Grimm's Fairy Tales: Suggestions for Edits
This is based on Grimm's Fairy Tales translated by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwards, 1823 (online here.) I edited this for my daughter, who loves fantasy and adventure, but, at age four, needed a few edits. Each child is different; now, at six, my daughter is less sensitive and I'd edit much less.
1. The Golden Bird [EDIT] (stop after "Then the fox came, and said, 'Pray kill me...")
2. Hans in Luck fine as is
[skip] 3. Jorinda and Jorindel lovers parted by an evil fairy who turns people into birds
4. The Travelling Musicians fine as is
5. Old Sultan fine as is
6. The Straw, The Coal, and The Bean fine as is
7. Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty [EDIT] (Thorns and briars scratch people; I edited the fact that they were scratched to death.)
8. The Dog and the Sparrow [EDIT] (The dog is killed, and the sparrow acts vengefully.)
9. The Twelve Dancing Princesses [EDIT] (The first few paragraphs say that princes who fail are killed; I skipped over that detail.)
10. The Fisherman and His Wife fine as is
11. The Willow-Wren and the Bear fine as is
12. The Frog-Prince fine as is
13. Cat and Mouse in Partnership fine as is
[skip] 14. The Goose-Girl headless horse talks; revenge of the true bride is grisly
[skip] 15. The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet bad humor; bad perspective of marriage
16. Rapunzel fine as is
[skip] 17. Fundevogel a witch wants to boil and eat two little children
18. The Valiant Little Tailor [EDIT] (Stop at "The wedding was held....out of a tailor a king was made." His bride ends badly.)
19. Hansel and Gretel [EDIT] (I skipped the sentence that said, "Witches have red eyes...they shall not escape me.")
20. The Mouse, The Bird, and The Sausage fine as is
21. Mother Holle fine as is
[skip] 22. Little Red Cap/Little Red-Riding Hood the wolf eats the granny and child; they are cut out and fill its stomach with rocks
[skip] 23. The Robber Bridegroom One of the worst: "Then they tore off her dainty clothing and cut her beautiful body in pieces..."
[skip] 24. Tom Thumb Tom is in many icky predicaments, including being in a cow's stomach
25. Rumplestiltskin fine as is
[skip] 26. Clever Gretel Gretel is a terrible role model and an idle servant
27. The Old Man and his Grandson fine as is
[skip] 28. The Little Peasant a peasant becomes rich when an entire village dies
29. Frederick and Catherine (really silly)
[skip] 30. Sweetheart Roland A girl kills a wicked witch's wicked daughter and the drops of blood call out to the witch.
31. Snowdrop fine as is
[skip] 32. The Pink A hen is killed and its blood dripped to look like a child has been killed.
33. Clever Elsie (silly)
34. The Miser in the Bush fine as is
35. Ashputtel/Cinderella [EDIT] (I whited out the word "stupid." It occurs once. In some versions, the step-sisters cut off foot parts to fit the glass slipper)
36. The White Snake [EDIT] (Again, I whited out the word "stupid." It occurs once.)
37. The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids fine as is
38. The Queen Bee fine as is
39. The Elves and the Shoemaker fine as is
40. The Juniper-Tree fine as is
[skip] 41. The Turnip one brother plots to kill the other
[skip] 42. Clever Hans annoyingly goofy
[skip] 43. The Three Languages an ignorant youth learns why animals plague a land and becomes pope of the church
44. The Fox and the Cat fine as is
45. The Four Clever Brothers fine as is
46. Lily and the Lion fine as is
47. The Fox and the Horse fine as is
[skip] 48. The Blue Light creepy
49. The Raven fine as is
50. The Golden Goose fine as is
51. The Water of Life fine as is
52. The Twelve Huntsmen fine as is
[skip] 53. The King of the Golden Mountain a child is promised to a black dwarf; ends with enemies' heads off
54. Doctor Knowall fine as is
55. The Seven Ravens [EDIT] (A girl needs a stick to key-open a door, but has none, so she cuts off her finger and uses that instead.)
[skip] 56. The Wedding of Mrs. Fox pointless stories of a fox's marriages
[skip] 57. The Salad "Cut open the dead bird, take out its heart and keep it..."
[skip] 58. The Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was Creepy for young ones, could be silly/fun for older ones.
59. King Grisly-Beard fine as is
60. Iron Hans fine as is
61. Cat-Skin fine as is
62. Snow-White and Rose-Red fine as is