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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44 Items found Print
Active Filters: King Arthur
Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great
The Knights' Tales Book 1
by Gerald Morris
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Adventures of Tom Thumb
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
Adventures of Tom Thumb
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from SeaStar Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
Arthur the Always King
by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illustrated by Chris Riddell
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
$29.99
Castle of Ladies
by Constance Hieatt, illustrated by Norman Laliberté
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
ECL: Book of King Arthur
by Howard Pyle, illustrated by Ron King
for 4th-8th grade
in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL)
Eyewitness Classics: King Arthur
by Rosalind Kerven
from DK Children
for 3rd-6th grade
Heroes Every Child Should Know
by H. W. Mabie
from Yesterday's Classics
Biography for 5th-8th grade
$15.95
Heroes Every Child Should Know
Every Child Should Know
by H. W. Mabie
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-8th grade
Heroes Every Child Should Know
by H. W. Mabie
from Living Book Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
$13.99
Howard Pyle King Arthur Series
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Joy of the Court
by Constance Hieatt, illustrated by Pauline D. Baynes
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
King Arthur
by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
$7.99
King Arthur and His Knights
by Maude Redford Warren
2nd edition from Yesterday's Classics
Arthurian Legends and Myths for
$11.95
King Arthur and His Knights
by Sir James Knowles, illustrated by Louis Rhead and other artists
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for 5th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Illustrated Junior Library Series 4
by Sir Thomas Malory, edited by Sidney Lanier and illustrated by Florian
from Grosset & Dunlap
British Fairy Tales/Prose Epic for 4th-8th grade
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Everyman's Library Children's Classics
by Roger Green
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade
$22.00
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Puffin Classics
by Roger Green
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 6th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Illustrated Junior Library Series 1
by Sir Thomas Malory, edited by Sidney Lanier and illustrated by Florian
from Grosset & Dunlap
British Fairy Tales/Prose Epic for 4th-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Sir Thomas Malory, edited by Sidney Lanier and illustrated by Florian
from Grosset & Dunlap
British Fairy Tales/Prose Epic for 4th-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Illustrated Junior Library Series 3
by Sir Thomas Malory, edited by Sidney Lanier and illustrated by Florian
from Grosset & Dunlap
British Fairy Tales/Prose Epic for 4th-8th grade
King Arthur and His Noble Knights
by Mary MacLeod, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
King Arthur and the Round Table
Dent & Dutton Children's Illustrated Classics
by A. M. Hadfield, illustrated by Donald Seton Cammell
from J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
King Arthur Trilogy
by Rosemary Sutcliff
for 5th-8th grade
Kitchen Knight
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
by Margaret Hodges
from Holiday House
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Knight of the Cart
by Constance Hieatt, illustrated by John Gretzer
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Knight of the Lion
by Constance Hieatt, illustrated by Joseph Low
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Knights of the Round Table
Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book
by Gwen Gross (adapter), illustrated by Norman Green
from Random House
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
Merlin and the Making of the King
by Margaret Hodges
4th Edition from Holiday House
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Minstrel Knight
by Constance Hieatt, illustrated by James Barkley
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
by Constance Hieatt, illustrated by Walter Lorraine
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Stories of King Arthur's Knights Told to the Children
by George MacDonald
from T.C. & E.C. Jack
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Story of King Arthur
by Children's Dover Thrift, Tom Crawford
from Dover Publications
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$1.50 (3 in stock)
Story of King Arthur
by Robin Lister, illustrated by Alan Baker
from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
Story of King Arthur and His Knights
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 1.
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10tth grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.95
Story of King Arthur and His Knights
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 1.
by Howard Pyle
from Barnes & Noble
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10tth grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 3.
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Story of the Champions of the Round Table
Howard Pyle's King Arthur series book 2
by Howard Pyle
from Dover Publications
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Sword and the Grail
by Constance Hieatt, illustrated by David Palladini
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Tales of King Arthur
by James Riordan, illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from Hamlyn
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Tales of King Arthur
from Armadillo Books
for 3rd-6th grade
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table
by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford
from Living Book Press
for 4th-8th grade
$8.99
Young Arthur
by Robert D. San Souci
from Yearling
for 1st-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)