Twelve Dancing Princesses is a German rags-to-riches folk tale. There is something strange happening at the palace, where the King's twelve daughters are wearing through their slippers every night. Will the hero be able to get to the bottom of the mystery?This engaging story written by Geraldine McCaughrean and beautifully illustrated by Bee Willey will capture your child's imagination! It has been sensitively rewritten to enable your child toread it with confidence whilst capturing the magic of the original tale. There are useful tips for parents and an engaging story map inside the book to help you and your child retell the storytogether.The Oxford Reading Tree Traditional Tales series includes 40 of the best known stories from all over the world, which have been passed down for generations. They are a perfect introduction to different cultures, traditions and morals. All the stories are carefully levelled to Oxford Reading Tree levels and matched to the phonic progression in Letters and Sounds enabling your children to read the stories independently.Books contain inside covernotes to support children in their reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at

Geraldine McCaughrean has written more than 150 books and plays and won many prizes, including the Whitbread Children's Award, the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. From picture books to adult novels, from fairy tales to fantasy, her stories have been published all over the world. Bee Willey has been an illustrator for more than 20 years. She was short-listed for the Maschler prize for The Golden Hoard, by Geraldine MacCaughrean, as well asfor the Greenaway prize for Bob Robber and Dancing Jane by Andrew Matthews. The River Story, by Meredith Hooper also won an educational prize when it came out. Nikki Gamble is the founder and Directorof Write Away and Just Imagine Story Centre. Nikki has worked in education and reading promotion for over 25 years, Formerly a teacher (secondary and primary) and teacher educator, she is lecturer, writer and education consultant. Nikki is also on the current Executive Committee of United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA).