Book Review: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (5/5)

Yes, this is another short little book that I read. It’s all I’ve had time for while I’m making my way through so many long books lately. My husband took me on a book spree during teacher appreciation week at Barnes and Noble and I’ve been wanting a copy of this forever. It was a good time to buy and I devoured it immediately, starting on the car ride home.

Cover Image via Goodreads

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

Other books by this author reviewed on my blog:

Harry Potter y la Orden del Fenix
Very Good Lives
The Cuckoo’s Calling (under pseudonym Robert Galbraith)
The Silkworm (under pseudonym Robert Galbraith)

Summary from Goodreads:

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,” “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump,” and of course, “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” But not only are they the equal of fairy tales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.

This was exactly what I expected it to be. I loved the short fairy tale stories. I loved Dumbledore’s commentary even more. Rowling is so great at adding detail and background to everything without it being overwhelming. I thought the commentary she added was very thought out. It was nice to see how the stories reflected the wizarding culture and I liked knowing what was considered outlandish and what was considered out of line. It was a lot like real fairy tales from the way they were described. Some changed and others didn’t. I can’t say how much I enjoyed this!

My favorite of the stories was The Fountain of Faire Fortune. I liked how the women realized they didn’t need luck to solve their problems and were able to find the strength within themselves. It was great that they had to use wit to get to the fountain. I loved the muggle knight who came with them. He was so hapless and wonderful, I totally would have fallen for him!

I think The Tale of the Three Brothers is the most relatable. It’s easy to see why the first brother wished for power, something men desire. We all want to vanquish our enemies and be powerful. It’s easy to see why the second brother wished for something he’d lost as many pines for something they no longer have. The story teaches us to be smart and to be moderate in our desires so that we can persevere.

J.K. Rowling
Image via The Telegraph

I was so glad to finally read Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump. I love quoting Ron from the DH2 movie when he talks about Babbitty. It was a really cute story and I loved Dumbledore’s commentary about how Beedle must have never met an animagius. It had me smiling.

If forced to pick a least favorite story, I’d have to say The Wizard and the Hopping Pot. That’s not to say I disliked it, only that it didn’t make me smile as much as the others and I felt the story was more predictable than the others. It seemed obvious that the young wizard would have to help the people to get the pot to leave him alone so it wasn’t a surprise of an ending.

As the commentary says, there are problems that magic cannot solve. Witches and wizards have to think of other ways to solve their problems. Sometimes, magic creates the problems and magic cannot end them. It was fun to see fair tales, which we think of as magic, turned on their heads and made more magical and more fun.

Writer’s Takeaway: This book was fun. It’s been a while since I read a fun book and I loved it. Rowling is donating all the proceeds to Lumos, her charity and I think it’s great that she choose something so fun and lighthearted to generate revenue from. Plus, it was well priced! Charity and fundraising aren’t always associated with book sales but I really like what Rowling did with this title.

A really fun quick read. A full 5 out of 5 Stars.

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

Related Posts:
“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” by J.K. Rowling | NardiViews
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling..? | mairisblog
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling | J. Carson Writes
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling | booksofthemuggleborn