In the year 1999, the British publication house Bloomsbury, published the first book written by a completely unknown, many times rejected, first time Author, who went by the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling.
That book, and its consequent parts, went on to create the biggest storm that the literary world has seen till date, and JK Rowling, as she is popularly known as, gave us Harry Potter.
This brief background, I feel is necessary before I start reviewing "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".
The Tales of Beedle the Bard first finds a mention in the last installment of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The complete book was released sometime after the last book.
The book contains 5 different fairy tales, popular in the wizarding community, each with different magical characters, and with a moral at the end ---- much like our "Muggle" fairy tales.
Let me get straight to the point: The stories are delightful, a little sinister, but quite enjoyable and will even make the reader a little nostalgic as Dumbledore, Hogwarts and quite a few old terms like Animagus, Inferi, The Unforgivable Curses find a mention in these 5 tales.
But honestly, a "non Harry Potter" person will feel lost and left out while reading this book.
The Potter fans on the other hand will not be disappointed, because The Tales of Beedle the Bard is quintessential Rowling with her brilliant imagination, playful humour and gripping plots.
My Verdict: Strictly for the Harry Potter Fanclub :)
