I bought a lovely old book on eBay (from the early 70s), a little Christmas present to myself. It’s called the Juniper Tree, it’s 27 stories by the Brothers Grimm selected and translated by Lore Segal, who has made them as faithful to the original German as he can. None of this watered down crap. Fairy stories are violent and frightening, full of foul acts, murders and dubious cruel characters, but with a clear lesson running through them and where normal people can be heroes. Children love this stuff, we shouldn’t patronise them by making decisions on their behalf as to what is disturbing or scary.
What makes it even more special however, is that it’s in two volumes in a solid old slipcase, each story comes with a Maurice Sendak illustration. I read one earlier today, The Poor Miller’s Boy and the Cat. It’s very short, a simple tale that you shouldn’t underestimate anyone, that even someone of supposed limited abilities can make great things of their life.
And the illustration is sublime! Anyway, today’s Haiku..
Simple miller’s lad,
Seven years a cat servant,
To become a Prince.
