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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Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

Subcategories

Aesop's Fables

American Tall Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales

Asian Myths & Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales

30 Items found Print

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Picture Books,

4th grade (Ages 9-10),

Trade Paperback

	Aesop's Fables by Aesop, illustrated by Michael Hague from Henry Holt and Company Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Aesop's Fables for Children by Aesop, illustrated by Milo Winter Pap/Com from Dover Publications for 2nd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $14.99
	Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum by Ashley Bryan from Aladdin Paperbacks Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.99 $5.50 (5 in stock)
	Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo from Walker Books for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Yearling Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER) $19.99
	Dance Me a Story Twelve Tales from the Classic Ballets by Jane Rosenberg from Thames and Hudson for 3rd-8th grade in Dance (Location: ELE-DANCE) $12.00 (3 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
	Gilgamesh the King by Ludmila Zeman from Tundra Books (NY) for 1st-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet from Houghton Mifflin Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Indian Tales A Barefoot Collection by Shenaaz Nanji from Barefoot Books for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Irish Cinderlad by Shirley Climo & Loretta Krupinksi Reprint from HarperCollins for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.99
	Kitchen Knight A Tale of King Arthur by Margaret Hodges; illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman from Holiday House Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Kitchen Knight A Tale of King Arthur by Margaret Hodges from Holiday House Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 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
	Last Quest of Gilgamesh by Ludmila Zeman from Tundra Books (NY) for 1st-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.95 $6.00 (2 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)
	Rapunzel by Paul Zelinsky from Puffin Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade 1998 Caldecott Medal winner in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $9.99
	Rapunzel by Alix Berenzy from Henry Holt and Company for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Revenge of Ishtar by Ludmila Zeman from Tundra Books (NY) for 1st-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman from Little, Brown & Company Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade 1985 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Seven Spools of Thread A Kwanzaa Story (Albert Whitman Prairie Paperback) by Angela Shelf Medearis Reprint from Albert Whitman & Company for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Shadow by Marcia Brown from Aladdin Paperbacks Fairy Tales & Fables for 3rd-5th 1983 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (retold) by Michael Morpurgo from Candlewick Press for 2nd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Sleeping Beauty by Trina Schart Hyman from Little, Brown & Company Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs from Puffin Books for 2nd-4th grade 1995 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Theseus and the Minotaur by Leonard Everett Fisher from Holiday House for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Three Jovial Huntsmen by Susan Jeffers from Macmillan for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Weaving of a Dream by Marilee Heyer Reissue from Puffin Books for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Why The Sky Is Far Away A Nigerian Folktale by Mary-Joan Gerson from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)

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