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

58 Items found Print

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Picture Books,

4th grade (Ages 9-10),

In-Stock Books & Materials

	Adventures of Pinocchio Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for 3rd-8th grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	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) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	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
	American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne, Michael McCurdy from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fairy Tales & Fables for 4th-8th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.99
	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)
	Beauty and the Beast by Deborah Apy, Michael Hague (illustrator) from Henry Holt and Company Fairy Tales & Fables for 2nd-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo from Candlewick Press for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Black Heart of Indri by Dorothy Hoge; illustrated by Janina Domanska from Charles Scribner's Sons for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Black Ships Before Troy The Story of the Iliad by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee from Frances Lincoln Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $22.99
	Brave Cloelia by Jane Curry 1^st edition from J. Paul Getty Museum for 4th-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Brer Rabbit and His Tricks by Ennis Rees; illustrated by Edward Gorey from Young Scott Books for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Child's Story Book by Kay Chorao from E.P. Dutton & Co. for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Classic Treasury of Aesop's Fables by Aesop, illustrated by Don Daily from Running Press for 2nd-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $11.99
	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
	D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from New York Review of Books Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $29.95
	D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from New York Review of Books for 3rd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $22.95
	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)
	Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen as told by Various Authors from Harcourt, Brace & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Fairy Tale Set #1 Illustrated by K.Y. Craft by K. Y. Craft, Illustrator in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Fairy Tale Set #2 Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky by Paul O. Zelinsky, Illustrator in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Favourite Tales from Hans Christen Andersen by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova from Floris Books for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $10.00 (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)
	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)
	Golden Book of Fairy Tales by Translated by Marie Ponsot, Illustrated by Adrienne Segur from Golden Books for 2nd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Grimms' Fairy Tales The Classic Edition by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Don Daily from Applesauce Press for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.95
	Hercules, the Gentle Giant by Nina Schneider; illustrated by Tomie DePaola from Hawthorn Books, Inc. for 1st-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Higglety Pigglety Pop! or, There Must Be More to Life by Maurice Sendak from Harper & Row for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (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
	Images of God by John and Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Alexander Koshkin 1^st edition from Clarion Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	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
	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)
	Macbeth Shakespeare: The Animated Tales by Leon Garfield (Abridgement), William Shakespeare from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg from HarperCollins for 1st-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe 1^st edition from Amistad Press for 2nd-5th grade 1988 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen; retold by Stephen Mitchell and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline from Candlewick Press for 2nd-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Ola by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire Reprint from University of Minnesota for 3rd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $16.95
	Old Stories from Denmark from Kaj Elle-Ebeltoft for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Persephone by Sally Clayton, Illustrated by Virginia Lee from Eerdmans for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $20.00
	Princess and the Kiss A Story of God's Gift of Purity by Jennie Bishop from Warner Press Allegories and Moral Stories for 2nd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $12.99
	Random House Book of Fairy Tales by Various Authors from Random House Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-6th grade in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE) $22.99
	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
	Read Me Another Fairy Tale by Andrew Lang, illustrated by Wallace Tripp from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-5th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Robin Hood by Jane Carruth, Illustrated by Chris Higham from Award Publications, Limited for 3rd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $10.00 (1 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
	Salmon's Journey and More Northwest Coast Stories Learning from Nature and the World Around Us by Robert James Challenger from Heritage House Publishing Company for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Shadow by Marcia Brown from Charles Scribner's Sons Fairy Tales & Fables for 3rd-5th 1983 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Snow White by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Charles Santore from Sterling Publishing Co. for Kindergarten-4th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $16.95
	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 (Library rebind) by Anne Isaacs Library Binding from Dutton Children's Books for 2nd-4th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $4.00 (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)
	Tatterhood and the Hobgoblins by Lauren Mills from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Theseus and the Minotaur by Leonard Everett Fisher from Holiday House for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas from Margaret K. McElderry Books for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.00 (1 in stock)

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