Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were two young men from Germany who loved a good story. As university students, they became interested in folktales- traditional stories that people told again and again. They began to collect traditional folktales from the storytellers all over Germany. Many were similar to stories told in France, Italy, Japan and other countries. Between 1812 and 1814, the brothers published (出版) two books in German. These included stories like "Hansel and Gretel" and "Little Red Riding Hood". The collections became known in English as Grimm's Fairy Tales.
The Grimm brothers' tales reflected ( 反映) traditional life and beliefs. For example, forests are common in Germany, and this image often appears in the Grimm's stories. In the past, many people believed forests were dangerous places. In the Grimm's stories, a forest is the home of evil witches(邪恶的女巫)，talking animals and other magical beings.
Although most people today think of these stories as fairy tales for children, the brothers first wrote them for adults. Many of their early stories were dark and a little scary. Later, the brothers changed the text of some of the original (原来的) stories. They "softened" many of the tales and added drawings. This made them much better for children. Like the early tales, though, each story has a moral: work hard, be good, and listen to your parents.
