Week 11 Reading Diary: English Fairy Tales

This week, I'll be reading stories from the English Folktales unit. I'll go through, read the stories, and record notes about some of the most interesting ones for my reading diary, as I usually do.

The Rose Tree
This story was very dark, but that was probably also the quality that drew me into it. I think we tend to think of fairy tales as watered down stories for children, but this is clearly not the case around the world. I was very sad the little girl had to die at the hands of her stepmother in this story, but in the end, the stepmother got what she deserved.

The Old Woman and Her Pig
I liked that this story was cumulative. There is something charming about the cumulative story telling style. I will admit that by the end, everything was seeming a bit redundant...but I still enjoyed it. I was glad the pig jumped over the stile and everything was resolved in the end.

The Master and His Pupil
I enjoyed this story, even if it was somewhat predictable. I had fun imagining what other tasks the apprentice could have given Beelzebub and how these tasks could have escalated as well. Of course, the wise sorcerer saved the day in the end.

Molly Whuppie
This was a total girl power story and I loved it! Molly was able to make it out of the dangerous, terrible situation she found herself in only because she relied on herself. I also never knew this was where the whole 'Fee, fie, fo, fun' thing came from.

Mr. Miacca
I thought the concept of Mr. Miacca was mysterious and intriguing. The fact that people use a mythical figure like this to threaten children into behaving was also interesting to me. The twist at the end (where Mr. Miacca spared Tommy's leg and cut off the couch leg) really surprised me!

Fairy Ointment
Wouldn't it be nice to have fairy ointment of our own! At first, I took the fairy ointment as something that just improved the condition and quality of things around you. However, when Dame Goody saw the squinty man at the market, I realized that the ointment allowed her to see the magical things that others couldn't see as they really were.