The Twelve Wild Ducks
Author: Peter Asbjornsen
Copyright: 1845
Pages: 3-10
Reading Level: 4
Genre: Fairy Tales
Rating: ***
Other tales: Tatterhood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Aunts

Summary:
This tale is similar to what most of us know as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with a few twists. How the story goes is that there was a King and a Queen and they had twelve sons. But the Queen wanted a daughter and she said she would give up her twelve sons to have one, and no sooner had she said than a witch came and granted her wish. So once the young princess was born and christened who was a white as snow and red as blood as the witch had said the twelve brothers turned into wild ducks and flew away never to be seen again. Now Snow White grew up, but she was sad because she had no siblings to play with. It was then that her mother told her she had twelve brothers that she had given up so she could have her. At this point Snow White went off in search of her brother, and after three years she came to a little wooden hut, and inside were twelve beds and the twelve silver spoons that her Mother had made for each of her children. So after they discover their sister hiding under the bed one wanted to kill her but instead they said she had to break the spell. To break the spell she had to pick thistles and card it and weave it and make twelve coats, shirts, and handkerchiefs all while never talking, laughing, nor weeping. And so she set about it. And one day a King saw her and fell madly in love with her as princes do and they were married. But her step mother hated her because she was beautiful so each time Snow White had a child the Step Mother would take it and throw it into a snake pit and make it look like Snow White had eaten her child, all the Snow White could not speak for herself. So the day comes that Snow White is to be burned, but she finishes her clothes for her twelve brothers and the spell is broken and they come riding in on their twelve horses, and Snow White can finally speak for herself. At this point the Step Mother chooses her own punishment and is bound between twelve steed and the rest live happily ever after, including Snow White and the King and their three children whom were thrown into the snakes pit.

Who would benefit from reading this?
Like all the other fairy tales, these stories are great for kids. They are fun to read, and make for an entertaining bedtime story. It also teaches consequences at the end of these stories which are great for kids to hear and recognize.

Potential problems/conflicts:
A problem that one might encounter with this reading is that there is a lot of detail to follow and keep track of. Another problem along with all the fairy tales is the violence factor involved. Basically if you are looking for a happy story with no conflicts these are not the ones for you.

My reaction:
I liked these second of all the fairy tale authors. These stories had to same back bones as the tales I grew up on but with more of a twist. The stories were also longer and had more detail, which I enjoy as a reader, I am better able to picture the scene in my mind that way. I also liked the messages that were implied at the end of each tale. Well written and very fun to read.