Jewish Fairy Tales

by Gerald Friedlander (Editor)

This captivating collection of nine authentic Jewish fairy tales is populated by angels, demons, goblins, and an array of other awesome characters. Assembled and translated from the Talmud and a variety of other ancient sources, these delightful stories harken back to a time when religion and folk heroes were closely entwined.
In “The Princess and the Beggar,” fate intervenes when a lovely young princess is forced to live an isolated existence. The greedy king of “The Demon’s Marriage” is tricked into wedding his daughter to the Son of Satan. And in “The Magic Leaf,” a holy man is punished for meddling with the mysteries of life and death. These and other captivating fables from antiquity, enhanced with new illustrations by Sheilah Beckett, are sure to delight yet another generation of fairy tale enthusiasts.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Jewish, Short Stories, Childrens, Folklore

80 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 1997

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason, I didn’t finding this charming or anything. The sources are varied, but the retellings seems somewhat cold. The cover illustration refers to one of the better retellings, about a rabbi and the French king.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable collection of some Jewish fairy tales, fables, and parables that are pretty accessible for a kid who is a decent reader. I do wish there were some accompanying notes to help us understand the context or original versions of these tales. Also, the illustrations are sometimes a bit odd, like when characters who are in the ancient kingdom ofIsrael are dressed like the nobility of Europe during the high Middle Ages. The tales themselves are amusing, but none are particularly strong.

[Krista Kimball · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was what I needed.

[عبدالعزيز النظري · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so much into religion fairy tales, and this one despite me reading it a couple of times, it never gets old.

Loved it, however, I loved the old edition with the illustration a bit more.

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had heard versions of a few of these before, but I cannot say any really stood out.

[Jennifer Paton Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories.

[Serendipity Books & Toys]

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[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful collection of story tales that teach good behavior and religious devotion.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally enjoyed this book of Jewish fairy tales, but there were a lot of flaws in this book. It is old, and quite obviously inspired by both the Grimms’ and Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books. There is a bit of an orientalist feel about the way these tales were retold, like they are being peddled to fascinated Gentiles who are racist towards Jews but still want to know what strange exotic stories they tell. As a Jew myself, I found that presentation strange.

These fairy tales skew more towards the religious side, possibly to emphasize that Jews believe in the same god as Christians. I’ve read other collections of Jewish fairy tales, and they have the same collection of topics as other fairy tales, with a bit more of an emphasis on tricksters outwitting powerful people. Despite the Orientalism, too-formal prose, and the cherry-picking, I still liked this collection a bit, for having interesting Jewish fairy tales. After all, they still felt authentic for all their flaws.

[Suzanne Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming fairy tales.