MY FAVOURITE FAIRYTALES

1. Cinderella.  I have a soft spot for rags to riches story and particularly when the hero(ine) has been groundtrodden, ill-treated etc.  I also love fairytales in general for being upfront about the story.  There is no tweeness (unlike the musical, Annie, which is not to my taste).
2. Little Red Riding Hood.  Aside from approving of people trying to care for the elderly properly, I also like any story where villainy is overcome.  I love the film Hoodwinked which takes this fairytale and runs with it.  I highly recommend it.  It is very humorous, suitable for older kids upwards and any fan of police procedurals will like it too.
3. The Happy Prince.  At the moment, this remains the only Oscar Wilde story I've read but it is a cracker.  Good social comment and conclusion - that true riches are not in material things. 
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  Again villainy is overcome, jealousy is shown leading to other evils (which it does), and I love the Shrek films take on Snow White as being more of an action girl than we have been previously led to believe.  I have written a short piece briefly summing things up from the stepmother's viewpoint and this was huge fun to write, which gives me more reason to like this tale.  A really good story lends itself to all kinds of adaptations, including spoofs.
5. The Three Little Pigs.  A strong moral story showing the importance of investing in decent building materials.  It really does save trouble in the long run!