This is one I never knew existed until I read The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. I loved the story so much that I read all the acknowledgements, naturally, and Shannon mentions the original Grimms Brothers story. There area few beautiful elements... and a few weird ones... and they're all in Shannon's rewrite, which is fun. Plus, she took her story and turned it into a series that doesn't resemble anything like this beginning. No wonder I like Faerytale Rewrites!!
What I love about The Goose Girl...There are kingdoms and real princesses. There is treachery and blood. There is a great horse (I'm always a softie for a truly great horse.) There are disguises, gritty-hard work, horrible bosses and a handsome prince. The geese are not my favorite part of the story because Shannon uses real geese to play her geese. They're snippy, fiesty, moody things that make their herders pay painfully before they agree to follow 'em. There's also wind... I'm a sucker for the wind taking an active part in any story. The super weird parts come from the original Grimm's tale.
First published in 1815, the original tale written by the Brothers Grimm includes a talking horse head. A goblet. A handkerchief with drops of blood.
1 - Endearing friendship between princess and her horse
