a beautiful illustration by Mervyn Peake for an edition of Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm and folk tales from around the world including the fascinating stories of Anansi and other cunning trickster characters. Children will also re-discover the origins of their favourite stories through historic manuscripts and early printed editions including the legend of Mulan.

Leaving the comforts of the cottage behind, visitors will enter the deep dark woods, where they will encounter heroes and villains from Little Red Riding Hood and other tales. Through examples from old favourites such as Goldilocks and Rapunzel and contemporary retellings including Zombierella written by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Freya Hartas, this section of the exhibition will question and challenge how the representation of characters has evolved over time. Visitors will marvel over colourful pop-up books about Little Red Riding Hood and puppets of Kai and Gerda from the Little Angel Theatre’s production of The Snow Queen,relive the adventures of Hansel and Gretel through a printed edition of the tale illustrated by Kay Nielsen and peek into Goldilocks’ letter to Mr and Mrs Bear, from The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. This section will also feature a walk-through gingerbread house from the tale of Hansel and Gretel and a dressing-up area where young visitors will be able to transform into their favourite fairy tale character.

Following their journey through the woods, families will arrive in a royal palace where they will discover the different forms of magic that exist within the world of fairy tales, from spells and curses to fantastical objects. Beginning with a copy of Cinderella illustrated by Arthur Rackham, visitors will be guided through stories filled with fairy godmothers, enchanted porridge pots, flying horses and fairy tale wishes, including: the reproductions of Disney sketches and concept artwork from Cinderella; original illustrations by Quentin Blake; a copy of Vasilisa the Beautiful illustrated by Ivan Bilibin and a copy of The Fisherman and his Wife by Eric Carle, creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. While exploring fairy tale magic, children and their families will also come across interactive magical objects, including witches’ potions and a genie’s lamp.

From the palace families will step in to a ‘far far away land’ where they will be introduced to the world of magical creatures that inhabit fairy tales, from talking bears and cats to selkies, mermaids, trolls and dragons. Families will delve into books and illustrations that feature magical beasts and shapeshifters including Beauty and the Beast illustrated by Walter Crane, a fold-out book of theThree Bears’ Houseand a beautiful manuscript illustration of a dragon from the Persian legend, the story of Darab. As they travel through the exhibition, visitors will come across an interactive troll bridge and a breakfast table set up for the Three Bears.

Fairy Tales will culminate in a ‘Happily ever after’ inspired ending, where families can read through their favourite stories together, while marvelling at iconic tales from the British Library’s collection, such as the original manuscript of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground by Lewis Carroll. The final section of Fairy Tales will also encourage younger visitors to reflect on the infinite potential of storytelling and how magical tales continue to be retold and reimagined.

Laura Walker, Lead Curator Modern Archives and Manuscripts at the British Library said: ‘The exhibition invites families to explore the world of fairy tales through beautiful items drawn from the Library’s rich collection and beyond. It will be an opportunity to see wonderful original illustrations, books and puppets that shaped the perception of many iconic characters and how authors and illustrators continue to re-interpret them. Fairy tales have always sat at the heart of storytelling, and we hope that the exhibition encourages families to revisit their favourite tales and heroes, while also introducing them to stories from around the world and their many retellings.’

Rebecca Campbell-Gay, Family and Community Programmes Manager at the British Library said: ‘Fairy Tales brings to life the magical stories that continue to captivate readers around the world. Visitors will also have a chance to touch and feel the magic through interactive elements displayed across the exhibition, from potions and magical lamps to a troll bridge. We hope that the exhibition is a joyous adventure for families and an opportunity to experience the wonders of fairy tales and to re-discover what makes those tales so timeless.’

Richard Lawford, Managing Director of Wayland Games Ltd, said: ‘Wayland Games is delighted to support the British Library’s Fairy Tales exhibition. As a retailer of tabletop games rooted in storytelling and imagination, we see fairy tales as the foundation of many worlds players love to explore, places shaped by magic, moral choices and unforgettable characters. This exhibition celebrates the enduring power of these stories to be retold, reimagined and shared across generations. We hope visitors are inspired to rediscover familiar tales and create new adventures of their own.’

Fairy Tales will be accompanied by The British Library Book of Fairy Tales published in partnership with Hachette UK. Retelling 12 fairy tales from around the world including Little Red Riding Hood, Vasilisa the Beautiful, The Swineherd and The Jealous Sisters, the individual stories feature original illustrations by Erin Brown, Hung Duc Le, Jensine Eckwall, Tinuke Fagborun, Jiatong Liu and Anastasiia Panchenko.

Fairy Tales x CBeebies

To celebrate Fairy Tales and the joy of children’s literature, the British Library will partner with the BBC on a series of CBeebies Bedtime Stories activities. For the duration of the exhibition, Fairy Tales will host the iconic CBeebies Bedtime Stories chair. In partnership with the British Library’s Living Knowledge Network, the BBC will also bring their CBeebies Bedtime Stories read and rave events to libraries nationwide.

Further details to be announced soon.

Fairy Tales activities at public libraries across the UK

A Fairy Tales inspired national quiz will take place in Living Knowledge Network libraries, testing the knowledge of library lovers across the UK and bringing together fairy tale enthusiasts in their local communities.

Fairy Tales will be open from 27 March 2026 – 23 August 2026. The exhibition has been made possible with support from Wayland Games.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Please contact press@bl.uk for interview requests and images.

Fairy Tales

27 March 2026 - 23 August 2026

https://events.bl.uk/exhibitions/fairy-tales

Tickets are £13.50 (peak) and £11.50 (off-peak), with concessions available.

About the British Library

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See: www.bl.uk

About Wayland Games

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