Children's Book Reviews

The Brothers Grimm by Jack Zipes
St. Martin's Press, December, 2002
Trade paperback, 384 pages
ISBN: 0312293801
Ages 12 and up
Ordering information:
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The Brothers Grimm
by Jack Zipes

The leading authority on the fairy tale, Jack Zipes, adds much new information to the legendary stories about the Brothers Grimm, who are responsible for creating most of the fairy tales that we all know and love. With extensive research and meticulous scholarship, Professor Zipes introduces the reader to the social and historical milieu in which the Brothers Grimm began both their life's work and also began the study of folklore as we know it today. Their efforts were rewarded with a popularity which has never waned. The brothers' methods of telling the stories and of editing the tales that they were told to make what we could consider a "good" fairy tale have clearly stood the test of time. Fascinating chapters follow the history of the impact of these tales on western thought and culture.

The surprising thing about the brothers Grimm is that they did not collect tales by going through the countryside and interviewing everyone's grandparents and ancient relatives, as was once thought. The stories came mostly from young middle class women and men in the Grimms' circle of acquaintances. To these were added tales taken down from several local storytellers. Other stories were taken directly from letters, journals and already published materials.

At this time in the infancy of the study of folklore and culture, the brothers met the needs of a growing but frustrated bourgeoisie who very much wanted to impart German culture to the minds of the young. Germans were separated into various principalities whose scions did not get along with there subject, nor with each other. That the Grimms made a great many changes while writing the tales is well known. How and why they made these changes was both due to the fact that the brothers were students of language and -- more importantly -- that some of the tales had to be cleaned up so that they could be read in a family setting with young children. They faced a real problem of finding variations in the plots of many of the tales. This problem also confronts the modern folklorist. Professor Zipes leads us through this process with several of the tales so that the reader can see how the changes were made.

The most interesting chapters in the book deal with how the fairy tale continues to influence the cultural psyche of the western world. The roles played by both women and men have entered into our literature and into our expectations of behavior. The didactic nature of the tales seeps into the minds of children from their earliest years and may continue for a lifetime with various consequences.

The Brothers Grimm, while scholarly in its scope, is also an enlightening reminder to both readers and writers of our debt to these two gentlemen who were instrumental in laying the foundation of modern folklore research. Reading this work will supply the reader and the writer with many reflections on the effect of fairy tales in our lives and in the lives of others.

--Sarah Reaves White

First to Fly by Peter Busby, Paintings by David Craig
Crown Books, March, 2003
Picture Book, 32 pages
ISBN: 0375812873
Ages 8 and up
Ordering information:
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First to Fly
by Peter Busby, Paintings by David Craig

It's hard to believe that it has been one hundred years since the Wright Brothers made their historic first flight in 1903. As part of the anniversary of this important American achievement, author Peter Busby and painter David Craig have created a beautiful and exciting book which tells the story of the brothers who longed to fly. The book begins with young Orville and Wilbur playing with a toy helicopter which was a present from their father, Bishop Milton Wright. The boys spent hours playing with the toy and figuring out how it worked. The story follows the brothers until they were adults who made bicycles and printing presses, through the gliders that they made to soar in the air without an engine. And then came those "twelve magic seconds" of the Flyer's first manned and powered flight on December 17, 1903, which would change the face of history.

First to Fly is an extraordinary book, with clear prose, vintage photographs, diagrams of the planes and the absolutely stunning paintings by David Craig. Craig's paintings are full of movement and a warm light which evoke the thrill of those first flights. This is a must have for historical buffs and aviation buffs alike -- no matter what their ages.

Small Avalanches and Other Stories by Joyce Carol Oates
HarperTempest, March, 2003
Hardcover, 400 pages
ISBN: 006001217X
Ages Young Adult
Ordering information:
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Although it is listed as a book for young adults, Small Avalanches and Other Stories is very definitely a book to be enjoyed by older students as well as all fans of Joyce Carol Oates, regardless of age. The stories are short enough to be finished during a cross-country flight, a wait at the airport, an afternoon at the beach, or a long weekend with the leisure to read.

Small Avalanches contains a broad range of stories, all featuring the traumas and doubts of coming of age along with the clear-eyed view of the adult world which is unclouded by experience and mature judgment. The stories range from a story of seduction in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", to "The Sky Blue Ball", a story of isolation and disappointment. "Bad Girls" is a powerful story of young guilt made more poignant by the fact that the only reason that things turned out badly was due to teenage self-absorption and lack of maturity.

One of the most fascinating stories in this collection is interesting because of its form. "How I Contemplated the World From the Detroit House of Correction and Began My Life over Again" is explained in a preface as "notes for an essay for an English class at Baldwin Country Day School; poking around in debris;...a revelation of the meaning of life." Written in outline form, it gives the reader a view of how a writer works. The story also leaves many questions unanswered and events which must be inferred. It is a riveting use of form, filled with insight into the mind of a young person in the last sequences of the human metamorphosis from teen to young adult.

Joyce Carol Oates gives us a feast of characterization and incisive sketches of the settings of the stories. It should prove interesting reading for those who enjoy the art of the short story.

--Sarah Reaves White

Return to Book Reviews Index

Children's Book Reviews

The Brothers Grimm by Jack Zipes

First to Fly by Peter Busby, Paintings by David Craig

Small Avalanches and Other Stories by Joyce Carol Oates