Rose Red and the Bear Prince

Source: Andreasen, Dan. Rose Red and the Bear Prince: Retold from the Brothers Grimm. HarperCollins, 2000.

Summary: Rose Red loves all animals, so when a bear comes to her cottage door one cold, winter day, she invites him in and takes care of him. When spring comes, the bear leaves to find his riches that were stolen from him by a dwarf. Rose Red stumbles upon the dwarf three times, and each time frees him from his troubles, by cutting his hair, in exchange for one of the bear's treasures. When she cuts the last of his hair, the dwarf loses his powers, and the bear is returned to his true form, a human prince.

Cultural origins: German/European. This story was adapted from the Grimm Brothers' tale "Snow White and Rose Red."

Audience: 4-6th grade. This is a very complex story with many layers that younger audiences would be unlikely to remember. However, an older audience would appreciate the various fairy tale tropes (kindness to strangers, things in threes, etc.) as well as the romantic ending.

Adaptation notes: In my own version of the story, I would likely leave out Rose Red's widowed mother, as she does not play any part in the story beyond the bear prince's first appearance.