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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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

48 Items found Print

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Nursery (Ages 2-4)

	Adelita by Tomie DePaola Reprint from Puffin Books for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Adventures of Tom Thumb by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by K. Y. Craft First Edition from HarperCollins for Nursery-2nd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Adventures of Tom Thumb by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by K. Y. Craft First Edition from SeaStar Books for Nursery-2nd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Aesop's Fables by Aesop, edited by Ann McGovern from Scholastic Inc. for Nursery-2nd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $2.50 (3 in stock)
	Aesop's Fables Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 by Aesop, illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for Nursery-2nd grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
	Aesop's Fables by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Avenel Books for Nursery-2nd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Aesop's Fables by Aesop from Wordsworth Classics for Nursery-2nd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Bony-Legs by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Dirk Zimmer from Scholastic Inc. for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Cinderella by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Shirley Hughes from Henry Z. Walck, Inc. for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	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)
	Classic Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson from Greenwich Workshop Press for Nursery-2nd grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
	Cupid and Psyche by M. Charlotte Craft & K. Y. Craft from Morrow Junior Books for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.99
	Elves And The Shoemaker by John Cech, illustrated by Kirill Chelushkin from Sterling Publishing Co. for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Elves and the Shoemaker Tip-Top Elf Book by Illustrated by Manning De V. Lee from Rand McNally for Nursery-1st grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
	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)
	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)
	Frosty the Snow Man by Annie North Bedford from Golden Press for Nursery-1st grade in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
	Giant John by Arnold Lobel Weekly Reader Book Club Ed. from Harper & Row for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone from Clarion Books for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (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)
	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)
	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 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 Midas and the Golden Touch by Charlotte Craft, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft from William Morrow & Company for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Lavender's Blue by Kathleen Lines New from Oxford University for Nursery-3rd grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
	Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book Forty World Folktales Especially for Reading Aloud by Bob Hartman, Krisztina Kallai Nagy from Lion Publishing for Nursery-1st grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
	Mary Frances Knitting and Crocheting Book Or, Adventures Among the Knitting People by Jane Eayre Fryer from Lacis Publications in Purposeful Homemaking (Location: SS-HOM)
	Mary Frances Knitting and Crocheting Book Or, Adventures Among the Knitting People by Jane Eayre Fryer Reprint from Applewood Books in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
	Midsummer Night's Dream - A BabyLit Fairies Primer by Jennifer Adams Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith for Nursery-Preschool in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD) $11.99
	Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99
	Mother Goose by Arthur Rackham (illustrator) from Wordsworth Classics for Nursery-Kindergarten in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Mother Goose by Arthur Rackham (illustrator) from Weathervane Books for Nursery-Kindergarten in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $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)
	North Wind and the Sun by Jean de La Fontaine, illustrated by Brian Wildsmith 4th impression 1966 from Franklin Watts for Nursery-1st grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	One Grain of Rice by Demi from Scholastic Press for Nursery-Kindergarten in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $21.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Puss In Boots by Charles Perrault & Fred Marcelino from Square Fish Publishing for Nursery-2nd grade 1991 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.75
	Rapunzel by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by Sheilah Beckett from Golden Books for Nursery-1st grade in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
	Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng from Scholastic Inc. for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng from Scholastic Inc. for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Shoemaker and the Elves by The Brothers Grimm, translated by Wayne Andrews, illustrated by Adrienne Adams from Charles Scribner's Sons for Nursery-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki from Picture Book Studio for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Starry Tales by Geraldine McCaughrean, Sophy Williams (Illustrator) from Margaret K. McElderry Books Fairy Tales & Fables for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
	Three Bears by Paul Galdone from Sandpiper Books for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone from Sandpiper Books for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone from Clarion Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen from C. R. Gibson for Nursery-1st grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Walt Disney's Three Little Pigs by Adapted from the Disney movie by Milt Banta and Al Dempster from Western Publishing for Nursery-1st grade in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)

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