Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

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Not that these are "soft" versions of the fairy tales we know and love—they're just not quite as jarring as the original material. Whereas the Brothers Grimm didn't hesitate to include excessive violence, genuine terror and even (on occasion) sexual references, authors like Andrew Lang opted to gentle the stories a bit so as not to spook the youngsters too much. While we certainly encourage you to read the originals and introduce them to your kids at some point, the books you'll find in this section are a great place to start small children on traditional tales and folklore.

It's not so much that fairy tales offer kids a new way of seeing the world, it's more that they are already in line with the way kids do see the world. For a child, monsters really do lurk in the shadows, pumpkins can turn into vehicles, and animals really do have rational thoughts and can even (at times, if you listen closely enough) talk. To force children into an adult world where only the unavoidable and routine can take place is to rob them of not only their youth, but their ability to imagine.

More than any other kind of story, fairy tales are only a segue to genuine creativity. Kids read about Princes Charming, Princesses in Distress, Dragons, Dragon-Fighters, dwarfs, elves and pixies—and then become each of these things in turn in the backyard. Not that most children need inspiration, but it certainly can't hurt, nor can it hurt for them to realize they aren't the first ones to imagine fairies in the trees and gnomes in the garden. We've chosen the books you'll find here for the quality of artwork, faithfulness of adaptation, and overall appeal both to kids and their parents (who may have missed out on good fairy tales themselves).

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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Fiction & Literature

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Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

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American Tall Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales

Asian Myths & Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales

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	Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by written by Marianna Mayer, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft First Edition from HarperCollins for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Beautiful Blue Jay and Other Tales of India by John W. Spellman, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney 1^st edition from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth PF from Collier Books for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Cricket's Cage A Chinese Folktale by Stefan Czernecki from Hyperion Books for Children for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Filipino Children's Favorite Stories by Joanne de Leon, Liana Elena Romulo Hardcover with Jacket from Unknown Publisher for 3rd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Finist the Falcon Prince A Russian Folk Tale by Translated by Lydia Regehr from a story by Andrei Platonov, Illustrated by Mary Chagnon from Carolrhoda Books, Inc. for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales by Jacqueline Onassis, illustrated by Boris Zvorykin from Viking Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Fool of the World and the Flying Ship A Russian Tale by Arthur Ransome from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade 1969 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $24.99
	Fool of the World and the Flying Ship A Russian Tale by Arthur Ransome, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz from Sunburst Book Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade 1969 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman from Yearling Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales Calla Editions by Grace James from Dover Publications for 7th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Indian Tales A Barefoot Collection by Shenaaz Nanji from Barefoot Books for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo & Ruth Heller from HarperCollins for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Little Humpbacked Horse A Russian Tale by Adapted by Elizabeth Winthrop, Illustrated by Alexander Koshkin from Clarion Books for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Lon Po Po A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young from PaperStar Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade 1990 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Magic Brush by Robert B. Goodman & Robert A. Spicer (adapters), illustrated by Y. T. Mui, edited by Ruth Tabrah from Island Heritage Publishing for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Magic Fan by Keith Baker from Sandpiper Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00
	Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Monkey and the Crocodile A Jataka Tale from India by Paul Galdone from HMH Books for Young Readers for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Monkey and the Crocodile A Jataka Tale from India by Paul Galdone from Houghton Mifflin for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Moon Lady by Amy Tan Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks for 3rd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	One Grain of Rice by Demi from Scholastic Press for Nursery-Kindergarten in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $21.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Prince Ivan and the Firebird by Bernard Lodge from Whispering Coyote Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Russian Fairy Tales by Gillian Avery (Reteller), illustrated by Ivan Bilibin from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $20.00
	Seeing Stick by Jane Yolen Reprint from Running Press for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng from Scholastic Inc. for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng from Scholastic Inc. for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Seven Simeons A Russian Tale by Boris Artzybasheff from Viking Press for Preschool- 3rd Grade 1938 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Shen of the Sea Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman from Dutton Juvenile for 3rd-5th grade 1926 Newbery Medal in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Shen of the Sea Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, illustrated by Else Hasselriis from E.P. Dutton & Co. for 3rd-5th grade 1926 Newbery Medal in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Shibumi and the Kitemaker by Mercer Mayer from Marshall Cavendish Education for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Snow Princess by Ruth Sanderson from Crocodile Books for Preschool-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.95
	Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin Reprint from Little, Brown & Company for 5th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Stories from India Folklore of the World by Edward W. Dolch, Marguerite P. Dolch, & Gordon Laite (Illustrator) from Garrard Publishing Company for 1st-3rd grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
	Stories from Japan Folklore of the World by Edward & Marguerite P. Dolch from Garrard Publishing Company in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Stories from Old China Folklore of the World by Edward W. Dolch, Marguerite P. Dolch, & Seong Moy (Illustrator from Garrard Publishing Company for 1st-3rd grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
	Sweet and Sour Tales from China from HMH Books for Young Readers in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $8.95
	Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson from Puffin Books for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Tale of Two Rice Birds A Folktale from Thailand by Adapted by Clare Hodgson Meeker, Illustrated by Christine Lamb from Sasquatch Books for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Indian Classics Book III by Savitri (reteller), illustrated by Sukumar Chatterjee from Children's Book Press for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Japan by Helen & William McAlpine from Oxford University for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Tales of a Korean Grandmother 32 Traditional Tales from Korea by Frances Carpenter from Tuttle Publishing Eastern Fairy Tales for 1st-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Tiger and the Brahmin by Brian Gleeson from Simon and Schuster for 1st-3rd grade in Tools for Young Historians (Location: BIBWV-TYH)
	Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel from Square Fish Publishing Humorous Folk Tale for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel from Henry Holt and Company Humorous Folk Tale for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Urashima and the Kingdom Beneath the Sea by Ralph F. McCarthy for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Weaving of a Dream by Marilee Heyer Reissue from Puffin Books for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Willow Pattern Story by Allan Drummond from North-South Books for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Yeh-Shen A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie from Puffin Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)

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