Customer Reviews

Walt Disney Productions presents The Magic grinder (Disney's wonderful world of reading)

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When we were little, my sister and I LOVED this book. It's got dragons, magic, a mean Lord Gurr, and poor Minnie and her nephews. What's not to like? The illustrations are very colorful, too.

This Christmas, I found a vintage copy of this book and gave it to my sister as a gift. She read it aloud, and it's as good today as it always was. Morals: don't be greedy; if you help people, you will be rewarded.

This book was originally published in 1975 as part of the "Disney's Wonderful WOrld of Reading" collection. I remember my mother reading this book aloud to me when I was a child. The story touches upon themes of greed, poverty, violence towards women, and the Disney staple - all your problems can be solved with magic! I say this laughingly, for I really remember this book fondly and share it with my kids (8, 6, 4, and 2). I usually add commentary about how it's important to be kind, to willingly share with others, and how our problems aren't fixed by magic but by dealing with the issues.

***Spoiler alert***

The story begins with Minnie and her two nephews Morty and Ferdie working in the garden of the greedy Lord Gurr. Lord Gurr has plenty but refuses to pay Minnie while Minnie and her nephews go without food. On her way home after unsuccessfully begging food from Lord Gurr, Minnie passes a cave and hears someone call out for help. Inside is a dragon trapped by fallen rocks. Afraid at first, Minnie helps him out, and he rewards her with a magic grinder. Using the magic words while turning the grinder's handle gets you whatever you ask for/need. Minnie is sent on her way, and upon arriving home and using the grinder, Minnie and her nephews are fed, clothed, and made comfortable. When they don't show up at Lord Gurr's the next day, he heads to their house to investigate. Convinced they stole all of their new possessions, Lord Gurr threatens to call the sherrif then steals the magic grinder from Minnie (lovely double standard). Lord Gurr coaxes the secret of activating the grinder from the nephews and very soon is rewarded with more ice cream than he can eat. Unfortunately, he didn't take the time to learn how to stop the grinder, and ice cream begins to fill his house. Lord Gurr races back to Minnie's house and throws the magic grinder at her promising never to bother her again if she will make it stop. The story ends "happily ever after" with Minnie stopping the grinder and Lord Gurr returing to clean his house of the ice cream mess. Minnie and her nephews live a life of ease never working for Lord Gurr again.

While a book with these themes written today may not pass muster, the nostalgia I feel when re-reading this book is enough reason to hold on to a copy.