Extra Credit Reading Notes: Brothers Grimm

Cat and Mouse in Partnership - This was a good story, and I certainly did not expect the ending to be a sad one. I was surprised the cat didn't get punished somehow for stealing the food they were supposed to save. Instead, the innocent mouse got punished for no good reason. The story even ends with, "You see, that is the way of the world." Just a brutal, honest truth. This would be a good one to re-write, and honestly I might actually keep a bad ending. I like the idea of changing it up and not writing a happy ending for once, even if that doesn't always satisfy the writer/reader.

I also really liked this image for the story. It shows the cat eating the food that they were trying to save for winter.

I knew the Brothers Grimm had a lot realistic/pessimistic ideology in it, but I didn't realize how blunt it could be. In The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, a wolf is trying to deceive children and asks a baker to help him. The baker complies because he is afraid of being eaten. The next line, then, is, "Yes, that is the way people are." I find it so interesting how brutally honest these stories can be. 

From The Seven Ravens, I loved how brave the girl had to be. Writing a story about her would be so fun because she really just took it upon herself to save her brothers. I'd also be interested in just re-writing the story all-together because it's kind of confusing but has so much potential. 

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Bibliography: Brothers Grimm unit. Story source: The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Image Information: illustration by Walter Crane