Who Were ...? biography series for middle grade brings two captivating brothers - Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm - who loved folktales and became the most famous collectors of fairy tales of all time.
Jacob Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) were born in Hanau, today’s Germany. From early age, the brothers were inseparable. The boys were young when their father died. They were sent away to school in Kassel where they could get proper education. Later, both brothers decided to study law, following in the footsteps of their father. But at their hearts’ was a different interest. They both loved literature, and telling each other stories: myths, fables, and fairy tales.
They spent many evenings at one of their professor’s home. Professor Savigny taught them how to study old manuscripts. At his house, they met many writers and artists. They all had a great appreciation for German history. Clemens Brentano, poet, had an idea to collect German folk songs, but they were rarely written down like fairy tales. This inspired the brothers to collect the fairy tales.
In order to collect those unwritten fairy tales, they sought storytellers who turned out to be local women. At the end of 1812, they published eighty-six stories which became an immediate success. The second volume included seventy stories.
They became the celebrities, dining with the new king and his family, and receiving honors for their work all across the world.
This biography exemplifies two characters that showed the true love for their history and storytelling by collecting the unwritten stories and preserving them for generations. “The fairy tales live on because they teach us to see the world differently.” The Grimm brothers initially wanted to preserve the fairy tales for the German people, but in reality they did it for the world. Grimm’s fairy tales have been translated into more than 160 different languages, and adapted into countless movies and plays.
This illustrated biography series for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences, and insightful inserts.