The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Being a muggle, no doubt as a young child you heard the stories of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," etc. But when Ron told Harry and Hermione about "Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump" (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, p. 135) weren't you a bit curious? While Rowling relates "The Tale of the Three Brothers" in the final installment of Harry Potter, other stories collected by Beedle the Bard are mentioned by title only.

This companion book to the series contains four of Beedle's tales in addition to "The Tale of the Three Brothers" as translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger. Each tale is followed by commentary by Professor Dumbledore in which he analyzes each story as to its real meaning and its place in wizarding history. Further insight is provided in the form of footnotes to Dumbledore's commentary by Rowling as she seeks to explain Dumbledore's comments so as to be understood by us muggles who aren't as up on wizard history. The footnotes in themselves are interesting, providing answers to questions you may still have about the original series. For example, have you ever wondered why a nice guy like Nearly Headless Nick came to be beheaded (or, well, nearly so)? See page 12. Or, in another example, we know that among Dumbledore's many titles, he was Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, but did we ever know what a warlock is and how it differs from a wizard? See page 56.

So, enjoy a bit of light reading and you'll be just as informed as the Weasleys or any other wizard children.