by Lindsay Law (
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I'm a working mum writing about life in Edinburgh (and anywhere else we go) with two curious, adventurous, and imaginative children. Visit my blog at www.linzertortes.blogspot.co.uk. Follow me on Twitter: @LinzerLaw
If you think back to your childhood, what are the stories that you remember best and most vividly? For me, they're all fairy tales. There are the classics, like Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Cinderella and then there are the lesser known tales like Rumpelstiltskin or The Twelve Brothers. Those words, "Once Upon a Time" were like a magical spell that transported me to another world of enchanted, wild woods and heroines with long, tumbling locks who who up to evil step-mothers, or wicked wolves.
Many of these tales that I read had been passed down from culture to culture, creating an unbroken line of subtly-changing stories that I like to imagine were told around the earliest hearths of our ancestors.

Scottish International Storytelling Festival Logo
This year, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival is celebrating the art and humanity of folktales across Europe, and exploring the way in which the publication of The Brothers Grimm tales over 200 years ago sparked a revival of interest in nations and regions across the continent.
There are loads of different kind of events during the Festival including Live Storytelling at the Netherbow Theatre and lots of family events that are specifically designed for children and families.
You can find a link to the full programme
here.