It's Been a Harry Potter Weekend

The Family Channel seemed to be playing every Harry Potter movie yet made every minute of the day this past weekend. Actually it was rather soothing to wrap presents and decorate with the enchanting background music and the familiar voices of Harry and his friends floating around the house. Much more pleasant than the sounds of dogs barking out Christmas carols. A hot topic of conversation over dinner with friends was the question of why the latest Harry Potter movie was delayed from opening Thanksgiving weekend as was usual. Was it a conspiracy by those vampire-loving Twilight nuts? We were all disappointed at not getting our usual Harry Potter fix. There is hope for those of you who long to return to Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling has released Tales of Beedle the Bard. It is not a Potter story, but is is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and features commentary by Albus Dumbledore. The following description is from Amazon.com, but don't order the book, put a reserve on the Library's copy!

'Offering the trademark wit and imagination familiar to Rowling's legions of readers--as well as Aesop's wisdom and the occasional darkness of the Brothers Grimm--each of these five tales reveals a lesson befitting children and parents alike: the strength gained with a trusted friendship, the redemptive power of love, and the true magic that exists in the hearts of all of us. Rowling's new introduction also comments on the personal lessons she has taken from the Tales, noting that the characters in Beedle's collection "take their fates into their own hands, rather than taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe," and "that magic causes as much trouble as it cures."

But the true jewel of this new edition is the enlightening and comprehensive commentary (including extensive footnotes!) by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, who brings his unique wizard's-eye perspective to the collection. Discovered "among the many papers which Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives," the venerable wizard's ruminations on the Tales allow today's readers to place them in the context of 16th century Muggle society, even allowing that "Beedle was somewhat out of step with his times in preaching a message of brotherly love for Muggles" during the era of witch hunts that would eventually drive the wizarding community into self-imposed exile. In fact, versions of the same stories told in wizarding households would shock many for their uncharitable treatment of their Muggle characters.

Professor Dumbledore also includes fascinating historical backstory, including tidbits such as the history and pursuit of magic wands, a brief comment on the Dark Arts and its practitioners, and the struggles with censorship that eventually led "a certain Beatrix Bloxam" to cleanse the Tales of "much of the darker themes that she found distasteful," forever altering the meaning of the stories for their Muggle audience. Dumbledore also allows us a glimpse of his personal relationship to the Tales, remarking that it was through "Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump" that "many of us [wizards] first discovered that magic could not bring back the dead."'