Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

Store Location

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.

Did you find this review helpful?

Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

Subcategories

American Tall Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales

Asian Myths & Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales

29 Items found Print

Active Filters:

Princess Stories,

Trade Paperback

	Adelita by Tomie DePaola Reprint from Puffin Books for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Beauty and the Beast by Jan Brett from Sandpiper Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Black as Night A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman 2^nd edition from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Cinderella by Marcia Brown (translator) from Aladdin Paperbacks Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1955 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 3rd-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.99
	Fairest by Gail Carson Levine Reprint from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99
	Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 1st-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99
	Fantasy Stories of George Macdonald - 4 Book Set Light Princess, Wise Woman, Gray Wolf, and Golden Key by George MacDonald, illustrated by Craig Yoe from Eerdmans Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	King Midas and the Golden Touch by Charlotte Craft, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft from HarperCollins for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	King's Equal by Katherine Paterson from HarperCollins Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	King's Equal by Katherine Paterson from HarperCollins Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.99
	Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo & Ruth Heller from HarperCollins for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Light Princess by George MacDonald, illustrated by Maurice Sendak from Sunburst Book Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.99
	Many Moons by James Thurber 2^nd edition from Harcourt Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00
	Midnight Dancers A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman 1^st edition from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Perrault's Fairy Tales by Charles Perrault, Gustave Dore from Dover Publications for 5th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $12.95
	Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo & Robert Florczak Reprint from HarperCollins for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen & Dorothee Duntze from North-South Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $7.95
	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)
	Shadow of the Bear Snow White & Rose Red Retold by Regina Doman 4^th edition from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Bess Livings from Laughing Elephant for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm by Brothers Grimm, translated by Randall Jarrell and illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert Sunburst Edition, 1987 from Square Fish Publishing for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1973 Caldecott Honor Book in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $9.99
	Twelve Dancing Princesses by Marianna Mayer from William Morrow & Company for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson Reprint from Crocodile Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.95
	Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Waking Rose A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for 7th-10th Grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	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)

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Connect