Grimms Fairy Tales

Author: BrothersGrimm
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1993-01-01
Features: Grimm's Fairy Tales and Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales are well-known symbols of fairy tales for Chinese readers. The authors of "Grimm's Fairy Tales" are the Brothers Grimm, who lived in 19th-century Germany. They were linguists and researchers of ancient cultures. During their university years, the two brothers met the Heidelberg Romantic poets Brentano and Arnim. The German folk song collection they compiled, "The Magic Flute of the Boy," inspired the brothers. Later, they traveled to Hesse, the Main River, and other places to visit people skilled in telling fairy tales, collecting stories from their mouths. Over a few years, they gathered over a hundred tales. In "Grimm's Fairy Tales," people from different regions, speaking different languages, and ruled by different kings or no longer ruled by them, always shared the same admiration for virtues such as truth, justice, kindness, love, diligence, and courage, and the same hatred and condemnation for ugly qualities like hypocrisy, evil, cruelty, cunning, laziness, and cowardice. Famous stories in "Grimm's Fairy Tales" include "Snow White," "The Fisherman and His Wife," "Hansel and Gretel," "The Clever Tailor," and "The Rabbit and the Hedgehog."
Book Description: The Brothers Grimm rediscovered a host of fairy tales, telling of princes and princesses in their castles, witches in their towers and forests, of giants and dwarfs, of fabulous animals and dark deeds. This selection of their tales was made and translated by Lucy Crane.
From School Library Journal, Kindergarten-Grade 5: Joss Ackland reads 14 personal favorites from Grimm, some of which will be new to adults as well as children. Even familiar tales like "Cinderella" and "Little Red Riding Hood" will seem a little unfamiliar as the older versions of the stories are shared. "Cinderella" does not contain a fairy godmother; good fortune comes to the heroine through a kind bird that perches in a hazel bush growing from Cinderella's mother's grave. The menacing wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood" is dispatched by the huntsman. However, for listeners who think that the story ended there, Ackland reveals that Little Red Riding Hood ventured into the wood again and was approached by another wolf, equally threatening. Learning their lesson the first time, Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother drown the second wolf. Among the other tales are: "Snow White and Rose Red," "Rapunzel," "The Singing Bone," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Faithful John," "The Nixie of the Mill Pond," "The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage," "The Sleeping Beauty," and four others. The rich style of these stories has an antique quality, and there is no attempt to modernize them. Likewise, there is no attempt to sanitize the tales to remove the violent justice or merciless cruelty heaped upon the heroes and heroines. The sound quality is excellent, and Ackland is a remarkable reader who uses her expressive voice to bring out the drama inherent in the stories. Listeners seeking authentic versions of these classic tales will find a unique resource in this collection. School media specialists and public librarians will find this an excellent addition to their folktale collections.
ANancy L. Chu, Western Illinois University, Macomb
From AudioFile: British actress Laura Paton reads fairy tales, including "The Frog Prince," "The Elves and the Shoemaker," "Hansel and Gretel," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "Cinderella." Paton reads at a comfortable pace in a clear, versatile voice. She gives a quiet, deft reading without intrusive overdramatization, which allows listeners to become involved in the stories. The stories are introduced with brief musical passages taken from Tchaikovsky, Strauss, and Grieg, which enhance the presentation. Whether listeners know these classic stories well or are hearing them for the first time, they'll enjoy this collection.
C.R.A.
About Author: With evocative pictures by an artist widely recognized as one of the foremost illustrators of the 20th century, this outstanding anthology is a handsome keepsake for children and adults. Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) illustrated more than 50 books, including "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens" and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," which brought him international fame.
Book Dimension: length: (cm) 19.8, width: (cm) 12.6