Asbjornsen Fairy Tales

Title: Asbjornsen Fairy Tales     

Author: Peter Christian Asbjornsen

Copyright Date:                  

Genre: Fantasy                                     

Pages of Book: 141

Publisher:                                               

Reading Level: 5-12

Summary: 

The Lads who met the Trolls' in Hedale Wood-
There once was an old couple who had two sons.They knew all the shortcuts in the country. One time they took their shortcut but they couldn't stay with the milkmaids because it was late in the year and they were gone. They kept heading towards Hedale however in the dark they became lost. Then they heard trolls around them. They boys split up so the trolls would follow the one and the other slashed at the ogres heels. In doing so the ogre drops his eye and the man snatches it up. This made them very angry and they threatened the boys with their lives. However they weren't scared because they could see nothing. Then they started threatening the ogres lives and they became frightened. They gave the boys gold and silver and they never bugged humans again.


The Lad and the Devil-
A lad was walking home when he saw a worm hole in his nut. The devil appeared and the boy asked if the devil could go inside such a small hole. He said yes and went inside. The lad put a cork in the hole and took the but to a smithy. The smithy couldn't get the nut open for quite some time until he smashed it to a thousand pieces. 


The Pancake-
A mother was making her children pancakes with new milk one day. The kids were so hungry and wanted a pancake so badly. However when the pancake was almost done it jumped out of the pan and rolled down the hill. The woman and her children chased it until they could see it no more. THe pancake came upon a man and many animals that wanted to eat him also. However we wouldn't let anyone eat him and kept rolling fast. Until he had rolled for a long time he came across a pig. When he got to the pig the pig said that they should walk through the forest together and talk. The pancake stopped and did so until they came to a stream. The pancake couldn't swim so the pig suggested it get on its snout. The pancake did and the pig gobbled him up. 


The Seven Fathers in the House-
A man was traveling when he came across a big house. He asked a man outside if he could stay the night there. However he said he wasn't the father of the house that someone else was. After going through seven generations he finally finds the father of the house and can stay the night. 

Reaction: I thought these fairy tales were the weirdest things that I have ever read. Especially because they are for children yet I don't think they would understand them at all. 

Problem: N/A 

Recommendation: I wouldn't recommend these fairy tales. I feel like they didn't make sense a lot of the time. 

Perrault Fairy Tales

Title: Perrault Fairy Tales     

Author: Charles Perrault

Copyright Date:  2004                

Genre: Fantasy                                     

Pages of Book: 144

Publisher: Wordsworth Edition LTD                                              

Reading Level: 5-12

Summary: 

Little Red RIding Hood-

Little Red Riding Hood is sent to take her sick grandmother some cake and butter. One her way she comes across a hungry wolf. The wolf asked her where she was going. Little red riding hood told him all about her sick grandmother and where she lived. The wolf says that they should have a race and takes the shorter path there. Little red riding hood is in not big hurry and takes her time. When the wolf gets to the house he pretends that he is little red riding hood and grandmother tells him how to get in. The wolf gobbles her up and lays in her bed. When little riding gets there he calls for her to come in. She sees that grandmother is quite different. Then the wolf gobbles her up.  

Blue Beard-

Blue beard was exceedingly rich however no one wanted to marry him because he had a blue beard. Every girl would run at the sight of his beard. There was a lady with two beautiful daughters and he asks one of them to marry him. They had some reservations about this because he already had several wives and no one knew what had become of them. However he invited them to picnic and hunt so the girls could get to know him. By the end of that the youngest sister decided to marry him. He has to leave town a few months later and he tells his wife that she can have the keys to all the rooms in the house but there was one room she was forbidden to go into. Her curiousity got the better of her and she opened the door of that room. Hanging on the walls were all of his wives and their throats had been slit. She was very fearful of her life now. She leaves the room and she sees that key is stained with blood. She tries everything to get the blood off. When her husband returns he asks for his keys back. He sees that she has gone into the room and he tells her that she will be joining them. He gives her some time to pray though. She had told her brothers to come visit today so she hopes that they will save her. Just as blue beard is about to cut her throat her brothers ride in and kill him. She gets all of his riches and marries a good man. 

