The Magical Wishing Fish

The Magical Wishing Fish: The Classic Grimm’s Tale of the Fisherman and His Wife

One day a poor fisherman catches a fish that says he’s an enchanted prince and begs to be set free. But when the fisherman tells his wife the story, she demands that the fish grants a wish in return.

The magical wishing fish grants them a new house, riches and power. But as his wife’s requests become more and more extreme, the kindly fisherman starts to wish only that they were as happy as they’d been when they were poor.

This classic Brothers Grimm tale of being careful what you wish for is beautifully brought to life with soft, detailed illustrations by Loek Koopmans.

A wonderful new adaptation that brings light-hearted humor and warmth to the traditional morality tale of the fisherman and his wife; a story retold throughout the world.

About the Author

The Brothers Grimm (Jacob Ludwig Karl and Wilhelm Karl) were born in 1785 and 1786 in Hanau near Frankfurt in Hesse. They were among a family of nine children, six of whom survived infancy. During their early childhood, both their father and grandfather died, leaving the children and their mother to struggle in reduced circumstances. During their early twenties, the two brothers began linguistic and philological studies, which would culminate in both Grimm’s Law and their collected editions of fairy and folk tales. Their collections of tales became immensely popular, though the brothers’ main goal was linguistic research. After running afoul of King Ernest Augustus I, the brothers were fired from their university posts and exiled. However, the next year, the two were invited to Berlin by the King of Prussia, and both settled there. Wilhelm died in 1859; his elder brother Jacob died in 1863.

Loek Koopmans was born 1943 in the Netherlands and studied at the academy of the fine arts in Arnhem. He illustrates picture books, writes stories, and is a painter, and in 1993 and 1996 he won the the Dutch Award for best illustrated book.” In addition, his work has been featured in the catalog of the Bologna book fair. He is the author and illustrator of several children’s books and currently lives with his wife in Zwolle.