All successful children's books have a universal daydream at their core. In this paper one such fantasy is investigated—the tale of the hero. All these stories reflect the wishes and fears of the Oedipus complex. The tales have the capacity to gratify forbidden wishes, yet the distortion imposed by the author's censorship dispels anxiety. Daydreaming undertakes a similar function. The differences which exist between the boy and girl and how these are reflected in fantasy and story are described in accounts of a number of popular children's books.