by J. K. Rowling
In the book Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, there are 5 stories with a lesson to learn. This book is also a part of the Hogwarts Library. The 5 stories are, The Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fortune, The Hairy Heart, Babbity Rabbity and the Crackling Stump, and the Deathly Hallows. Personally, the Fountain of Fortune is my favorite one, but yours may be different.
The Fountain of Fortune is about this group consisting of 3 elderly women, and one handsome young knight. They all would like to have a nice fortune by splashing themselves in the magical water the fountain possesses. One Of the women lost her valuables, another lost her true love, and another is very very sick.soon. The Prince would like to become rich and happy. So, they all set off on a journey to fill the emptiness caused by these events.
After many days of adventure and sacrifices, they finally reach the fountain. But, only one can bathe in it. The woman who lost all of her valuables says that she doesn’t really need the money anymore while the sick woman was cured during the journey. That only leaves the heartbroken one and the knight. The heartbroken one decides that her love is gone forever and there is no more hope for her. So, the knight says he will jump in the fountain. After a nice refreshing bath, he felt very successful and asked the heartbroken woman if she would like to dance and live with him. She said yes, and the 4 of them left happily and lived a nice long life. But, they never knew that the fountain was not magical at all.
I really liked this story because of all the humor and the lessons taught at the end of it. Though this story was meant for wizards and witches, all non-magical beings can understand the moral of it too. You don’t need magic or money to be happy and live a good life. You just need to be with the right people.
I didn’t like the story of The Hairy Heart because it was too gruesome. I don’t think it’s suited for kids under seven years old.
The least impressive story was actually The Deathly Hallows. This is mostly because I already knew the story from reading the last volume of the original Harry Potter series. There was no surprise.
All in all, J. K. Rowling was a very convincing narrator as Beedle the Bard. It must be a fun challenge as a writer to pretend to be a different person, especially a historical one, and create with the new voice.
See my review of the other books in the Hogwarts Library series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages
See my review of the original Harry Potter series here
