What happens in the head of your child when you tell him a fairy tale? What mechanisms, conscious or unconscious, to lead him to a better understanding of himself, his emotions, and the world around him? This is what Bettelheim explains in very clear manner with the help of psychoanalysis. Often the purpose is relevant and awake the interest, but you can however sometimes regret that the author takes in random and few credible assumptions: a three year old child, even unconsciously, is it actually capable of understanding that a drop of blood paid by a princess is a metaphor for menstruation? The fact remains that every adult has things to learn from this book, which is a pleasant reading.