With the words “Once upon a time,” the Brothers Grimm transport readers to a timeless realm where witches, giants, princesses, kings, fairies, goblins, and wizards fall in love, try to get rich, quarrel with their neighbors, and have magical adventures of all kinds—and in the process reveal essential truths about human nature. When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm set out to collect stories in the early 1800s, their goal was not to entertain children but to preserve Germanic folklore—and the hard life of European peasants was reflected in the tales they discovered. However, once the brothers saw how the stories entranced young readers, they began softening some of the harsher aspects to make them more suitable for children. A cornerstone of Western culture, since the early 1800s, Grimms' Fairy Tales is now beloved the world over. Grimms' Fairy Tales includes such classics as Cinderella, Snow White, Hansel and Grethel, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Frog Prince as well as others that are no less delightful.

Children's and Household Tales is a collection of German folk tales first published in 1812 by the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The collection is commonly known today as Grimms' Fairy Tales. Their enduring stories of dwarves and giants, princesses and kings, have enchanted readers the world over.

The Brothers Grimm Jacob (January 4, 1785—September 20, 1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (February 24, 1786—December 16, 1859), were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who together collected folklore. They are among the most well-known storytellers of European folk tales, and their work popularized such stories as Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and Snow White. Their first collection of folk tales, Children's and Household Tales, was published in 1812.