Author Phillip Pullman has retold 50 of his favourite Brothers Grimm fairy tales for a new collection, published to mark the bicentennial of their first publication.

Speaking to Today presenter James Naughtie, Philip Pullman explained that he tried to tell the events of the stories so they were "as clear as possible".

"They are classic stories because they are very good stories," he said.

Neil Gaiman, author of best seller American Gods, added that these are fantastic stories of "warning and terror" and it is important to alert children to the dangers of the real world.

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