Grimm’s Fairy Tales contains the essential bedtime stories for children world- wide for the better part of two centuries. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, were German linguists and cultural researchers who gathered legendary folklore and aimed to collect the stories exactly as they heard them. This book features, all your favorite classics, including “Hansel and Gretel,” “Cinderel- la,” “The Frog Prince,” “Rapunzel,” “Snow White,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” and dozens more.
I am glad that I read this, simply because fairy tale plots and themes are used so often in modern literature that it felt good to become acquainted with old versions of the tales and get closer to the original folklore. I also enjoyed picking up on some of the values of the time that came across in the stories.
I felt like similar ideas were repeated in most stories. The main premise to these stories was that the man does some sort of job or quest, and the prize is always a princess. The fact that the winner would end up with the same prize, the woman, in each story was quite bothersome.
Moreover, these stories may seem harsh to modern readers, but they impart valuable lessons about loyalty, resourcefulness, and gratitude. The level of violence is high — children are killed or eaten, a girl has her hands amputated, etc., but the mayhem is framed within the context of make-believe.
I really liked this book and enjoyed it as well. It would be a great, light, and calm read. I would recommend this book for children above the age of 10 because there is some violence in there.
