The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm [Paperback]

Jacob Grimm (Author), Wilhelm K. Grimm (Author), Maurice Sendak (Illustrator), Lore Segal (Translator), Randall Jarrell (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1983 | Age Level: 4 and up

"A milestone, a tour de force, a joy to see...27 stories from the Grimm brothers' collection [including] some familiar tales and others that are less well known. The translations...are direct and fresh, unexpurgated and unsweetened. The illustrations are superb; beautiful, imaginative, appropriate, tender and terrible-as though the tales had been waiting for Maurice Sendak to interpret them. For children and adults."-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Translated by Lore Segal with four tales translated by Randall Jarrell. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

"Many Fur" is translated from the text in the first edition of Kinder- und Hansmarchen (1812, 1815), which is more coherent than the versions in the later editions. The other tales are translated from lalter texts, as reworked by the Brothers Grimm.

Randall Jarrell's translations of "Fisherman and His Wife,"Hansel and Gretel," The Golden Bird and Other Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (Macmillian, 1962), are reprinted here.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A milestone, a tour de force, a joy to see...27 stories from the Grimm brothers' collection [including] some familiar tales and others that are less well known. The translations...are direct and fresh, unexpurgated and unsweetened. The illustrations are superb; beautiful, imaginative, appropriate, tender and terrible-as though the tales had been waiting for Maurice Sendak to interpret them. For children and adults." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (January 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374513589
• ISBN-13: 978-0374513580
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,817,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beloved Childhood Book, December 31, 2000

By 

Sherry Meneley (CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm (Paperback)

As a child I found this book at a garage sale. It instantly became one of my most treasured books - that was over 20 years ago. It has some of the most interesting Fairy Tales, many have a slightly "different twist" than your typical tales (some outright silly while others dark and bit disturbing). Most of the stories are 3 to 5 pages long and are very quick reading, and the sketched illustrations are beautifully detailed. Excellent stories for children and adults alike. With my current copy falling apart - I was happy to see the book has been re-issued!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost in translation no longer, June 25, 2001

By 

mehndiartist "mehndiartist" (Wilmington, DE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm (Paperback)

After hearing Sendak speak of the tragic fate that has befallen the fairy tale, I immediately went online in search of the Juniper Tree collection, a seventies-era translation of Grimm's fairy tales that professed to be true to the originals.

According to Sendak, modern adaptations of fairy tales lack the vigor and violence of the originals, which themselves were adaptation of the spoken-word. Call it Disney-fication, but new translations seemed to candy-coat old tales into generic rubbish. Sendak said that he took on this commission in order to rejuvenate the fairy-tale genre. And I can only find success in the venture. The new translation adds spice to fairy tales that I have heard countless times, in addition to adding many more obscure fairy tales to a reader's collection. And Sendak's beautiful black and white illustrations certainly don't hurt the package. His characteristic drawings add life and excitement to the written word.

Definitely get this copy instead of any cheesy new version of a fairy tale. It's not as violent/different from normal fairy tale editions as I expected, but the change is significant enought to have warranted this translation. And sure, there isn't a Sendak illustration on every page, but kids need something to look forward to in a book, don't they?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories and Great Pictures, September 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Juniper Tree: And Other Tales from Grimm (Paperback)

My mom & step dad bought me this while on their honeymoon in Carmel in 1978 (I was 8 at the time). I loved it so much that it must be handled with care these days. Grimms fairy tales aren't necessarily for everyone. Several are very dark, but I truly enjoyed them. And who can beat Maurice Sendak as an illustrator???