Posted on

The Brothers Grimm

Jacob Grimm (1785 – 1863) and Wilhem Grimm (1786 – 1859) are the famous German brothers who collaborated as authors, philologists, cultural researchers, and lexicographers to create the best-known folktales of the 19th century. Although classified as “Fairy Tales,” the stories collected here are not necessarily of a gentle nature and might not be a suitable for all children. That’s why we’ve put together a Fairy Tales Guide with suggested stories for various ages. We recommend parents pre-read Grimm stories before sharing with children, just to be safe! Many of Grimm’s stories are a fantastic fit for young children who are ready to embrace a bit more adventure, perfect for kids thrilled, rather than scared, when the bad tempered wolf with evil plans comes baring claws and teeth! Many of Grimm’s scariest tales are best suited for 13 years to adult, such as The Girl Without Hands and The Juniper-Tree.
If you are seeking Fairy Tales and Fables to read to young children that are more “unicorns and rainbows” than graphic adventure, visit the Children’s Library and choose gentler selections. You may also enjoy satirical poems based on Grimm’s stories by Guy Wetmore Carryl, including How Cinderella Disposed of Her Shoe.
For the readers with a more academic interest in the collected works of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, you will find that these works are from the 1884 translation of “Household Tales” by Margaret Hunt and the 1912 edition, translated by Marian Edwardes.
I do hope you will read these great fairy tales out loud to your children; they can be terribly thrilling and often lead to comforting question and answer sessions as kids wonder aloud about the things that scared and thrilled them. The picture below, with the little tailor perched precariously above giants, gives you a good idea of the situations that will be encountered as you read through these adventures tales.

