Witches, evil stepmothers, wolves, huntsmen, dwarves--they're all here. As Philip Pullman revisits some of the best of the fairy tales put forth by the Brothers Grimm, he revisits old favorites, such as "Snow White" and "Cinderella," but he adds new details and changes words--in essence, he makes them his own in an attempt to make them "as clear as water," as he states in the Introduction. Just as the originals captivated their audience, these tales, too, grab their readers and hold them there. Whether reconsidering a familiar tale like "Rapunzel" or reading something new like "Thousandfurs," the audience is sure to be charmed. And, to make it better, Pullman adds his own notes after each story, identifying type of story, origin of story, and various versions of stories. He even goes as far as to tell the readers what he would add to the story if he continued it.

Overall, this book is written for audiences of all ages, but parts of it might be a bit scary for tiny listeners. Comparative literature scholars will love it because of its access to various stories, and literary analysts will relish in its stylistic changes. It's a good read! Give it a try!

A lovely and comprehensive collection of Grimm's fairy tales.

This selection of fairy tales includes all of the well-known stories, many less familiar ones and the best the Grimms collected. Pullman has updated the tales in straightforward, extremely readable language, but has left in all the gory bits, which are so often sanitized in collections for children. I also enjoy his endnotes commenting on the stories. "The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage" was an unknown tale for me that I thought was hilarious, and it has stuck in my mind. I've been reading fairy tales aloud to my 6-year-old, and this edition has been fun reading for both of us. Highly recommended. ( )

Between 1812 and 1857, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm collected folk tales and published them in six ever-increasing editions. In this edition, Pullman selects 53 that he thinks are the best stories, and tells them in his own voice, while still maintaining their traditions. Each tale contains three sections: the tale itself, the bibliographic details, and Pullman's personal comments. The bibliographic details include the scholarly classification of the tale (for example, a Cinderella story is ATU510A), the source from where the Grimms collected the tale, and a list of similar stories (usually comparing the Grimm tale to a similar one found in Briggs's Folk Tales of Britain, Afanasev's Russian Fairy Tales, and Calvino's Italian Folktales). My favourite part was always Pullman's own comments, which were often astute and entertaining.

Several times I was surprised by a tale, and so looked up another translation. Each time I found that Pullman stayed very close to the original, but just used his own very enjoyable writing style. In the odd situation where he changed something, he explains clearly in his comments what exactly he changed and his reasons for doing so.

There are 209 Grimms Fairy Tales. How many can you name? "Rapunzel," "Hansel and Gretel," "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Sleeping Beauty," "Snow White," "Rumpelstiltskin"? Perhaps you also the "Frog Prince" and "the Robber Bridegroom"? That's only nine tales. I have a theory about this--it's because too many of the other tales are either forgettable or ridiculous. Other than these ones that I knew before I opened this book, I'm coming away with only a few new favourites -- "The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage" (which is an awesome story that has had my 17 yr old and I in hysterics several times), "The Juniper Tree," "The Goose Girl," and "Lazy Heinz." Pullman often acknowledges the flaws in some of the more forgettable tales.

Recommended for: Anyone who wants an edition of Grimm that is a pleasure to read. The book is not illustrated though, so I'd say it's for older readers -- say 9 to 99. Also, anyone who thinks a personal library isn't complete without an edition of Grimms Brothers. ( )