The Story of the Three Bears

The Story of the Three Bears
By Joseph Jacobs: English Fairy Tales 1840

Summary: There was once a family of three bears who lived in a house in the woods. They are Little, Small, Wee Bear; a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. One day the family of bears left their home for a walk in the woods while their porridge cools. An old woman in the woods comes across the house, and enters it. The old woman eats the Wee Bear's porridge, then settles into his chair and breaks it. Prowling about, she finds the bear's beds and falls asleep in Wee Bear's bed. The Bears return and Wee Bear finds the old woman in his bed. The old woman starts up, jumps from the window, and is never seen again.

My Review: Ok this tale seriously cracks me up! What was that little old woman thinking? It is plain ole rude to break in and enter someone’s home. Especially a family of bears! My favorite part in this story is the ending. “Out the little old Woman jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the fall; or ran into the wood and was lost there; or found her way out of the wood, and was taken up by the constable and sent to the House of Correction for a vagrant as she was, I cannot tell. But the Three Bears never saw anything more of her.” I really hope she was sent to the House of Correction for a vagrant that she was! Ha Ha! I prefer the Goldilocks and the Three Bears better than this version, because an old woman entering a house just sounds creepy to me.

Watch Out For: Breaking and Entering

The Story of the Three Little Pigs

The Story of the Three Little Pigs By Joseph Jacobs; English Fairy Tales 1840

'Little pig, little pig, let me come in.'

'No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.'

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in.'

Summary:  There were three little pigs whose mother told them to go out into the world and seek their fortune. The first little pig builds a house of straw and a wolf blows it down and eats the pig.  The second pig builds a house of sticks, and once again the wolf blows the house down and eats the pig. The third pig builds a house of bricks, the wolf fails to bring the house down and tries other ways of trickery to get the pig to come out. The pig outsmarts him every time. Finally the wolf comes down the chimney, where the pig boils a pot of water.



My Review: I absolutely love the saying “little pig, little pig, let me come in!” I used to tell this tale all the time to my cousins when they were younger and get a kick out of this story. I’ve always felt sorry for the wolf in a way. Wolfs have to eat too you know!  The only thing that really blew me away about this story is that the pig ate the wolf in the end after the wolf landed in the pot of boiling water. That really shocked me to think the pig would eat animals! 


Watch Out For: Eating animals, trickery, the Wolf, 

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

By Joseph Jacobs: English Fairy Tales 1890

'Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman,
Be he alive, or be he dead,
I'll have his bones to grind my bread.'

Summary: Jack sells the family cow for a few beans, this upsets his widowed mother, and she throws them out the window. The beans are magical and grow into a stalk that reaches the sky that very night. Jack climbs the bean stalk and discovers a strange land where a greedy giant lives. Jack decided to steal the giant’s treasures which are a golden harp, a hen that lays golden eggs, and silver and gold.  The giant discovers Jack and pursues him down the beanstalk, but Jack chops down the beanstalk causing the giant to fall down and die.

My Review: I have always found this fairytale to be quite fascinating. At first I thought jack was really reckless for selling a cow for a couple of beans, but I guess it worked out for him and his mother in the end. The Giant's saying has always given me the willies. Grind his bones to make bread? EW!

Watch Out For: The Giant, magical beans, bargaining, death, a chase.

The Husband Who was to Mind the House

The Husband Who Was to Mind the House
By Asbjørnsen: 1888.

Summary: A husband complains that his wife has the easiest job and she suggests that he stay home and do her work, while she will take his job.  Everything he does turns into chaos.
 
My Review: This is a hilarious tale! I have to be a feminist on this one and say to men, “SEEE…..A woman’s job is hard!” That poor husband didn’t know what he got himself into. He turns the whole entire house into a circus. I really enjoyed this tale!

Watch Out For: Crazy behavior

Puss in Boots

“Master Cat” or “Puss in Boots”
By Charles Perrault; 1697

Summary: Puss in Boots is a car who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for his poor master.

My Review: I not that big of a fan of this fairytale, it just seems a little bland for me. I think it is interesting that a cat is walking around in a pair of boots talking and all, but I was not feeling it. I guess it was because Antonio Bandaras wasn’t speaking to me.  The funniest kick I got out of this tale was the last line that stated “Puss became a personage of great importance, and gave up hunting mice, except for amusement.”


