Customer Reviews

Annotated Brothers Grimm

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was looking for a Brother Grimm book that would act as, not only a story book for my upcoming little girl, but also as a keepsake for her to have when she grew up. I'm a librarian, and have come across many substandard children's abridged versions of the Brothers Grimm, and when I started my search I was unsure if I would be able to find something that would satisfy me. This book has done just that. First of all, physically, this book is gorgeous. It has an embossed cover, and a collection of colour plates from various artists who have illustrated for Brothers Grimm tales in the past. The illustrations are traditional, so if you are looking for the funky, primary coloured modern-esque style of children's book illustrations that have become very popular, you will not find it in this book. It is hard cover, but the paper used makes it lighter weight than most. The paper quality is very good, it will certainly pass the test of time without going "dusty", yellow and brittle. The type is clear and a good size (about size 11 font?), making it good for bed times too.

The stories themselves will also stand the test of time, as the book contains both children's and adult stories from the Grimm Brothers. Other reviewer's will have done a much better job at explaining the quality of the stories than I, so I will leave the descriptions to them. However, I will add a clarification that I felt was missing from the other reviews when I purchased this book. The children's stories ARE suitable for children's ears. Any reference to Rapunzel becoming pregnant are in the notes in the side columns, and can be skipped until they themselves can read it and ask questions at a more suitable age. However, if you would prefer to keep the gruesome originals away from your children at any age, I wouldn't recommend this book as it does inform the reader in the annotations of the content of the Grimm's original versions, despite the toned down nature of the stories themselves.

All in all, a resounding 5 stars, 10 fingers and ten toes up for this book. Its beautiful, and will serve very well as one of my daughters "keepsake" books. Now... onto finding a 1001 Arabian Nights keepsake! :)

Seller is prompt in responding to poor reviews. A full refund and offer to replace the book was also given.