Puss in Boots-  
There was a miller who died and left his fortune to his three sons. He didn't have much so the youngest son only got his cat. He wasn't happy about this and told his brothers that he would eat the cat and then starve to death. However the cat promised him great things if he would give him boots so he could walk in the forest. With these boots he did a great many tricks. Made friends with the king and even eventually married his daughter. 

The Fairies-

There once was two sisters who were quite opposite. One was like her mother who was very rude. They youngest was very nice like her father. The mother hated the youngest so she made her work all day. One day when the youngest sister was fetching water at the well a woman asked her for a drink. She was very kind so the lady said that every time she spoke she would get diamonds and pearls. The mother was furious that she had taken so long. However she saw what would come out of her daughters mouth. After the youngest told her mother what had happened she sent her oldest daughter. However the daughter was nice and the lady placed a curse on her and said she would speak toads and snakes. The mother was very angry but her sweet daughter had already run away. While she was hiding in the forest a price came across her and they fell in love. 

Reaction: I had never read any of Perraults fairy tales. He had a lot of them that I had never heard. Some of them were hard to follow I thought.  

Problem: N/A 

Recommendation: I would recommend a select few. There a few that I don't know if I would share with children however. 

Jacobs' Fairy Tales

Title: Jacobs' Fairy Tales     

Author: Joseph Jacobs

Copyright Date:  2011                

Genre: Fantasy                                     

Pages of Book: 168

Publisher: readaclassic.com                                               

Reading Level: 5-12

Summary: 

Jack and the Beanstalk- Jack is sent to sell his family cow after it doesn't produce milk. His mother and him are very poor and they really need the money. When Jack is on his way to town he runs into a man that says he will give him beans that will grow up to the sky for his cow. Jack agrees and when he tells his mom she is furious and throws the beans out the window. The next morning the beanstalk went up into the clouds. Jack climbs up and sees a house and goes in. The wife says her husband will be home soon and will eat him. Jack is really hungry so she feeds him but the ogre comes home. She hides Jack in the oven. When the ogre falls asleep Jack steals a bag a gold and goes home. When his mom and him run out of that money he goes back up the beanstalk. This time he steals a golden hen. Then the next time he steals the golden harp but this time the Ogre wakes up and runs after Jack. Jack climbs down the beanstalk and chops it down. The ogre dies and Jack and his mother live happily ever after and are rich. 


The Three Little Pigs-
A sow had three little pigs and it was time for them to go find a home for their own. The first little pig built a house out of straw. Along came a wolf and blew his house down and ate the pig. The second built his house out of furze. Along came the wolf and blew his house down and ate him. The third little pig built his house out of brick. When the wolf came he could not blow down his house. The wolf instead tries to trick the pig to get him out of the house. However this doesn't work for the pig is very smart. The wolf is angry and decides to climb in through the chimney. However the third little pig made a pot of boiling water so when the wolf climbed through he went right into the pot. The pig ate the wolf for dinner. 


The Story of the Three Bears-
There were three bears that fixed their morning porridge. They went for a walk in the forest while it was cooling. However an old lady came into their house. She tested each bowl of porridge but one was too hot and one was too cold. However one was just right. Then she went to sit in a chair but one was too hard, another broke when she sat in it. However again one was just right. Then she went upstairs because she was tired. She lay in each bed until she found one that was just right. When the bears got home they realized that someone had ate their porridge, sat in their chairs. Then they went to the bedroom where they find the old lady sleeping. She wakes up and jumps out the window and is never seen again. 


The Cat and the Mouse-
A cat takes a mouses tail and tells her that if she gets the cat milk then she can have her tail back. The mouse goes to the cow to get milk however the cow says not until the farmer gives her hay. The mouse runs to the farmer but the farmer says no not until he has meat. The mouse runs to the butcher but he says no not until the baker gives him bread. The mouse runs to the baker and the baker says yes just don't eat my meal. In the end the mouse gets her tail back and everyone gets what they needed.  

Reaction: I like the twist that Jacobs' put on the fairy tales. I have never heard them quite like he wrote them. 

Problem: N/A 

Recommendation: I didn't find any reason that I wouldn't recommend these fairy tales. 

