The Skinny Prince and Portly Princess are designed to replicate the classic French fairy tale and other styles of books for young readers. Those handsome and beautifully made books would be shelved, and read by each child as the family grew. Nowadays they are collectibles, sold in specialty bookstores, and flea markets around Europe, for substantial prices. The stories dealt with witches, fairies, and sometimes scary animal creatures. Nowadays most books for young readers seem to include rocket ships technological wonders, and evil characters from other planets