Best of Polish Fairy Tales Paperback – May 2, 2015

My History professor told me a real story from the 1860s which had a lot to do with these fairy tales.It had an unbelievable happy end. I was taking notes so I was able to translate the story for this feedback. Here it is.In our Polish village, there was a man named Jerzy, who collected Polish fairy tales. I think there was literally not a single Polish folk tale that he didn’t know. Kids loved him because he was so good at telling stories.(Now the best of Polish fairy tales that Jerzy would tell back in the 1860s have been translated into English and are presented in this book.)In 1863, Jerzy joined the Polish liberating rebellion against the unfair regime that the Russian Empire had imposed on Poland. When the rebellion had been suppressed, Russian soldiers were to arrest him. He expected to get a death sentence—unfortunately, about 400 rebels were eventually sentenced to death by the Russian government.But that’s where the story began.Russian soldiers caught Jerzy and battered him. They were taking him away from his village when he was able to escape for a moment. He ran towards a little wood with probably several dozens of trees to shelter him. The soldiers were drunk and fell behind for a while.They finally reached the wood and searched every inch of it but couldn’t find a trace of Jerzy. They spent half the day looking for him. The soldiers dug the ground with their bayonets, yelling with rage, for there was no place for the Pole to hide. Yet, they never found him. He disappeared into thin air, just like they do in fairy tales. The guards had to leave go empty-handed.What do you think was his secret?That’s how Jerzy explained it:“So I ran away from the soldiers and was able to break loose. As I reached the grove, I stopped to rest behind a tree, for I couldn’t run any more. The soldiers had wounded my right leg really badly, and the pain was more than I could bear.So I stood leaning against the damp bark. There’s no way you can climb a wet tree that’s over a meter wide. I prayed to be saved.As I pressed my forehead against the trunk in despair, I felt something which turned out to be the rusty head of a really thick nail that was almost invisible behind the bark. There was a little of the nail protruding from the trunk.I looked up to see a series of barely noticeable nails leading up into the foliage.That moment I knew what to do. I climbed the trunk in no time to find some kind of a hut hidden among the branches. I think it was rather a poorly made treehouse.I got inside and held my breath. The soldiers kept looking for me in the wood. It never occurred to them that I might be up in the foliage as the wet tree with no low-hanging branches looked absolutely unclimbable. So they left without finding me. I was then able to escape abroad. I do think the tree that saved me is still there.”P.S.Doesn’t this story sound like characters of some fairy tale came real to save Jerzy the tale-teller?P.P.S.Unfortunately, haters tend to find fault with decent books, whether it’s Christians or the Polish nation that they hate. Besides, rival publishers who are also trying to sell fairy tales might employ trolls to criticize a work like this.As a teacher I find the book very appealing because it’s so special, simple and candid. I even like the awkward wording that seems to be typical of Polish tales.It’s like a sweet wooden figure that your dear Grandpa made for you. It can’t look like a standard made-in-China plastic toy.This is a collection of old folk fairy tales. It’s only natural that it differs from today’s Disney style stories that sound all the same as their only purpose is to meet the consumer demand.P.P.P.S.Let me quote Albert Einstein: “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” I’m sure that guy wouldn’t give useless advice.

The examples from these stories are undoubtedly more potent than any preaching. This book teaches the child to overcome difficulties in future without relying on teachers or books through simple case studies. I like the e-book but decided to purchase a paper version because it contains a lot more pictures.Here are some tips regarding this book (i.e. “Best of Polish Fairy Tales”) from me (I’m an experienced teacher) to make this really efficient.Today’s kids who feed on TV shows and computer games often have difficulties using their imagination. However, they come to love it as soon as they develop the skill.By encouraging your little one to think about a fairy tale, you solve the imagination problem.Yet, just reading it to the child is not enough. You should really work on it, that is to say, discuss what you’ve read.1. Let the child identify himself/herself with a character. What would they do if they were the character? Ask the kid to imagine he/she is the king’s child in “A Present for the Kings’ Godson”, or “About the King’s Son” (written in 1800). The character’s decision and actions are really very ambiguous. That is, he could act in dozens of alternative ways. It’s OK if your child’s version sounds a little ridiculous. You know, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.2. Let the child become a new character. Ask your audience to retell the fairy tale. Only they should include themselves as characters, too. What would they do to help the good hero and stop the bad one? Let’s introduce a very intelligent cat (your child) to “Miracle at the Mill” (1822) in order to help the greedy cunning miller avoid an invasion of mice. You could also make your child a passer-by in “Sermon” (1830), which is a story of a very resourceful monk.3. Suggest a proverb and ask your child to make a fairy tale based on it. The creative effort it takes to write a fairy tale is really useful because it’s the early version of high school essays. It also helps develop out-of-the-box thinking, which is really useful in adult life. The ability to connect images within a narrative is the beginning of logical thinking. One of the fairy tales that fit well with the purpose is “Dog’s Winter Thoughts and Summer Thoughts” (1820).4. Making the fairy tale sound modern. Let the characters travel in time and arrive next door from you. I suggest the brave doctor from “Three Lamps” (1847) should re-incarnate as your kid’s physician. Remember that all fairy tales are true if read the right way.5. Continuing the story. You can read the introduction only and ask the child to continue it with the restriction that it needs to have a happy end. For a start, present just a half of “Is There Justice in This World?” (1800), which is about a fox who wanted to help a peasant but failed. The above examples all refer to the book titled “Best of Polish Fairy Tales”.So, let's summarize. There’s the experience of many generations behind every fairy tale. They really enhance development in children as they describe situations and problems that everybody has to face sooner or later, such as moving away from one’s parents, making hard choices, mutual help and support, love, and the never-ending war of good against evil. These are unforgettable fairy tales.P.S.: By the way, while every book has a few errors, I have to say the editing is wonderful. Very well put together and the editing is really good and unique. I am not in the position to judge how the 4nd edition differs from the 1st edition, but the current one is really impressive and perfect. There is an amazing editor and her editing is wonderful!