The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

There was once a kindly old wizard who used his magic generously and wisely for the benefit of his neighbors. Rather than reveal the true source of his power, he pretended that his potions, charms, and antidotes sprang ready-made from the little cauldron he called his lucky cooking pot. From miles around, people came to him with their troubles and the wizard was please to give his pot a stir, and put things right.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard was written by J.K. Rowling as a supplement to the final book in her Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This collection of fairy tales, and the final story "The Tale of Three Brothers," is cited in the book as an important key to discovering the meaning of the Deathly Hallows and ultimately defeating Lord Voldemort.

Already a huge fan of fairytales as well as their retellings, I was immediately excited when I found out J.K. Rowling had created the very set of tales she had mentioned in her book.

The set up of the book is incredibly well-done. It claims to have been translated from ancient runes by Hermione Granger and includes notes from Albus Dumbledore on each tale and its meaning. Rowling writes as herself in forming the introduction and adding footnotes for Muggle readers. Beyond that, she is also the artist who created the gorgeous illustrations contained within.

Each tale is unique and interesting, written in the fairytale fashion as if for the wizarding community. Dumbledore's notes are just as interesting as the tales themselves and include extra tidbits from the world of Harry Potter that make a fangirl quite gleeful. Though a short read, it's definitely a worthwhile one.

I can especially imagine it being quite fun for a parent whose children are a bit too young for Harry Potter just yet to read it to their children. That way, they'll be familiar with a few of the characters and the tales themselves and will make the books seem even more real to them when they come of age.

All in all, it was a lovely read and a must for every Harry Potter fan. It takes less than an hour to read straight through, so ideal for a bit of light reading. I know I'll definitely read this one more than a few times.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

In Muggle fairy tales, magic tends to lie at the root of the hero or heroine's troubles -- the wicked witch has poisoned the apple, or put the princess into a hundred-year's sleep, or turned the prince into a hideous beast. In The Tales of Beedle the Bard on the other hand, we meet heroes and heroines who can perform magic themselves, and yet find it just as hard to solve their problems as we do. Beedle's stories have helped generations of Wizarding parents to explain this painful fact of life to their young children: that magic causes as much trouble as it cures.