When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out in July of 2007, I quickly read the book as soon as I got my copy.  I really enjoyed it, though I also felt a sense of sadness because such a wonderful series was ending. During that book, a book of magical fairytales, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, was introduced and one of the stories ended up playing a fairly important part in what was going on.  I was slightly disappointed when I heard that J.K. Rowling had written The Tales of Beedle the Bard since only a few copies were produced.  I was very glad when I found out that the book was going to be released after all, with the proceeds going to the Children's High Level Group, a children's charity started by Rowling and Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is presented like the world of Harry Potter is real and that this version of the book, translated from ancient runes by Hermione Granger, has been published to share the stories with muggles.  Each story has a commentary by Professor Albus Dumbledore as well as a few notes by Rowling explaining certain magical things.  Rowling wrote an introduction in which she explains a few things for muggle readers.  Something that is shared during this section will be a spoiler for people who haven't read all the Harry Potter books yet.  The last few pages share information about the Children's High Level Group.  Rowling also provided the illustrations that turn up throughout the book.

There are five short magical fairytales in The Tales of Beedle the Bard.  Like muggle fairytales, each story has a moral of some kind.  The stories are similar in some ways to the various fairytales that I heard and read while I was growing up while also being different.  The stories are very entertaining and I think they are worth reading.  Since the stories are tied to Harry Potter, the audience for this book will probably be limited to fans of the series.

The first story, The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, deals with an arrogant wizard who refuses to help his muggle neighbors like his father had done.

In The Fountain of Fair Fortunes, three witches and a muggle knight must work together to reach a magical fountain.  

The Warlock's Hairy Heart, the darkest of the stories, tells the story of a wizard deciding to use the Dark Arts to prevent himself from falling in love.  Things turn disastrous when he later decides that he needs a wife.

Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Crackling Stump is the most humorous the stories in my opinion.  The story is about a muggle king wanting to do magic who is tricked by a con man and the witch that gets pulled into what is going on.

The final story, The Tale of the Three Brothers, is the story that plays an important part in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  The story is about three brothers who encounter Death and the three special items that Death gives them.

The Tales of Beedle Bard is a very short book at just over 100 pages long.  It didn't take me long to read the book at all.  I had actually expected the book to be longer, partly because I had imagined the book as being larger and thicker when I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I did enjoy the stories in the book, though I would have liked it if more stories had been included.  Another story, Grumble the Grubby Goat is mentioned and that just makes me want to read it as well.  The stories seem slightly longer than they really are because of the larger font and wide margins used.

The stories in The Tales of Beedle the Bard are all short and fairly simple.  That doesn't prevent them from being entertaining or sharing important morals.  The stories illustrate that magic doesn't solve all problems.  A few of the stories also promote muggles being treated well, something that upset witches and wizards that didn't care for muggles.  There really isn't any mystery or suspense to any of the stories, though I did feel that there were surprises.

Just as entertaining as the stories are the commentaries by Professor Dumbledore.  I think I found the commentaries more interesting since they also contained other bits of information.  Professor Dumbledore talks about different versions of some of the stories, including how Beatrix Bloxam felt the Beedle's stories were too disturbing for children.  She created her own, sickening sweet versions of some of the stories.  An exert from her version of The Wizard and the Hopping Pot is shared.  Professor Dumbledore talks about some issues that seem to be connected to some of the stories while also sharing some information about wizards and magic in general.  I found that information very interesting and would have loved it if there had been even more.  Some of what Professor Dumbledore shares is humourous, especially when he discusses an attempt at staging one of the stories at Hogwarts while he was still a teacher.

Throughout The Tales of Beedle the Bard, some information that is more closely tied to the Harry Potter books is shared.  The back cover and title page make it clear that the stories were translated by Hermione Granger, which gives a tiny glimpse at what she does after the events in the books.  The introduction shares some information about Professor Dumbledore, including that his notes on the stories were completed more than a year before a certain event from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  The introduction also shares who is in charge of Hogwarts at that time, something that I enjoyed learning.  Professor Dumbledore mentions an ancestor of a character from the Harry Potter books at one point, showing that a certain trait has been strong in that family for generations.  Professor Dumbledore also mentions things about Professor Kettleburn, a former Care of Magical Creatures instructor.  I loved those additional bits of information shared in the commentaries.  I would be thrilled if a book was published that focuses on sharing more of that sort of information.

Every story in The Tales of Beedle the Bard has different characters, most of which aren't given names.  Given how short the stories are, it makes sense that the characters really aren't developed that much.  That didn't bother me at all and I felt the characters were developed enough.  Some of the characters were smarter and kinder than others.  The female characters mostly seemed more capable of dealing with the various situations they were in instead of sitting around waiting to be rescued by a prince.  The commentaries add do add a bit more development to Professor Dumbledore.  

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a short, but entertaining book.  It works very well as a companion to the Harry Potter books and I feel it is worth reading even though it does have a more limited audience.

Harry Potter Books
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ~ The Tales of Beedle the Bard ~ Harry Potter Film Wizardry ~ Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey ~

Harry Potter Movies
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ~ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ~ Discovering the Real World of Harry Potter ~

Other Harry Potter Related Reviews
Scene It? Harry Potter 2nd Edition (Trivia Game) ~ Hallmark 2010 A Gift for Doby Ornament ~ 2011 Harry Potter Golden Snitch Ornament ~ Harry Potter Uno ~

Recommended: Yes