Grimm Fairy Tales

Title: Grimm Fairy Tales 

Author: Brothers Grimm

Copyright Date: 2011                    

Genre: Fairy Tales                                     

Pages of Book: 262 Pages

Publisher: Simon & Brown                                                 

Reading Level: Ages 5-12

Rapunzel-
Summary: There was a garden surrounded by a a very high wall. No one would tried to get into because it an enchantress lived there.One night a man climbed over the wall to get his wife the rampion that she wanted so much. After eating the rampions that her husband got she wanted more of them. Her husband climbed the wall again. However, this time when he climbed over he saw the enchantress. She wasn't angry when the man explained to him how much his wife longed for the rampions. She said to take as  many as you want but that he must give her his child. He agreed and when his wife had a child and the enchantress took her and named her Rapunzel. She was a beautiful girl but when she was twelve the enchantress locker her in the tower with no stairs or door. The enchantress would have Rupunzel let down her long hair and the she would climb up. One day a prince rode by the tower and heard her singing. The prince tried to get into the tower but there was only a little window at the top. He rode home but everyday would come back to the forest to hear her sing. One day when he was in the forest he saw the enchatress climb up Rupunzel's hair. The prince tells Rupunzel to let down her hair and he climbed up. He asked her to marry him and she said she would. She decides that if he brings her silk every time he visits her she will be able to weave a ladder and climb down. One day Rapunzel slipped and told the enchantress about the prince, as a punishment she cut off her hair and was cast out to the desert. The wicket enchantress tricks the prince and gets him into the tower. He jumps down from the tower but thorns pierced his eyes and he became blind. He roamed about in misery for many years. One day he was in the desert where Rapunzel lived. They ran into each other and as Rapunzel realized who it was she hugged and wept with him. Her tears wetted his eyes and he could see again. They lived happily every after.  


The Frog Prince-
Summary: The Kings daughter was playing at a spring with her favorite yellow ball when she drops it into the water. She can't reach it because the water is too deep. She sits and cries when she hears a voice ask why she is crying. She looks and it is a frog. She tells him that she has lost her favorite play toy. He tells her that if she promises to let him eat of her plate and sleep with her then he will go get her ball. She agrees and the frog gets the ball for her. She grabs the ball and runs back to the castle without keeping her promise. That night when she is eating dinner she hears a knock on the door. She goes out and it is the frog. Her father asks her who is at the door and she tells him what happened. The king says that she must keep her promise. Reluctantly she obeys. When she takes the frog up to her room for bed she throws him into the wall hoping to take care of her problem. However the frog turns into a prince when she did this.

Hansel and Gretel-
Summary: Hansel and Gretal have a new stepmother that isn't very nice to them. She doesn't like children. One day Hansel hears his father and her talking and they decided that they are going to try to lose the children in the woods. Her stepmother thought they were costing too much money. Hansel gathers white pebbles and puts it in his pocket. After his parents leave they follow the pebbles back to the house. The stepmother tries to do it again and locks them in the house so they can't gather pebbles this time. Instead they grab raisin bread. However the birds eat it and they are lost. They come across a candy house and the lady says she loves children to eat as much candy as they want. However she turns into a witch and locks them into cages and says she wants to eat them. They are too skinny now so she feeds them lots of fatty things to put some meat on them. One day she can't wait any longer and has Gretal prepare her a fire so she can eat her. However the witches eyes were bad and Gretal would keep putting the fire out. The witch looks into the fire to see why it keeps going out and Gretal pushes her into the fire. They run back home and their dad is delighted to see them and they realize that their stepmother was the witch.

Little Red Riding Hood-
Summary: One day little red riding hood was sent to her grandmothers to take her some fruit cake and rum butter. Her grandmother was sick. She sent out on her way when she came across a wolf. He was hungry and wanted to eat her but some lumberjacks were close by. He decided to ask her where she was going. Little Red Riding Hood told him everything and even gave her grandmothers address to him. The wolf ran ahead and gobbled her grandmother up. When she got there she didn't realize that it wasn't her grandmother in bed. When she said my what great big teeth you have the wold replied the better to eat you with. The wolf gobbled up Little Red Riding Hood.

Reaction: Judging by what I heard from others I thought I wouldn't like these fairy tales. However I really liked the ones I read at least. 

