Brother and Sister by Dinah Mulock
A brother and sister escape their cruel stepmother, who mistreats them after their mother's death. They venture into the woods, where the brother, driven by thirst, encounters bewitched springs that threaten to transform him into wild animals. Despite his sister's warnings, he drinks from one spring and becomes a white roe. The sister vows to care for him, and they find a small house in the forest where they live together. The roe longs to join a royal hunt, and despite his sister's fears, he goes out but is wounded by hunters. The king, intrigued by the roe, discovers the sister and offers to marry her, promising to care for the roe. They marry, but the wicked stepmother plots against them, disguising her daughter as the queen and attempting to kill the real queen. The true queen secretly visits her child and the roe at night, nurturing them until the king discovers her. After confronting the witch, the queen is restored, and the brother returns to his human form. The family is reunited, and they live happily ever after, free from the stepmother's malice.
By Dinah Mulock · First published 1850 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fairy Tale, Fantasy · 2,852 words
First lines
A brother took his sister by the hand and said, "Since our mother is dead we have no more happy hours: our stepmother beats us every day, and whenever we come near her she kicks us away. She gives us hard crusts and nasty scraps to eat, and the dog under the table fares better than we do, for he does sometimes get a nice bit thrown to him. It would break our mother's heart if she knew it! Come, we will go out into the wide world together."
What this Textopian page supports
Brother and Sister is listed on Textopian as a short story by Dinah Mulock, dated 1850 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Dinah Mulock
- Date: 1850 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Fiction
- Length: 2,852 words
- Structure: 1 section, 40 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Brother and Sister by Dinah Mulock
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Brother and Sister?
- How does this short story by Dinah Mulock fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Children's Literature first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- Master And Boy by George Macdonald
- The Wrens Nest by Dinah Mulock
- Flips Islands Of Providence by Annie Fellows Johnston
- A Loyal Little Red Coat by Ruth Ogden
- The Blackbird And The Rooks by Dinah Mulock
Genres
- Children's Literature — Brother and Sister is often categorised as a children’s book due to its simpleness and moralistic undertones.
- Fairy Tale — The book is often staged in a magical realm and contains elements of the supernatural, making it a classic fairy-tale style story.
- Fantasy — The novel includes magical elements and imaginary creatures, and is therefore considered a work of fantasy.
- Fiction — The characters and events are imaginary, thereby categorizing the book as fiction.
Tags
siblings · family · childhood · adventure · friendship · loyalty · imagination · innocence · growth · conflict · love · trust