The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a short book written by J.K. Rowling for charity. A donation of the proceeds goes to support Lumos, which is a charity for orphaned children and very close to Ms. Rowling’s heart. The title may sound familiar to you, as it was mentioned in the Harry Potter series. If you have not read the series, I would recommend doing so before reading my review or the book itself.
It was the book that Dumbledore bequeaths Hermione upon his death and helps the trio on their quest to destroy the Horcruxes. As most readers will be Muggles, they will have grown up with Aesop’s fables, the fairytales from the Brother’s Grimm or retellings made famous by Disney – but wizard children grew up with Beedle’s stories. Ron was even flummoxed during the series when Harry and Hermione, both having been raised by Muggles, were unfamiliar with Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump. Charmingly, that story is included in this book.
The most important tale in this collection of children’s stories is about the Peverel Brothers. It is a tale of the Deathly Hallows and of the utmost importance to our trio’s journey. Beyond that and the humour of Babbity Rabbity, I quite enjoyed the tale of the Fountain of Fair Fortune. It teaches young wizard children to make their own ways in the world, rather than solely relying on magic.
Each tale is accompanied by a short piece of writing by Albus Dumbledore that provides his thoughts and musings. It was a nice touch to the tales and gives us additional history or knowledge. This is a very quick read that I would recommend to any fan of the Harry Potter series.
Kyera's Library 
Leave a Reply