Grimm Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales collected by Brothers Grimm

Fiction http://www.familymanagement.com/literacy/grimms/grimms-toc.html

The four stories read: Little Red-Cap, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel.

Summary

Hansel and Gretel were two children living with their father and stepmother. There was little food and stepmother convinced their father to leave the children in the woods so there would be enough food for the two of them. Father relented and the next day took his children into the woods to chop firewood and leave them lost. Hansel overheard the conversation and stuffed his pockets with white stones, which he tossed behind him to mark the path they took. Their father left them with two small loaves and returned to the house, sad. Hansel and Gretel spent the night in the woods then followed the shining stones home. The stepmother was angry they returned, but their father was joyous, thinking he would never see them again. A few years later, the same thing happened. There was a shortage of food and the stepmother convinced their father again to lead them into the woods. Hansel overheard but could not gather stones because stepmother locked the door. As they set off to the woods, Hansel crumbled his loaf and left a trail of crumbs. The next day, the children set off to follow the crumbs home, but there were no crumbs for the crows and birds had eaten them all. The children wandered until they found a house in the deepest part of the woods covered in sweets and bread. They tore off pieces and ate until they were full. An old witch, whose house they ate off invited them into the house and planned to eat them. Hansel was put into a cage while Gretel was forced to cook delicious meals for him to get him plump. The old witch could not see well so when she tested Hansel’s fatness, he held out a bone for her to feel. Frustrated that he hadn’t gotten any larger, she decided that she would eat him today. Gretel was to heat the oven for Hansel but tricked the old witch to stick her head in, to show here how. Gretel immediately pushed the witch in and latched the door. She freed Hansel from his cage and they took the bags of jewel and money from the witch’s house. They walked and finally made it to a river. They convince a duck to carry each of them across and continue their journey home. Their father was overcome with happiness, the woman being dead and his children returned safe.

Reaction

I love the Grimm version of the fairy tales. I grew up being read from them and loved the suspense and details portrayed of the villain’s demise. I think that these were better representations of fairy tales, where the main character must conquer or overcome a problem or person. The stories were familiar, but interesting to see the small twists and variations between the different versions.

Potential Problems

This story has a mean step mother who is selfish enough to convince her husband to abandon his children in the woods to have enough food for herself. The Grimm fairy tales are grim and often describe violent, graphic scenes. These would be inappropriate for younger children.

Recommendations

I would recommend Grimm’s versions to older students and those who have already read the Disney and lighter sides of fairy tales.