Beedle the Bard

#220
Title: Beedle the Bard
Author: J. K. Rowling
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic
Year: 2008
128 pages

This sweet little collection of folk tales from the wizarding world will be a pleasure for Harry Potter fans. It stands alone more effectively than the previous two "schoolbooks," Quidditch through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but probably won't be very attractive for those unfamiliar with Harry Potter. Rowling again demonstrates her grasp of myth and fairy tale structure with several well-crafted and deceptively simple moral tales. She does not shy away from Brothers Grimm-style motifs (notably in “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”), but for the most part, the imagery is relatively benign. Rowling's charming illustrations add interest to the book as well.

My favorite part is not the stories but Dumbledore's commentaries. Rowling uses them to mock bowdlerization, syrupy concerns about children's presumptive innocence, interpretation and its motives, and even exegesis. Overall, the moral lessons are to be kind and generous and pay attention to new information, while not being covetous, cruel, or stupid. This seems like a reasonable adjuration.

(However, if anyone is moved to pick me up a copy of the  collectors edition at Amazon, they just went from $100 new to $220 used and new this afternoon.