BOOK: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, 105 pages

Once Upon a Time Challenge

What a delightful book of wizarding fairy tales! I think I liked the concept as much as the fairy tales, but they were well done too. Having Professor Dumbledore annotate the tales after each story was a great idea. The book itself deals with the history of fairy tales, and how they were written to teach lessons and morals to children, probably before there were many books available to the general population. Thus, the oral tradition of stories was passed down.

Apparently, the wizarding world was no different. Beedle the Bard, much like our Brothers' Grimm, collected and wrote many fairy tales. Five tales are collected here, and much like the old Brothers' Grimm,  were more graphic and scary than some of the more sanitized versions that survived. (Hermione has translated these from the original runes.)

One of my favorite parts of the last Harry Potter movie was the animated version of "The Tale of the Three Brothers". The visuals were so unique and flowing; they looked like a story but in picture version. Finally, I even really liked the edition, with its small size and hardcover, it feels like a truly old book, or one at least that has come from Diagon Alley.

also reviewed by jenny at jennysbooks;  michelle at 1morechapter; trish at love, laughter and a touch of insanity;