Choosing the English versions of classic fairy tales can be a delightful yet daunting task. From Cinderella to Little Red Riding Hood, the options are abundant. The key to selecting the right edition lies in considering factors such as the authenticity of the translation, the quality of the illustrations, and the level of language complexity. A good choice also ensures that the essence of the original story is preserved while making it accessible to modern readers. Additionally, seeking out renowned translators and reputable publishing houses can enhance the reading experience. This article aims to provide guidance on navigating the sea of options and finding the perfect English version of timeless fairy tales for readers of all ages.
最近有家长问到关于怎样选择经典童话的英文版，我们今天就来聊一下这个话题。一般来说可以分为两种：原著为英文版和原著为非英文版。前者直接选完整版就行了，比如王尔德童话、罗尔德·达尔的系列故事等；后者就需要稍微选择一下版本，因为是从其它语言翻译过来的，比如《安徒生童话》（丹麦）、《格林童话》（德国）等。
以《安徒生童话》为例，我们在选择时可以注意几个小原则
1、大出版社优先于小出版社，比如Penguin, Wordsworth, Bantam 等，具体可以请教一些了解英文图书出版的朋友；
2、优先选择完整版合集，而不是删减版或改写版；
3、浏览几篇著名故事的开头段，看看英语译文是否用词简洁、句子难度适中，一切以可读性强、容易入门为优先考虑因素。
当然，以上几个原则是我个人的建议，大家也可以根据自己的喜好和经验来判断。其实大部分译版的水平都比较高，区别不会很大。我很早之前购买的版本就基本符合，以下是我的藏书实拍：
我们来看两个著名故事——
《小美人鱼》（The Mermaid）开篇：
Far out at sea the water is as blue as the bluest cornflower, and as clear as the clearest crystal; but it is very deep, too deep for any cable to fathom, and if many steeples were piled on the top of one another they would not reach from the bed of the sea to the surface of the water. It is down there that the mermen live.
Now don’t imagine that there are only bare white sands at the bottom; oh no! The most wonderful trees and plants grow there, with such flexible stalks and leaves, that at the slightest motion of the water they move just as if they were alive.
《卖火柴的小女孩》（The Little Match Girl）开篇：
It was late on a bitterly cold, snowy, New Year’s Eve. A poor little girl was wandering in the dark cold streets; she was bare-headed and bare-footed. She certainly had had slippers on when she left home, but they were not much good, for they were so huge. They had last been worn by her mother, and they fell off the poor little girl’s feet when she was running across the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling rapidly by.
通过简单的判断和品评，如果你觉得这本书适合相应年龄段的读者，那就可以放心阅读了。在我的这本安徒生童话中，收集了他的40多篇经典童话，应该说是非常全面了，是一个值得推荐的版本。
我们再来看《格林童话》
这是由德国语言学家格林兄弟收集、整理和加工的欧洲民间文学故事集，其中《白雪公主》、《睡美人》、《小红帽》等故事几乎成了“童话”的代名词。下面是我的英文版藏书实拍：
几乎可以肯定，我们每个人从小都听过或看过格林童话的几个故事，却很少看过作者视角的故事，那么我给大家推荐一部另类电影——《格林兄弟》。这是一部集奇幻和恶搞于一身的影片，借用了格林童话中的一些元素，但并不是严格的文学改编作品，大家看了就知道。
对我来说，这部电影最大的看点是演员阵容。首先，扮演格林兄弟的是“永远需要被拯救”的马特·达蒙和已故的“诺兰版蝙蝠侠最经典小丑”希斯·莱杰，他在本片中的造型和表演又是一次全新突破，他确实在短暂的一生中给我们留下了太多难以忘记的银幕形象。
除了两位大牌男主，还有两位不得不提的女演员——凭《西西里的美丽传说》红遍全球的莫妮卡·贝鲁奇扮演“美丽的女魔头”；
而后来凭《权力的游戏》瑟曦一角同样红遍全球的琳娜·海蒂，当年在片中扮演了一个中规中矩的角色。
影片中借用了不少格林童话的经典元素，比如《小红帽》等。最后我给大家分享几个片段，都来自我收藏的这个英译版，大家可以参考用词和行文风格，总体来讲还是非常适合初学者的。
Little Red-cap《小红帽》开头：
There was once a sweet little maid, much beloved by everybody, but most of all by her grandmother, who never knew how to make enough of her. Once she sent her a little cap of red velvet, and as it was very becoming to her, and she never wore anything else, people called her Little Red-cap.
Snow-white《白雪公主》开头：
It was the middle of winter, and the snowflakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery-frame was of ebony. And as she worked, gazing at times out on the snow, she picked her finger, and there fell from it three drops of blood on the snow. And when she saw how bright and red it booked, she said to herself, ‘Oh that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame!’
The Sleeping Beauty《睡美人》：
In times past there lived a king and queen, who said to each other every day of their lives, ‘Would that we had child!’ And yet they had none.
But it happened once that when the queen was bathing, there came a frog out of the water, and he squatted on the ground, and said to her, ’Thy wish shall be fulfilled; before a year has gone by, thou shalt bring a daughter into the world.’
