Does the name Harry Potter ring any bell?
Yes, if you are thinking about the eleven-years-old boy who was a wizard, you are absolutely right.
Most of you, if not all, must have read about the young wizard or watched movies about him.
The seven magnificent books about the boy wizard Harry Potter were written by a British authoress Joanne Kathleen Rowling, or better known as J. K. Rowling. After finishing the enchanting tale of the Boy-Who-Lived, she had also written a number of books that come out of the wizarding world itself!
One of those magical books is The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
In this book, she had included five stories, which are very similar to what Muggles call fairy tales.
Beedle the Bard lived in the fifteenth century and much of his life remains shrouded in history. We know that he was born in Yorkshire, and the only surviving woodcut shows that he had an exceptionally luxuriant beard.
For the young these stories have many lessons. The stories speak of the virtues by which we are to live by, the good things that we are to take in so that we may live happily. Beedle himself believed that the undesirable sides of our behaviour are the source of all misery.
The heroes and heroines who triumph in his stories are not those with the most powerful magic, but rather those who demonstrate the most kindness, common sense and ingenuity.
These tales carry lessons for us like Aesop's fables do. You will find what happened to the old wizard's son when he did not want to help people out of ill will. The Wizard and the Hopping Pot states how the young son had to suffer from the sufferings of others around him and started putting his magic to better uses. Again, The Fountain of Fair Fortune will make you realise how to overcome hardships in life.
That was enough, anyway. Saying any more will just give away the whole story which is in no way something I would wish. And neither would you, I believe.
But, no need to worry. There are still stories in the book that I have not talked about. See for yourself what surprise awaits there?
And, by the way, just in case you do not know, There are notes after each of the story, written by Albus Dumbledore himself!
Need I say more?
Go! Just start reading and have fun immersing yourselves in the magical world once again!