Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Peter Glassman are not the original tales as told by the Grimm brothers. This book is a collection of re-told classic tales, such as Rapunzel, The Valiant Tailor, Rumpelstiltskin, Tom Thumb, and many more. The stories are accompanied by vivid illustrations that enhance the content of the stories.

I’ll admit that I have a skewed outlook on fairy tales as I was brought up on Disney as a child. I was used to the very sanitized, heart-warming classics accompanied by feel good music and loveable characters. I did not realize what fairy tales used to be until I took a Folktale and Fairytale literature class in University. I was horrified by the true nature of the stories, but understood where they were coming from and developed a strange fascination with them. When I chose this book to review, I was hoping that the stories inside would be closer to the originals than to Disney, if that is the self-made spectrum that I am placing them on. Unfortunately, Glassman’s version of these well known tales disappointed. Though not as “fluffy” as some versions, these stories were still highly sterile and lacked the grit that really grabs the reader. In fact, the illustrations show more about the original nature of the text than the actual text does. I would recommend this book as an intermediate introduction to fairy tales, meaning that it is a little heavier than Disney but less graphic than the originals so would be more appropriate for a middle school audience. ( )