Fairy Tales

  • Allerleirauh
  • A Riddling Tale
  • Bearskin
  • Briar-Rose
  • Brides On Their Trial
  • Brother Lustig
  • Cat and Mouse in Partnership
  • Cinderella
  • Clever Elsie
  • Clever Grethel
  • Clever Hans
  • Death’s Messengers
  • Doctor Knowall
  • Domestic Servants
  • Donkey Cabbages
  • Eve’s Various Children
  • Fair Katrinelje and Pif-Paf-Poltrie
  • Faithful John
  • Ferdinand the Faithful
  • Fitcher’s Bird
  • Frau Trude
  • Frederick and Catherine
  • Fundevogel (Bird-foundling)
  • Gambling Hansel
  • Godfather Death
  • God’s Food
  • Going A-Travelling
  • Hansel and Gretel
  • Hans in Luck
  • Hans Married
  • Hans the Hedgehog
  • Herr Korbes
  • How Six Men Got on in the World
  • Iron John
  • Jorinda and Joringel
  • King Thrushbeard
  • Knoist and his Three Sons
  • Lazy Harry
  • Lean Lisa
  • Little Brother and Little Sister
  • Little Red-Cap
  • Little Snow-White
  • Maid Maleen
  • Master Pfriem (Master Cobbler’s Awl)
  • Mother Holle
  • Odds And Ends
  • Old Hildebrand
  • Old Rinkrank
  • Old Sultan
  • One-eye, Two-eyes, and Three-eyes
  • Our Lady’s Child
  • Our Lady’s Little Glass
  • Rapunzel
  • Rumpelstiltskin
  • Sharing Joy and Sorrow
  • Simeli Mountain
  • Snow-White and Rose-Red
  • St. Joseph in the Forest
  • Stories about Snakes
  • Strong Hans
  • Sweetheart Roland
  • Sweet Porridge
  • The Adventures of Aladdin
  • The Aged Mother
  • The Beam
  • The Bittern and the Hoopoe
  • The Blue Light
  • The Boots of Buffalo-Leather
  • The Brave Little Tailor
  • The Bremen Town Musicians
  • The Bright Sun Brings It to Light
  • The Crumbs on the Table
  • The Crystal Ball
  • The Cunning Little Tailor
  • The Death of the Little Hen
  • The Devil and his Grandmother
  • The Devil’s Sooty Brother
  • The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs
  • The Ditmarsch Tale of Wonders
  • The Dog and the Sparrow
  • The Donkey
  • The Drummer
  • The Duration of Life
  • The Ear of Corn
  • The Elves and The Shoemaker
  • The Enchanted Stag
  • The Fisherman and His Wife
  • The Flail From Heaven
  • The Four Skilful Brothers
  • The Fox and His Cousin
  • The Fox and the Cat
  • The Fox and the Geese
  • The Fox and the Horse
  • The Fox’s Brush
  • The Frog-King, or Iron Henry
  • The Frog Prince
  • The Giant and the Tailor
  • The Girl Without Hands
  • The Glass Coffin
  • The Gnome
  • The Godfather
  • The Gold-Children
  • The Golden Bird
  • The Golden Goose
  • The Golden Key
  • The Good Bargain
  • The Goose-Girl
  • The Goose-Girl at the Well
  • The Grave-Mound
  • The Griffin
  • The Hare and the Hedgehog
  • The Hare’s Bride
  • The Hazel-Branch
  • The Heavenly Wedding
  • The Hut in the Forest
  • The Iron Stove
  • The Jew Among Thorns
  • The Juniper-Tree
  • The King of the Golden Mountain
  • The King’s Son Who Feared Nothing
  • The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn
  • The Lambkin and the Little Fish
  • The Lazy Spinner
  • The Little Folks’ Presents
  • The Little Peasant
  • The Lord’s Animals and the Devil’s
  • The Louse and the Flea
  • The Maid of Brakel
  • The Master-Thief
  • The Moon
  • The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage
  • The Nail
  • The Nix of the Mill-Pond
  • The Old Beggar-Woman
  • The Old Man and His Grandson
  • The Old Man Made Young Again
  • The Old Witch
  • The Old Woman in the Wood
  • The Owl
  • The Pack of Ragamuffins
  • The Peasant and the Devil
  • The Peasant in Heaven
  • The Peasant’s Wise Daughter
  • The Pink
  • The Poor Boy in the Grave
  • The Poor Man and the Rich Man
  • The Poor Miller’s Boy and the Cat
  • The Queen Bee
  • The Raven
  • The Riddle
  • The Robber Bridegroom
  • The Rose
  • The Sea-Hare
  • The Seven Ravens
  • The Seven Swabians
  • The Shepherd Boy
  • The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces
  • The Shroud
  • The Singing Bone
  • The Singing, Springing Lark
  • The Six Servants
  • The Six Swans
  • The Skilful Huntsman
  • The Sole
  • The Sparrow And His Four Children
  • The Spindle, The Shuttle, and the Needle
  • The Spirit in the Bottle
  • The Star-Money
  • The Stolen Farthings
  • The Story of Schlauraffen Land
  • The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
  • The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
  • The Tailor in Heaven
  • The Thief and his Master
  • The Three Apprentices
  • The Three Army-Surgeons
  • The Three Black Princesses
  • The Three Brothers
  • The Three Feathers
  • The Three Green Twigs
  • The Three Languages
  • The Three Little Birds
  • The Three Little Men in the Wood
  • The Three Sluggards
  • The Three Snake-Leaves
  • The Three Sons of Fortune
  • The Three Spinners
  • The True Sweethearts
  • The Turnip
  • The Twelve Apostles
  • The Twelve Brothers
  • The Twelve Huntsmen
  • The Twelve Idle Servants
  • The Two Brothers
  • The Two Kings’ Children
  • The Two Travellers
  • The Ungrateful Son
  • The Water-Nix
  • The Water of Life
  • The Wedding of Mrs. Fox
  • The White Bride and the Black One
  • The White Snake
  • The Wilful Child
  • The Willow-Wren
  • The Willow-Wren and the Bear
  • The Wise Servant
  • The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack
  • The Wolf and the Fox
  • The Wolf and the Man
  • The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids
  • The Wonderful Musician
  • The Young Giant
  • Thumbling
  • Thumbling as Journeyman
  • Thumbling the Dwarf and Thumbling the Giant
  • Wise Folks