Strings, Spells and Storybooks: Fairy Tales Comes to the British Library
Pop-up wolves, magic mirrors and — yes — puppets. Why the Fairy Tales exhibition belongs on every puppet fan's summer list before it closes in August.
If you haven’t yet made it to the British Library’s family exhibition Fairy Tales, consider this your friendly nudge: it closes on 23 August, and for those of us who believe a story is always better with strings attached, there’s a very good reason to go — there are puppets in it.
Nestled in the exhibition’s deep dark woods, you’ll find Kai and Gerda from Little Angel Theatre’s production of The Snow Queen, on display alongside historic manuscripts, pop-up books and original illustrations. Seeing performance puppets exhibited among 500 years of storytelling treasures is a quiet but meaningful thing: it places puppetry exactly where it belongs, at the heart of how fairy tales have always been told and retold.
And the timing this summer is a gift. The exhibition’s final weeks overlap with the Little Angel Theatre Children’s Puppet Festival (28 July – 30 August), and its magical highlight, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (22–30 August, ages 6+). Inspired by Goethe’s classic poem, it follows a curious young apprentice who discovers that all things — especially magic — must be handled with care. The show features handcrafted marionettes from Little Angel’s own workshops and is part of the theatre’s mission, supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, to restore this endangered craft.
Here’s the bit of calendar magic I love: the show opens on 22 August, and the exhibition closes on 23 August. That gives you exactly one weekend to do both — meet Kai and Gerda at the Library in the morning, then watch the apprentice’s spells spiral gloriously out of control in Islington that afternoon. If ever there were a puppet pilgrimage worth planning, it’s that.
Below is the official press release from the British Library, which sets out everything the exhibition holds — I’ve resisted the urge to gush further. Book your festival tickets at littleangeltheatre.com (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is selling fast; there’s a waiting list for sold-out dates).
Fairy Tales opens at the British Library
Fairy Tales is made possible with support from Wayland Games
Fairy Tales (Now on until 23 August 2026) invites visitors to 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.
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 enchanted 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 crackling hearth, where they will discover the oral storytelling origins of fairy tales. 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 a depiction of 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 fairy tale characters has evolved over time. Visitors will marvel over colourful pop-up books inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, and see 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 the Three Bears’ House and 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.’
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 is open until 23 August 2026 at the British Library. Tickets are £13.50 (peak) and £11.50 (off-peak), with concessions available.
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