Watch Out For: Talking animals, ogres, trickery, deceit

Moral

It’s a pleasant thing, I’m told,
To be left a pile of gold.
But there’s something better still,
Never yet bequeathed by will.
Leave a lad a stock of sense—
Though with neither pounds nor pence—
And he’ll finish, as a rule,
Richer than the gilded fool.

Another Moral

Can the heart of a Princess
Yield so soon to borrowed dress?
So it seems—but wait a while— ‘Tis not all a tale of guile.
He was young and straight of limb; She was just the girl for him.
He was brave, and she was fair.
Tell me, when the right man’s there—
Be he but a miller’s son—
What Princess will not be won?

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty
By Charles Perrault; 1697

Summary:  A beautiful princess is born and is bestowed upon with gifts from fairies. A wicked fairy gives places the princess under an enchantment, saying that, when the princess is older she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. A good fairy, says that the princess will sleep for a hundred years and be awakened by true love’s first kiss, instead of dying. A hundred years passes and a prince discovers the sleeping beauty.

My  Review: I love the story of Sleeping Beauty. It is one of my absolute favorites. I love the whole true love’s first kiss and all that gushy love stuff. I am a big fan of the Disney Version of Sleeping Beauty. It was really interesting to read the original version. Instead of three fairies there are a total of seven, and so on. I really enjoyed it !

Watch Out For: Death, enchantments

Moral:

Many a girl has waited long,

For a husband brave or strong;

But I’m sure I never met

Any sort of woman yet
who could wait a hundred years,
Free from fretting, free from fears.
Now, our story seems to show
That a century or so,
Late or early, matters not;
True love comes by fairy-lot.
Some old folk will even say
It grows better by delay.

Grimm's Cinderella

Cinderella

By Brothers Grimm; Children’s Household Tales 1812

Summary: Cinderella works for her step mother and step sisters. She turns her world upside down when she receives dresses and slippers and goes to the balls and meets the prince. When she loses her slipper the prince comes looking for her. 

My Review: Cinderella has always been my favorite fairytale, that is, until I read this non-Disney version. In this Cinderella there is no fairy godmother, magic pumpkin, or mice. Instead she gets her slippers and dress by chanting a song to a tree and the birds send down her dress. I found it rather weird. Also the step mother is a psycho path. She makes her two daughters cut off their heel and toe in order for the shoe to fit. I found that to be beyond anything I could handle. 

Things to Watch Out For: Violence, blood

Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel
The Grimm Brothers, Children's and Household Tales 1857
Summary: Hansel and Gretel are left in the woods and end up finding a house made of cake and bread that was built by a wicked witch who eats children. Hansel and Gretel save their lives by outwitted her.

My Review: Ok first of all  the father is an idiot, he shouldn't have to put up with his wife pushing him around. The husband really should have just left his wife in the woods, instead of the children. The wife was an evil little twit and the children were so sweet. The wicked witch is terrifying! This story has always given me the creeps because of the whole baking the children in the oven. The only thing I like about this fairytale is that Hansel and Gretel are such loving siblings and they really take care of each other.

Watch Out for: abandonment, starvation, a wicked witch, mentioning of killings and eating children, death

Rapunzel

Rapunzel

Brothers Grimm; Children’s and Household Tales 1812

Summary: Rapunzel was raised by a witch, who made a deal with her father, who locks her up in a tower with no doors. Rapunzel grows long, beautiful hair after many years. When the witch said “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair,” Rapunzel let her gold locks down for the witch to come up. One day a prince comes to the tower and says the phrase and comes up to the tower. They fall in love and want to escape, but the witch is a big problem. Will they be able to escape the witch and be together?

My Review: Well this was a pretty accurate account of what I remember as a kid. The only difference was the ending. The prince goes blind and somehow Rapunzel ends up with twins! So yeah it was a big shocker to me. I love the simplicity that the Brothers Grimm use in telling fairy tales.

Watch Out For: Control, trickery, pregnancy, banishment, sensual suggestions, violence, and an evil Witch.