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Mirror Tales: Fairy Tales with a Backward Glance
Paperback
Series: Grimm Retold
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jan 28 2026
Pages: 126
Weight: 0.29
Height: 0.30 Width: 5.00 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
Not just once upon a time.
Grimm Retold: Mirror Tales gathers five classic tales from the Brothers Grimm-
The Three Wishes, The Fisherman and His Wife, Mother Holle, The Golden Goose, and Hans in Luck-
and retells them in a clear, wry voice for readers 8 to adult.
On the surface, you'll find magic fish, feather beds that make it snow, a golden goose that leaves a trail of stuck people, a pair of girls paid in gold and tar, and a traveler who trades away his riches one bad bargain at a time. Underneath, each story is quietly holding up a mirror.
These mirror tales exaggerate ordinary human habits-greed, impatience, stubbornness, envy-until we can't help noticing them. A fisherman's wife keeps climbing the ladder of more until the sea itself draws a line. A tired couple burn through three wishes in one evening, caught between appetite and anger. Lisbet's steady, invisible work keeps two worlds running, while Greta hunts shortcuts and finds pitch instead of gold. Hans in Luck walks away from the kind of wealth that impresses his neighbors and discovers a different kind of enough.
Each tale keeps the bones of the original Grimm version-the same characters, choices, and consequences, while the language has been repaved for modern ears. At the end of every story you'll find a short Moral Spotlight and gentle reflection questions, perfect for:
read-aloud time with thoughtful kids
classroom or homeschool discussion
book clubs and grown-ups who like fairy tales with teeth
The magic is still here. The morals haven't changed.
What's new is the way the stories look back at you.
For readers 8+ and adults who enjoy:
fairy-tale retellings
fractured or reimagined classics
stories that make you laugh, then think a little longer than you expected
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Hawke, C. D.
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