Problem: N/A

Recommendation: I would recommend however one ones like Little Red Riding Hood. You definitely need to talk about the moral to that fairy tale. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

Author: Roald Dahl

Copyright Date: 1964                    

Genre: Fantasy                                     

Pages of Book: 160 Pages

Publisher: Puffin                                                 

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Charlie Bucket is a young boy whose family is very poor. They barely have any food to eat at all. He lives in a tiny house with his 4 grandparents and his mother and father. His grandparents are so old that they just stay in bed all day. Every day when Charlie goes to school he walks past the Willy Wonka chocolate factory he stops to smell the chocolate. He thinks it is weird that he never sees anyone outside the factory. He asks his grandpa about the factory. He tells charlie that Willy Wonka locked it up because people were sending spies in to get his secrets. No one knows who works in the factory anymore. The next day they see in the paper that golden tickets will be hidden in 5 bars of chocolate. Whoever gets those tickets will be allowed into the factory. This excites Charlie because his birthday is coming up and he gets a bar of chocolate. He hopes that he gets a golden ticket. His birthday comes and he opens up his chocolate bar and there is no ticket. 4 golden tickets had been found and Charlie had hit the reality that he wasn't going to get one. That night he is walking home when he catches a glimpse of a dollar in the gutter. He picks it up and goes and buys a chocolate bar. Again there isn't a ticket in it. He decides to buy another and this time he finds a golden ticket. He runs all the way home and is so excited because he gets to go tomorrow. Grandpa Joe goes with Charlie to the factory. They see many wonderful things in the factory but the children are dropping like flies because they don't listen to Willy Wonka. One falls into the chocolate river and is sucked up a tube, one turns into a blueberry, another is turned into a miniature figurine, and one is sent down the garbage chute. It is only Charlie left and Wonka takes them on the elevator. They fly out of the factory and above the town when Wonka tells Charlie the factory is all his when he is big enough. They go pick up the rest of the family and they  move into the factory. 

Reaction: I had never read the book and only watched the movie. I was surprised at how different the book was. I liked the differences however. I think the movie doesn't do this book justice. 

Problem: Charlie's family is poor and starving. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this book. It is so imaginative and I'm sure children would love it. It shows children's consequences to their actions and I think that is really good. It makes kids not want to be like the other kids that go to go into the factory. 

Love That Dog

Title: Love That Dog 

Author: Sharon Creech

Copyright Date: 2001                    

Genre: Poetry-Fiction                                     

Pages of Book: 86 Pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press                                                 

Reading Level: Ages 8-12

Summary: At first Jack feels like poetry was just for girls. For one of his classes he has to write poetry and he isn't happy with it. However throughout the book Jack learns to love poetry. He tells about all the different varieties of writing poetry. Who knew there were poems that didn't even have to rhyme. Throughout the book Jack writes about his dog after it died. At first he doesn't want his teacher to put his name on his work because he is embarrassed. By the end however he is proud of his poetry. Jack even writes to his favorite author Walter Dean Myers and he comes to his school. 

Reaction: I'm not big on poetry to be honest. However I was very surprised to get into this book and really love it. I could relate to Jack because I lost my dog last summer and it was very hard for my husband and I. She was our baby and did everything with us. I think its also something that children can relate to also.

Problem: Jack is sad about the loss of his dog. He also doesn't want to write poetry because he thinks it is for girls.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book and can see how it would be beneficial to use in classrooms. I like that it shows  lot of different types of ways we can use poetry. I think that will get children more excited about it. This book would be good for the student as well as the teacher. 

Sister Magic-The Trouble with Violet

Title: The Trouble with Violet    

Author: Anne Mazer

Copyright Date: 2007                    

Genre: Fiction                                     

Pages of Book: 112 Pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press                                                 

Reading Level: Grades 2-4

Summary: Mabel is the complete opposite of her little sister Violet. Mabel is organized and neat and Violet is a mess. Mabel starts to notice some things around the house. Violet finds her moms wallet in the freezer after looking for two minutes. One day the uncle she has never met shows up and she notices some weird things about him also. One day he just vanishes. When she asks her mom about it she tells her that magic runs in the family. Mabel then realizes that she doesn't have it but her sister Violet does. 

Reaction: I liked this book alright. I'm not big into magic types of books so it wasn't my favorite. 

Problem: Mabel notices that something strange is going on in her house. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this book however I wouldn't recommend to just any child. I would only recommend to those who liked books like this one.