The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Tales of Beedle the Bard have been favourite bedtime reading in wizarding households for centuries. Full of magic and trickery, these classic tales both entertain and instruct, and remain as captivating to young wizards today as they were when Beedle first put quill to parchment in the fifteenth century. There are five tales in all: 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' Harry Potter fans will know from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune', 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart', 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot' and 'Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump' complete the collection. These narrative gems are accompanied by explanatory notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore (included by kind permission of the Hogwarts Headmaster's archive). His illuminating thoughts reveal the stories to be much more than just simple moral tales, and are sure to make Babbitty Rabbitty and the slug-belching Hopping Pot as familiar to Muggles as Snow White and Cinderella.

This brand new edition of these much loved fairy tales from the wizarding world pairs J.K. Rowling's original text with gorgeous jacket art by Jonny Duddle and line illustrations throughout by Tomislav Tomic.


The Tales of Beedle the Bard is published in aid of the Lumos (link to wearelumos.org), an international children's charity (registered charity number 1112575) founded in 2005 by J.K Rowling.
Lumos is dedicated ending the institutionalisation of children, a harmful practice that affects the lives of up to eight million disadvantaged children around the world who live in institutions and orphanages, many placed there as a result of poverty, disability, disease, discrimination and conflict; very few are orphans. Lumos works to reunite children with their families, promote family-based care alternatives and help authorities to reform their systems and close down institutions and orphanages.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4 Up-Muggles grow up with Grimm's fairy tales; wizarding children grow up with Tales of Beedle the Bard. The Bard's book is a collection of five tales, bequeathed to Hermione Granger by Professor Dumbledore. The passing of the book into her hands was intended to be both "entertaining and instructive." As in all good mysteries, information contained within its pages provided Hermione with clues essential to helping Harry in the series' last installment. In particular, "The Tale of Three Brothers" describes how three magical items appeared after siblings cleverly cheat death. It is these items that play a pivotal role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Scholastic, 2007). Those hoping to re-create the hours of pleasure spent curled up with a J.K. Rowling book may be disappointed at the brevity of this title, but they will undoubtedly enjoy the tales and Dumbledore's often lengthy, cynical-but-wise commentary on each one.-Robyn Gioia, Bolles School, Ponte Vedra, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007), Hermione Granger is left a book from the late Dumbledore's collection, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of fairy tales young wizards heard growing up. In 2007, Rowling handwrote and illustrated 7 copies of Beedle the Bard, one of which was auctioned off for millions of dollars with the proceeds going to charity. Originally, there was to be no mass publication of the book, but the desire for all things Potter by Harry's fans could not be denied. And so, readers can now own their own copies of this odd little book of five tales, complete with the commentary of Albus Dumbledore. Of most interest will be The Tale of the Three Brothers, whose story directly impacts on Harry's saga as revealed in the series final volume. But the other quirky tales have their own appeal, especially for dedicated fans. Using familiar fairy-tale elements, such as a magical pot and three brothers on a quest, the stories seem straightforward until Dumbledore's edifying commentary turns them on their head. Without the usual hoopla surrounding publication of a Rowling novel, this little curiosity will probably attract only Potter fanatics, but it will also be of marginal interest to all those readers who still miss Harry and would like one more shot at the wizarding world.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2009 Booklist

Horn Book Review

(Intermediate) Presented as a collection of folktales from the magical world of Harry Potter, Rowling's follow-up to the best-selling series functions on several levels: the tales themselves; the brief analysis of each by, ostensibly, Albus Dumbledore; and the anecdotes embedded in those commentaries. From "The Fountain of Fair Fortune," a Wizard of Oz-esque teaching story about inner riches, to "The Warlock's Hairy Heart," a morbid narrative of emotional repression that ends in the titular warlock cutting out his beloved's heart, the tales are filled with the quirky details Rowling's fans expect. Taken at face value, the commentaries are actually somewhat pedantic ("As we have already seen, Beedle's first two tales attracted criticism of their themes of generosity, tolerance, and love") but nevertheless offer devoted Potterphiles tidbits of wizarding culture and history (including the dastardly doings of Malfoy forebears), conveyed in Dumbledore's distinctive voice. The minimalist style, tone, and character construction of the tales all differ significantly from those of Rowling's novels -- as they should, given the folkloric conceit -- but the additional content will appeal primarily to those already steeped in the details of Harry's universe. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.