It's a J.K.Rowlings book set in the Potter-verse. There's not much more to say.

The book is an in-world book that was read and referenced in the text of the final Potter novel, and is a book of a half-dozen short fairy tales/ fables that wizards tell their children. The book is present as if it is a new translation with accompanying notes/ critiques by the famed Albus Dumbledore.

The tales are simple and quick. Nothing deep or revolutionary. They're fun tales that could very easily be mistaken for Grimm's tales. Traditional and simple.
Because the book is such a departure it might easily be a disappointment for those expecting wizardly epics or something new and groundbreaking. For someone just wanted some new fairy tales or a brand new yet timeless story this might be perfect. ( )

This companion to the Harry Potter series tells some fairy tales from the wizarding world. A few minor points stuck out to me (Hermione Granger seems too much of a prescriptivist to translate a singular personal pronoun, gender unknown, as "they"; she strikes me as the "he or she" type), but overall it's a cute book, well-suited for kids who are disappointed the series is complete, or who maybe aren't quite old enough for the last few books.

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The Tales of Beedle the Bard was something I was interested in since I had read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when this book of five fairy tales was bequeathed to Hermione Granger after Dumbledore's death. For those that read Deathly Hallows, you'll remember that Hermione's translation of the fairy tales was important to Harry's search and destruction of Voldemort.

J.K. Rowling is nothing if not thorough, so it's no surprise that the book that was handed down to Hermione has made its way to our own Muggle world. Not only that, but Rowling made sure to note that this book is Hermione's translation of the stories from the ancient runes, and the set is complete with Dumbledore's own notes after each tale. This is so much more than a set of fairy tales. This is an extension of Harry Potter's world, and really a small extension of the series.

I don't want to give anything away about the fairy tales, but I will give you their titles: The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fair Fortune, The Warlock's Hairy Heart, Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump, and The Tale of the Three Brothers. Personally, I liked them. They were very original but still stuck with the overall themes many fairy tales have: good triumphs over evil, humility is a virtue, etc.

If you ever wondered what exactly Hermione was translating, or if you love fairy tales and are looking for some new ones, or if you just want to know what a book of wizard's fairy tales would be like, you should read this book. Those who like deconstructing literature (hey English majors and librarians - over here!) will like Dumbledore's reviews and comments of each work, but the nice thing is that those who think that kind of thing is boring can skip right over it and not miss the essence of the book, which of course is the tales. It's like Rowling knew just how to format this book: give the die-hard fans more to read and a closer look into the wizarding world and a few of their beloved characters, but also give those less interested in specifics something light and short to read through.

4 out of 5 stars. This book works on different levels, and I really like that. It's not going to take you days to read this (like the series), but it still packs a lot of information into a neat little bundle. ( )

What a nice little book. I loved all the tales. My favourite one is the Tale of the Three Brothers (obviously). Contains extra info on the world of Harry Potter too! ( )

This book was okay. I expected more from Rowling. It would've been nice is she'd had a bigger selection stories, or "tales". A neat concept, though. ( )

I enjoyed Dumbledore's notes more than the stories. Specially where Lucius Malfoy is mentioned! :D
Overall I liked The Tale of the Three Brothers the most, but that's probably only because it holds the most relevance to the Harry Potter series. ( )

A great companion to the Harry Potter series, except it was a bit simpler than I expected, which left me a little disappointed. Reminds me of stories like Cinderella etc. ( )

This is a great book to read out loud and have discussions about the stories. Like all good fairy tales, there is always a message of truth and Rowling does a wonderful job at creating new messages. Anyone who read the Harry Potter books will adore this short book. ( )

Once again, it gives you a taste of the wizarding world that Harry Potter lives in. Sadly, it made me miss those first-time readings of Harry Potter that had me so captivated. Cute stories, with a new spin on stories that feel awfully familiar. ( )

Fairy tales from the world of Harry Potter – with commentary from Dumbledore. What I liked about this light and readable little book was the way in which the ‘themes’ of the stories were explored in this commentary. I thought it was an interesting exercise to transplant the genre of the fairy tale or fable to another (known but fantastical) world, and to explore the way in which fairy tales might still be used to convey universal messages. ( )

