Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

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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85 Items found Print
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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 Heidi Holder
1st edition from Viking Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (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)
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)
Beauty and the Beast
by Marianna Mayer
from Four Winds Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Beowulf
by Michael Morpurgo
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-8th grade
$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)
Boll Weevil
by Glen Rounds
from Golden Gate Junior Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Brave Cloelia
by Jane Curry
1st 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)
Cinderella
by David Delamare
from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Cinderella
by Charles Perrault, retold by Amy Ehrlich, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
from Dial Books for Young Readers
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Bedtime Stories
by Scott Gustafson
from Greenwich Workshop Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Dick Whittington and His Cat
by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Melisande Potter
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
1951 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (2 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)
Favorite All-Time Classics
by Various Anthology
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-1st grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Favourite Tales from Hans Christen Andersen
by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova
from Floris Books
for 4th-6th grade
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Fire Stealer
by William Toye; illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver
from Oxford University
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Giant John
by Arnold Lobel
Weekly Reader Book Club Ed. from Harper & Row
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Gingerbread Boy
by Watty Piper, illustrated by Eulalie
from Platt and Munk Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Gingerbread Man
by Jim Aylesworth; illustrated by Barbara McClintock
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (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)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
by Gennady Spirin
from Marshall Cavendish Education
for 9th-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
by Jennifer Greenway, illustrated by Elizabeth Miles
from Ariel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Hansel and Gretel
by Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Berta & Elmer Hader
from Weiser & Weiser
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Hansel and Gretel
by The Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger
from William Morrow & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Hare and the Tortoise
by Brian Wildsmith
from Oxford University
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Hatseller and the Monkeys
by Baba Wague Diakite
from Scholastic Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Hey, Diddle Diddle and other Nonsense Rhymes
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Davi Botts (illustrator)
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Higglety Pigglety Pop!
by Maurice Sendak
from Harper & Row
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Images of God
by John and Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Alexander Koshkin
1st edition from Clarion Books
for 3rd-6th grade
$6.00 (1 in stock)
John Henry
by Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney
from Dial Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
1995 Caldecott Honor book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
King Grisly-Beard
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Edgar Taylor, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
King Midas
by John Warren Stewig, illustrated by Omar Rayyan
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Humpbacked Horse
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)
Lucky and the Giant
by Benjamin Elkin, illustrated by Katherine Evans
from Children's Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.00 (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)
Mazel and Shimazel
by Isaac Bashevis Singer
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Misoso
by Verna Aardema
illustrated edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Moon Singer
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from Thomas Crowell
Fairy Tales & Fables for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Mother Goose
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Weathervane Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Viking Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
by John Steptoe
1st 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)
Nightingale
by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Alison Claire Darke
from Doubleday & Company
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Old Stories from Denmark
from Kaj Elle-Ebeltoft
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Paul Bunyan the Work Giant
by Ida Virginia Turney
from Unknown Publisher
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Peter and the Rabbits
by Arthur Kubler, translated by Roseanna Hoover
First US Edition from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Peter Bull
by Helen Oechsli, illustrated by Kelly Oechsli
from Viking Press
Danish Folk Tale for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Read to Me, Grandma
by Glorya Hale (editor), illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith and Charles Robinson
from Jellybean Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 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)
Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter
by Diane Stanley
from Morrow Junior Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Saint Francis and the Wolf
by Richard Egielski
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Seventh Door
by Norman Leach
from Child's Play Ltd.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.50 (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 And The Seven Dwarfs
by Wanda Gag
from University of Minnesota
for Preschool-2nd grade
1939 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Song to Demeter
by Cynthia & William Birrer
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Spiders, Crabs, and Creepy Crawlies
by Kathleen Arnott, illustrated by Bette Davis
from Garrard Publishing Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Spoon for Every Bite
by Joe Hayes, illustrated by Rebecca Leer
from Orchard Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Dick Whittington and His Cat
by Muriel Levy, illustrated by Evelyn Bowman
Ninth Edition from Wills & Hepworth
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Sun, Moon, and Stars
by Mary Hoffman
from Dutton Children's Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Two Rice Birds
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)
Tall Book of Nursery Tales
by Raina Moore (adapter), illustrated by Aleksey & Olga Ivanov
from HarperFestival
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (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)
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)
To Everything There Is a Season
by Diane Dillon, Leo Dillon
1st edition from Blue Sky press
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
True Cross
by Brian Wildsmith
from Oxford University
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!
by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
from Viking Press
Twisted Fairy Tale for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Tumbler
by Liz Filleul, illustrated by Susan Field
from Augsburg Fortress
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Ugly Duckling - Retelling
by Hans Christian Andersen, Retold by Catherine Lukas, Illustrated by Jill Bauman
from Reader's Digest Young Families
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams, illustrated by Michael Green
from Running Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams, illustrated by Robyn Officer
Reprint. from Barnes & Noble
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams, Illustrated by Charles Santore
Kohl's Cares Edition from Appleseed Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams Bianco, illustrated by Donna Green
from Smithmark Publishers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams
from Doubleday Book For Young Readers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Voyage of Osiris
by Gerald McDermott
from Windmill Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Who Owns the Moon?
by Sonia Levitin, illustrated by John Larrecq
from Parnassus Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Why Cowboys Sing, In Texas
by LeGrand Henderson
from Abingdon Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Willow Pattern Story
by Allan Drummond
from North-South Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
You Read to Me, I'll Read to You (Fairy Tales)
by Mary Ann Hoberman, Illustrated by Michael Emberley
from Little, Brown & Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)