Showing results by author "Brothers Grimm" in All Categories

7 classic fairy tales short stories by Brothers Grimm: "Rumpelstiltskin", "Clever Gretel", "The Old Man and his Grandson", "The Little Peasant", "Snowdrop", "Sweetheart Roland", "Frederick and Catherine". The imagery in fairy tales (such as personified animals, adults represented as giants and allegorical magic vegetables) allows the child to explore their fears in remote and symbolic terms. Fairy tales allow the reader to explore each virtue and path of action through the different characters' fates. The child decides their own personal stance after deliberating each consequence.

3 classic fairy tales short stories by Brothers Grimm: Iron Hans, Cat-Skin and King Grisly Beard. The imagery in fairy tales (such as personified animals, adults represented as giants and allegorical magic vegetables) allows the child to explore their fears in remote and symbolic terms. Fairy tales allow the reader to explore each virtue and path of action through the different characters' fates. The child decides their own personal stance after deliberating each consequence. Fairy tales provide answers to what the world is really like and the child's place within it.

Snow-White, fair-haired, quiet, and shy, and Rose-Red, dark-haired, outspoken, and lively, are two little girls living with their mother in a small cottage by the woods. They give shelter on a winter night to a kindly bear, who treats them gently and returns every night. In the summer, the girls encounter a wicked dwarf whose beard is stuck in a tree. Freeing the dwarf, the girls are met with loud ungrateful recriminations for cutting his beard.

A queen sewing by the window during a snowfall pricks her finger. Admiring the drops of blood on the snow, she wishes for a daughter as white as that snow, as red as that blood, and as black as this ebony window frame. The queen dies after giving birth to Snowdrop. The girl's stepmother, a vain and vindictive woman with a magic mirror, plots to eliminate Snowdrop, who grows more beautiful by the day. Snowdrop is left in the forest to die but takes shelter with seven dwarfs who become her protector when the evil stepmother learns she is still alive.

A peasant sends his seven sons to fetch water for his daughter's christening. Having lost their pails in the well, they are afraid to return home without having completed their task. The peasant, thinking they have gone off to play, curses them whereupon they are immediately transformed into ravens. When the daughter is grown up she sets off to discover the whereabouts of her long-lost brothers.

Dummling, the youngest and simplest of three brothers, is sent into the forest to chop wood. He shares his food and drink with a little gray man who directs him to a tree which, when chopped down, is found to contain a golden goose. Dummling sets off on a journey with the goose under his arm, eventually arriving in a kingdom wherein the king will offer his daughter's hand in marriage to any man who can make her laugh.

A boy is murdered and made into a stew by his evil stepmother, who buries his bones beneath a juniper tree outside their house. The boy is reincarnated as a bird who flies forth from the tree and enlists the townspeople to help him exact revenge.

In The Elves and the Shoemaker, a poor shoemaker prepares his last piece of leather to work on before turning in for bed. In the morning, he is amazed to find the shoes already made. Selling these to a grateful customer, his financial obligations are met and he is able to buy enough leather for two more pairs. When these are completed overnight in a similar fashion he stays awake to solve the mystery. Learning that a team of naked elves is responsible for the fine shoes, the shoemaker and his wife create tiny clothes for the elves to thank them.

In this folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression and triumphant reward, a young girl is forced by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters to a life of servitude. Sleeping next to the fireplace, she earns the nickname Ashputtel, or Cinderella.

A lonely couple hopes for a child, even, the wife says, if it were no bigger than my thumb. To their delight, their wishes come true, and the boy is named Tom Thumb for his diminutive stature.

The boy is crafty and helps his father by directing the family horse to haul firewood by standing in his ear and whispering commands. Embarking on several adventures, Tom displays a knack for tricking the slow-witted people who attempt to take advantage of Tom's unique size.

A tailor parleys his success at killing seven flies in one stroke into a string of unlikely successes. Making a belt with the words Seven at one blow written on it, the gullible townspeople assume the tailor to have amazing strength. After a contest in which he tricks a giant into believing he is stronger, the tailor persuades the king he can rid the kingdom of giants. In exchange for this the king offers his daughter's hand in marriage and half his kingdom. When the king balks on this promise and creates more conditions, the tailor must again rely on his wits to prove his bravery.

A childless couple awaits the arrival of their firstborn. One day, the husband is caught stealing the salad greens, called Rapunzel, that his wife craves from the garden of the evil witch next door. The witch strikes a deal with the man, obtaining their firstborn child in return for all the Rapunzel the wife can eat. The child, growing up in captivity with the witch turns into a beautiful maiden with a voice of gold and extraordinarily long hair. When a handsome prince passes through, the witch's cunningly-won custody arrangement starts to fall apart.

A princess' maid turns on her mistress while traveling and forces her to switch roles with her. The false princess then kills the princess' horse to keep it from talking and forces the real princess to herd geese with the boy, Conrad. Conrad begins to notice strange things about the new goose-girl and informs the king. Will the false princess be discovered?

A spoiled princess grudgingly befriends a frog after a chance meeting at a pond. Forced against her will to spend time with the creature, he is ultimately revealed to be a handsome prince under a spell when she hurls him against the wall. In many other versions of the story, the curse is broken by a kiss or a night spent on the princess' pillow.

In this tale, twelve princesses, each of astounding beauty, are locked in their shared bedroom by their father each night. Vexed to discover that their dancing shoes show signs of wear every morning, the king demands an explanation, which they refuse to give. The king offers his kingdom and marriage to any of his daughters as a reward to the man who solves the mystery. However, if the mystery remains unsolved after three nights, the erstwhile suitor will be put to death. After many entrants fail, a wise old soldier finally cracks the case.

In Briar Rose, better known as Sleeping Beauty, seven good fairies are invited to be godmothers to an infant princess. An old, overlooked fairy feels slighted and puts a deadly curse on the princess. A kind fairy modulates the curse from death to 100 years of deep sleep which can be broken by the kiss of a handsome prince.

In The Golden Bird, a king who has been robbed of a golden apple commands his gardener's sons to watch the tree. Seeing that the thief is a golden bird, the youngest son tries to shoot it but only knocks a feather off. Fascinated by the feather, the king decides he wants the whole bird. The gardener's son and his two brothers must make fateful choices in what turns into a fearsome quest to capture the bird.

Grimm's Fairy Tales was first published in 1812 by the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm. Though earlier editions included material deemed unpalatable to modern audiences, subsequent editions softened some of the violence and raciness of the original. Containing 62 stories, including "Briar Rose" ("Sleeping Beauty"), "Hansel and Grete", "Snow White", and "Rose Red", and "Ashputtel" ("Cinderella"), this collection was praised by W.H. Auden as among the founding works of Western culture.

An entertaining selection of classic and gruesome fairy tales to delight and chill the bone.

An engrossing collection of eight short stories to entertain children of all ages, especially perfect for long car journeys.