📖 The Fairy Tale My Grandpa Told Me… Without a Book 🐟🌊

This 1945 edition set of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Andersen’s Fairy Tales, both published by Grosset & Dunlap, is one of those finds that stirred up a memory I hadn’t visited in years. Both books are illustrated—Grimm’s by Fritz Kredel, Andersen’s by Arthur Szyk—and filled with classic stories that many of us grew up hearing.

But what really made me pause while flipping through Grimm’s was the story The Fisherman and His Wife. My grandpa used to tell me that one when I was small enough to sit on his lap. He didn’t read it from a book—he just told it, from memory, in his own voice. I remember being a little scared by it. Every time the fisherman returned to the sea to ask for more, the water got rougher, stormier—and my grandpa made you feel it. He gave the ocean a mood. He was so good at building tension and emotion into a story.

Grimms’ Fairy Tales features illustrations by Fritz Kredel - The Fisherman and his Wife — Grimms’ Fairy Tales features illustrations by Fritz Kredel – The Fisherman and his Wife

Spending time with him—hearing stories, being read to—that’s where my love of books really began. So finding this tale tucked into this vintage edition felt like a full-circle moment.

The Fisherman and his Wife - Grimms’ Fairy Tales features illustrations by Fritz Kredel — The Fisherman and his Wife – Grimms’ Fairy Tales features illustrations by Fritz Kredel

Spending time with him—hearing stories, being read to—that’s where my love of books really began. Sometimes a book is more than just words on a page. It’s a connection to someone we love.