Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Frog Prince is a talking frog who lives in a deep well in the forest. He is polite, persistent, and surprisingly sure of himself. A young princess meets him when her golden ball falls into his well.

This princess is the youngest daughter of a king and loves to play alone by a cool well in the woods. She is a little proud and a little lonely. Her favorite toy is a golden ball.

Hansel is a clever, calm boy who looks after his younger sister and tries hard to keep her from being afraid. He lives in a small cottage at the edge of a great forest with his family, who are very poor. As the story opens, he is doing his best to stay hopeful even when times are hard.

Gretel is a gentle, caring girl who trusts her older brother and stays close to him wherever they go. She lives with her family in a poor cottage beside the woods. As the story begins, she is frightened by the family's troubles but comforted by having her brother nearby.

Deep in the forest stands a little house that looks good enough to eat, and this old woman lives there. She speaks in a sweet, creaking voice and seems glad of visitors. Hansel and Gretel find her after they have been walking a long time.

Little Red-Cap is a friendly, obedient girl who is easy to spot because of the red hooded cape she loves to wear everywhere. She lives near a forest with her mother and adores her grandmother, who lives on the other side of the woods. As the story begins, she is happy to help by carrying food to her grandmother.

Grandmother lives alone in a cottage in the woods and is not well. She is fond of her granddaughter and of the little cakes and wine the child brings. She is the person Little Red-Cap is sent to visit.

The Wolf lives in the forest and is always hungry. He is clever with words and likes to walk beside people who are carrying food. Little Red-Cap meets him on the path to her grandmother's house.

The Donkey has spent his life turning a mill and is now considered too old for the work. He decides to go to Bremen and become a town musician. He is the leader of a small band of worn-out animals.

The Hound is a hunting dog whose master thinks he is no longer fast enough. He is loyal, gloomy, and glad of company. He meets the donkey on the road to Bremen.

The Cat is an old house cat whose teeth are no longer sharp enough for catching mice. She is clever and a little sarcastic. She is happy to travel with anyone who will treat her as a musician.

The Rooster has been told he will be cooked for Sunday dinner. He has a magnificent voice and no wish to be soup. He is the last of the four Bremen Town Musicians.

The Mother Goat lives in a cottage in the woods with her seven little kids. She is careful, loving, and always warning them about the wolf. She has to go to the forest to find food.

The Shoemaker is a poor, honest man who has only enough leather left for one pair of shoes. He is pious, hardworking, and not bitter. Mysterious help begins to arrive in his workshop overnight.

The Shoemaker's Wife shares her husband's poverty and his hope. She is practical, curious, and the one who suggests they stay awake to see who has been helping them. She is as honest as he is.

The Elves are tiny, silent helpers who come at midnight to a poor workshop. They work with astonishing skill and then vanish before dawn. They seem to love the work itself.

The Fisherman lives in a miserable little hovel by the sea with his wife. He is mild, easily talked into things, and not greedy himself. One day he catches a flounder that can speak.

The Fisherman's Wife is never satisfied with what she has. She is energetic, commanding, and full of bigger wishes. When her husband brings home news of a talking fish, she knows exactly what to ask for.

The Enchanted Flounder is a magical fish who lives in the sea and can speak. He asks to be let go, and he has the power to change a person's life. The fisherman is the one who first hears his voice.

Rumpelstiltskin is a mysterious, quick little man who seems to appear out of nowhere when someone is in trouble. He loves gold and enjoys striking clever bargains. As his story opens, no one is quite sure where he comes from or what he truly wants.

The miller's daughter is a quiet, ordinary girl whose father has boasted about her in front of the king. She is not proud and not a magician. She finds herself alone with a roomful of straw and an impossible task.

Dummling is the youngest of three brothers and is often teased and thought to be foolish, but he is truly warm-hearted and polite to everyone he meets. He lives with his family and is sent out to work in the forest. As his story begins, he sets off with a cheerful spirit and a habit of sharing what little he has.

The Golden Goose is a magical bird Dummling finds in the roots of a tree. She is the prize of his kindness in the forest. People who try to steal a golden feather find they cannot let go.

Snow-White is a sweet, cheerful princess who is loved by almost everyone for her kindness and her lovely looks. She lives in a grand castle and treats every person she meets with warmth. As her story opens, she is happy, trusting, and quick to help others.

The Queen is Snow-White's stepmother, famous for her beauty and for a magic mirror she asks questions of. She is proud, restless, and not used to being second. The mirror hangs in her private chamber.

The Seven Dwarfs live together in a tidy little cottage in the forest and work all day in the mountains digging for ore. They are kind, orderly, and unused to guests. Snow-White finds their empty house while they are still at work.

Tom Thumb is the much-longed-for son of a poor woodcutter and his wife, born no bigger than a thumb. He is clever, brave, and always getting into places a full-sized boy could never go. His parents love him dearly.

Rapunzel has been shut in a tower in the forest since she was a child. She has a beautiful voice and hair long enough to climb. She does not know the ordinary world outside the tower window.

The enchantress keeps a walled garden of the finest rapunzel, a leafy green that grows nowhere else so well. She is feared in the neighborhood and does not share what is hers. A husband and wife live in a house that looks over her garden wall.

The king's son rides out hunting in the forest and hears a girl singing from a tower. He is brave, a little impulsive, and unused to being shut out. He has never seen a window so high.