Grimm Stuff: folktales and fairy stories

Fairy stories were originally aimed not at children but adults: early fairy tales were often violent or crude. But since the 18th century fairytales have been an important part of childhood experience, and by the Victorian era the genre was primarily considered a children's entertainment.

Grim Stuff showcases the work of notable illustrators of fairy stories from the Victorian era to today, including Maurice Sendak, Arthur Rackham, and New Zealand's Gavin Bishop. The exhibition also explores some folk tales from around the world, and the 'flower fairy' phenomenon.

The books included in the exhibition are drawn from the Dorothy Neal White and National Children's collections of the National Library of New Zealand.