Showing results by narrator "Bert Stauff" in All Categories

“The Ugly Duckling” is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It tells the story of a mother duck whose eggs are hatching. The last of her baby birds to hatch is a larger bird than the other ducklings, and the other birds and animals around on the farm consider it to be “ugly.” The story is associated with Andersen’s own life, and the three trials of the ugly duckling correspond to the three stages of Andersen’s life. The duckling spent the winter in a marshy pond and finally, spring arrived.

The Wind in the Willows, a classic children’s novel by Kenneth Grahame, follows the adventures of four anthropomorphic animal friends: Mole, Ratty, Badger, and Toad. Mole, initially content with his spring cleaning, ventures out and discovers the joys of the riverbank with Ratty.

In the Grimm Brothers’ version, Cinderella is a kind and pious girl who is cruelly mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters after her father remarries. She is forced to do all the housework and is given the demeaning nickname “Aschenputtel” (Ashgirl). Despite the hardship, she remains good and kind, praying at her mother’s grave. Aided by a magical white bird that resides in a tree planted on her mother’s grave, she attends a royal festival, where she captivates the prince.

Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Swineherd” tells the story of a Prince who, rejected by an arrogant Princess who disdains his genuine gifts of a rose and nightingale, disguises himself as a swineherd. The Princess is then lured by the Swineherd’s clever, but ultimately superficial, trinkets, trading kisses for a magical pot and a musical rattle. When the Emperor discovers his daughter’s scandalous behavior, he banishes them both, only for the Prince to reveal his true identity and denounce her for valuing triviality over true worth and rejecting his genuine love.

In the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White,” a beautiful princess is targeted by her jealous stepmother, a vain and wicked queen who uses a magic mirror to confirm her beauty. The queen orders a huntsman to kill Snow White, but he spares her. Snow White finds refuge with seven dwarfs, and the queen, disguised, eventually poisons her with a poisoned apple.

In the Grimm’s fairy tale, Rapunzel is a girl with long, magical hair who is locked in a tower by an enchantress named Mother Gothel. Gothel raises Rapunzel as her own and keeps her isolated, only visiting to have Rapunzel let down her hair as a ladder. A prince discovers Rapunzel’s singing and visits her, eventually leading to Rapunzel becoming pregnant. Gothel, enraged, banishes Rapunzel, who then wanders the wilderness and gives birth to twins.

“The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats” by the Brothers Grimm is a cautionary tale about the importance of being cautious and listening to parental advice. When a mother goat leaves her seven kids at home while she goes to the forest, she warns them about the dangers of the wicked wolf, who might try to trick his way into their house. The cunning wolf attempts to impersonate the mother goat, first with a gruff voice and then with a softened one, but the kids recognize his deception.

Rumpelstiltskin is a small, peculiar creature from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale who can spin straw into gold. He makes deals with a desperate miller’s daughter who, due to her father’s boast, must perform this impossible task for a greedy king. In exchange for his help, Rumpelstiltskin demands increasing payment, culminating in the miller’s daughter promising him her firstborn child after she becomes queen.

This Brothers Grimm tale tells of a young man who, despite experiencing various spooky and potentially horrifying situations like encountering spirits in a haunted castle or sitting with hanged men under a gallows, cannot understand what it means to feel fear or “shudder.” He is perplexed by the concept and seeks to learn it. After surviving these trials and even marrying a princess, who is annoyed by his constant lack of fear, he finally learns to shudder when his wife’s chambermaid plays a trick on him, pouring a bucket of cold water and fish on him while he sleeps.

The Little Brother and Sister is a tale from the Brothers Grimm about two siblings escaping their abusive, witch stepmother. She enchants all water sources in the forest to transform anyone who drinks from them into an animal.

“The Twelve Brothers” is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It tells the story of twelve brothers who are forced to flee their home after their father decrees they must die if their next child is a girl. They are eventually reunited with their sister, but their reunion is short-lived when they are transformed into ravens by a magical curse. Their sister bravely endures a period of silence and laughter for seven years to break the curse and ultimately rescue them.

“Faithful John,” a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, follows a loyal servant named John who promises a dying king to protect his son, the young prince, and keep him from harm. The king entrusts John with the secret of a forbidden room containing a portrait of a beautiful princess, warning that if the prince sees it, he will fall in love and face grave dangers. Despite John’s efforts, the prince discovers the portrait and insists on finding the princess to marry her.

In “The Musicians of Bremen,” four aging domestic animals—a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster—are neglected by their masters and decide to run away to Bremen to become town musicians. On their journey, they encounter a house inhabited by robbers. The animals work together to create a cacophony of noise, scaring away the robbers and claiming the house for themselves. Despite their initial goal, the animals decide to settle in the robbers’ house, finding happiness and contentment in their new home.

The Fisherman and His Wife, a classic fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, stands as a stark and timeless parable exploring the complexities of human desire, the perils of unchecked ambition, and the true meaning of happiness.

“The Frog Prince,” also known as “The Frog King, or Iron Henry,” is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm and is the first story in their collection of “Children’s and Household Tales,” published in 1812. The tale has captivated audiences for many years, offering moral lessons about keeping promises, looking beyond appearances, and the power of love and perseverance. A beautiful, but spoiled, princess often played with her golden ball by a well in the woods. One day, she dropped the ball into the well and began to cry.

“Hansel and Gretel” is a classic fairy tale about a brother and sister abandoned in a forest and encountering a witch. They are lured to a gingerbread house, but Gretel outsmarts the witch and helps Hansel escape, revealing the witch’s evil nature and ultimately destroying it. The story emphasizes themes of survival, resourcefulness, and sibling love.