Finally got around to reading this one! I liked the humor and the commentary by Dumbledore. Review soon on my blog http://librariansbookreviews.blogspot... ( )

This was a whole lot less entertaining than I expected it to be. I am a general fan of J.K. Rowling's writing but this was just sub-par. I understand they are supposed to be tales for children but the Harry Potter novels were initially intended to be children's books as well and that writing appealed across age demographics. With that, I have little else to say about this book. ( )

Yawn... I have to admit, I expected something a bit more entertaining. Granted, these are "moral" tales, but the commentary was a lot more interesting, if somewhat catty, than the stories. And Rowling could take lessons in footnoting from Terry Pratchett! ( )

This is a collection of fairy tales from the world of Harry Potter. These are the tales that wizarding children grow up on. A copy of this was rather important during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

They contain all sorts of morals that you usually find in such things and are illustrated by Rowling herself. It doesn't add much to the Harry Potter story, not in the same way Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them did. (If you haven't read it, you should. You'll find out that there's much more to Crookshanks than meets the eye.) But, it is still enjoyable and super-fans will probably really like it. I know I did.

see all my reviews at www.jenrothschild.com ( )

I liked it. The stories were clever, funny and they create a new world. ( )

This book gives a new take on story time. These stories are a favorite of wizIrding children and yet like muggle stories, teach valuable lessions. ( )

This book was pretty good. I have to admit though, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I figured it'd be just about the three brothers, the elder wand, the ressurection stone, and the invisibility cloak. Plus more detail. But, like I said, it was still pretty good. ( )

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is an interesting collection of wizarding fairy tales that was cute and entertaining. However, I do feel that it is the weakest entry in the Harry Potter collection. That is not to say that it is a bad read at all, I just felt that in comparison to other Harry Potter works, this one falls a bit short.

The tales themselves are ok. I can't quite put my finger on what is missing, but they just do not quite have the feel of classic fairy tales from the Grimm brothers or Hans Christian Andersen. Something about them is just not quite right. I'm not saying that I'm looking for a carbon copy stylistically, but there's just something missing considering that these tales are supposedly handed down from generation to generation of witches and wizards.

The notes on each tale are where this book shines. Personal quips by Dumbledore and Rowling herself are quite nice and give this book the little extra punch that it needs to make it worthy of inclusion in Harry Potter's world. ( )

A fun look at the wizarding worlds fairy tales. ( )

This a charming little book that will be loved by child and adult alike. Like all fairy-tales, these stories all have a moral to the story but the morals are aimed at the unique challenges faced by wizards as opposed to us Muggles. I especially like Dumbledore's notes on each tale where we learn the history and other interesting titbits about the story or its author. My favourite story in this volume is The Wizard and the Hopping Pot. This tale about helping people and not being selfish will have your kids in fits of laughter. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a definite must-read, even if you aren't a Potter fan. ( )

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of 5 fairy tales, each of them teaching a lesson to the reader. The commentary and footnotes are by none other than Professor Dumbledore.
The tales included are:
The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fair Fortune, The Warlock's Hairy Heart, Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump and The Tale of the Three Brothers.
I think my favorite of the stories was The Warlock's Hairy Heart. As creepy as it was, it grabbed my attention the most. Having said that, that story is the one I would not recommend for young children.

I enjoyed reading this collection and I think most Harry Potter fans would enjoy it too. And very cool that J.K. Rowling is donating proceeds of the book sales to charity. I found the commentaries and footnotes by Dumbledore to be especially charming. If I remember correctly, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. ( )

very cute ( )

A very entertaining read. Again, Rowling makes the world of Harry Potter seem more real. The addition of notes from Dumbledore is delightful! I'm glad I read the school books as well! ( )

Well I guess this book was somewhat of a disapointment to me.First off it is extremely short.Beedle the Bard is like the Hans Christian Anderson of the magickal community.His stories have a moral which are expanded upon by notes from Albus Dumbledore which by the way is the best part of this book.Its a quick fun read but not as good as I was expecting it to be. ( )

I never really loved fairytales as much as other children seemed to do. I did enjoy reading this little book however. I especially enjoyed 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune' as a tale.
Overall it's the commentaries that make this book enjoyable & the feeling that you get one more little glimpse into Harry Potter land. ( )