The Tales of Beedle the Bard Book Review

Author: J.K. Rowling

Bestselling author J.K. Rowling is back with The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of short stories first mentioned in the Harry Potter series. Kidzworld has the scoop.

The Bard’s Collection

Five Fables

The book contains five short fables: The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fair Fortune. The Warlock’s Hairy Heart, Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Crackling Stump, and The Tale of the Three Brothers. While most of the stories changed over time (or were altered for young eavesdroppers), The Warlock’s Hairy Heart remained a truly gruesome tale. And the final story, The Tale of Three Brothers, told the legend of three familiar objects—an unbeatable wand, a stone that can bring back the dead and an invisibility cloak. You may remember these three objects, or “deathly hallows,” from the final Harry Potter book.

Dumbledore’s Notes

But there’s more to The Tales of Beedle the Bard than five popular fairytales (which Hermione Granger translated from the original text). Each tale is followed by a chapter of notes written by the most powerful (and most peculiar) Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Albus Dumbledore. He wrote this collection of notes just weeks before his death.

The Bottom Line

At only 104 pages, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a cute book, but certainly not life-changing like the Harry Potter series. While the fairytales are entertaining (and a last look through Dumbledore’s eyes is a treat), the “Dumbledore’s Notes” sections are a little longer than necessary. They provide history that may be boring to some of the less-enthusiastic Harry Potter fans.

But keep in mind that this book wasn’t meant to be J.K. Rowling’s next attempt at fame and fortune. The proceeds of this book go to the Children’s High Level Group (CHLG), a charity set up by Rowling to protect the lives of institutionalized children across Europe.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard Rating:

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