The Brother and Sister Story for Kids

"Brother and Sister," also known as "Little Sister and Little Brother," is a European folktale written by the Brothers Grimm. The premise of the story revolves around two siblings, who live with their stepmother. 

Brother and Sister Riding Together

The Brother and Sister Story 

Once upon a time, in a small village, lived a little brother and a sister along with their stepmother. The siblings were very loving and always cared for each other. The stepmother, who lived with them, did not love the children; in fact, she was a witch who had evil intentions. One day, disheartened by the mistreatment and scolding, the boy decided to leave the village with his sister. 

"Since our own loving mother's death, we have not had one happy hour; our stepmother mistreats us every day," the young brother lamented, taking his sister's hand in his. “Come, let us run away from home,” the brother said. 

As a result, they spent the entire day travelling across meadows, farms, and gravel roads. By the evening, they had arrived at a big forest and had set up camp in a hollow tree, where they slept.

The sun had already risen high in the heavens when they awakened the next morning, and its rays had made the tree so scorching that the little boy remarked to his sister, "I am so thirsty that if I knew where there was a brook, I would go and drink." The brother stood up and held his sister's hand in his as they searched for the stream.

Now the wicked stepmother was a witch, and she had seen how the two children had fled and had quietly followed them, as witches do, bewitching all the springs in the woods.

They discovered a spring that gleamed as it ran over the stones. The brother was ready to drink from it when his sister overheard the rushing sound and exclaimed, "Anyone who drinks from me will turn into a tiger."

"Please, brother, don't drink," the sister pleaded, "or you'll turn into a ferocious animal and tear me apart." Hearing this brother thought of the consequences of drinking the water and decided not to drink the water. Despite his need, the brother refused to drink, saying, "I'll wait till next spring."

When they arrived at the second spring, the sister overheard the remark, "Anyone who drinks from me will turn into a wolf. Anyone who drinks from me will turn into a wolf." "Please, brother, don't drink," the sister shouted out, "or you'll turn into a wolf and gobble me up."

"I'll wait till we get to the next spring," the brother said, "but then I'll have to drink, say what you will because I'm terribly thirsty."

"Whoever drinks me will become a fawn!" the sister heard just as they approached the third creek. "Oh, my brother, do not drink," the sister warned, "or you will be transformed into a deer and flee from me!" But he'd already knelt and sipped the water, and as the first drips passed through his lips, he morphed into a fawn.

At first, the sister sobbed over her little, transformed brother, and he wept as well and sat by her, extremely mournful. But the sister promised that she will never leave the side of her brother even though he transformed into a fawn. 

She then tied her golden garter around the fawn’s neck as a promise of their togetherness. 

They eventually came to a small house after walking for a long time. "We can stay here and live," the girl reasoned after taking a look inside.

Sister and the Brother Who Turned into a Fawn

To make a nice bed for the deer, she gathered leaves and moss. Every morning, she went out and foraged for roots, berries, and nuts for herself, as well as bringing soft grass for the small deer, who happily ate from her hand and ran around her. When the sister was sleepy and had said her prayers in the evening, she rested her head on the deer's back as a pillow and fell asleep softly.

They were alone in the wilderness for a long time. The emperor of the land then held a large hunting party in these forests. Through the trees, the blasts of horns, the barking of hounds, and the cheerful yells of the huntsmen could be heard. When the small deer heard this, he yearned to be with them.

"Oh, let me go join the hunt," he remarked to his sister. I just can't stand it any longer." He pleaded with her for so long that she finally accepted. 

The fawn went on the hunt for some days. As he was fast, no king’s men could catch him. But one day, as he was returning home, the soldiers crept secretly into the house and heard the fawn say, "My little sister, let me in." Someone opened the door for him, then locked it again. All of this was noted by the huntsman, who then went to the king and informed him what he had seen and heard.

"We shall continue our hunt tomorrow," the king declared."Now come and show me the little home in the woods," the king said to the huntsman as soon as the sun had fallen.

Sister Welcoming Fawn and the Soldier Watching

"Dear little sister, let me in," he knocked and said as he approached the door.

The king came in through the open door, where he was greeted by a girl who was more beautiful than any girl he had ever seen. "Will you come with me to my castle and be my dear wife?" the king asked her, reaching out his hand to her. "Yes," the girl replied, "but the tiny deer must accompany me. I can't abandon him."

The king promised that the brother can also leave with the sister forever. The king mounted his horse and escorted the lovely young lady to his palace, where their wedding was held in great magnificence.

The little sister was crowned as queen and they lived happily. The queen birthed a little prince.

Now, the cruel stepmother believed that the girl had been ripped apart by wild creatures in the woods and that the brother had been slaughtered by huntsmen as a deer. When she learned that they were happy and prosperous, she was filled with anger and hatred, and she couldn't sleep.

"I am the one who should have become queen," her own daughter, who was as ugly as darkness and had only one eye, protested to her.

The stepmother and her daughter plotted against the king and queen. One night, they poisoned the queen, which led to her demise. And the daughter of the stepmother disguised herself as the queen.

As time passed by, the ghost of the queen visited her son. And one day, the king caught the ghost of the queen and then she told the truth. Listening to the sad truth, he held the queen and the queen came back to life. 

They accepted their crimes. Both were hauled before the court by the king, and a sentence was passed against them. The witch was thrown into a fire and horribly burned to death, while the daughter was carried into the woods and ripped to pieces by wild animals. And the deer was turned back into his human shape as soon as she was reduced to ashes. And until they died, the sister and brother lived happily together.

Conclusion

The story depicts the moral that the truth always wins at the end. The fairy tales like the brother and sister story help kids understand and incorporate such important morals into their lives. Apart from this reading these stories are a fun way to spend time together and widen the vocabulary of the kids. Stories not only provide kids with moral lessons but also help in boosting the creative skills of a child.  To conclude the article, it can be deduced that stories like brother and sister are fun to read while also helping kids develop their personalities.