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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Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

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American Tall Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales

Asian Myths & Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales

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	Adventures of Robin Hood Puffin Classics by Roger Green, illustrated by Arthur Hall from Puffin Books Legends and Folklore for 5th-9th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Aesop's Fables Puffin Classics by Aesop Reprint from Puffin Books Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Kindergarten-4th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	Aladdin and Other Favorite Arabian Nights Stories Dover Children's Thrift Classics by Philip Smith, editor from Dover Publications Eastern Fairy Tales for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $3.00 $2.00 (2 in stock)
	Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights Puffin Classics by N.J. Dawood, illustrated by William Harvey from Puffin Books Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99
	Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley First Paperback Edition, 2018 from Greenwillow Books Fantasy/Retold Fairy Tale for 5th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99
	Black Ships Before Troy The Story of the Iliad by Rosemary Sutcliff from Laurel-Leaf Books Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man by Robert McCloskey from Puffin Books Humorous Folk Tale for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth from Aladdin Paperbacks Eastern Fairy Tale for 3rd-6th grade 1931 Newbery Medal winner in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
	Fables by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade 1981 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Golden A Retelling of "Rapunzel" Once Upon a Time Series by Cameron Dokey from Simon Pulse for 6th-9th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.99
	Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman from Yearling Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
	Grimms' Fairy Tales Puffin Classics by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm from Puffin Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 4th-8th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales Puffin Classics by Hans Christian Andersen 3^rd edition from Puffin Books Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	Happy Prince and Other Stories Puffin Classics by Oscar Wilde from Puffin Books for 3rd-6th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $6.99
	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
	Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle Dover Children's Thrift Classics by Washington Irving from Dover Publications Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.00
	Lion and the Mouse Step into Reading Level 1 by Gail Herman from Random House for Preschool-kindergarten in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP) $4.99 $2.50 (7 in stock)
	Myths of the Norsemen Puffin Classics by Roger Lancelyn Green Reprint from Puffin Books for 5th-9th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Odyssey (retold) Puffin Classics by Geraldine McCaughrean retells Homer Puffin Classics from Puffin Books for 4th-6th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $6.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye from Puffin Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99
	Percy Jackson & The Olympians - Boxed Set by Rick Riordan from Disney-Hyperion for 4th-6th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $44.95
	Princess and Curdie Puffin Classics by George MacDonald from Puffin Books Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald from Canon Press Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $13.95
	Princess and the Goblin Puffin Classics by George MacDonald from Puffin Books Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99 $4.00 (9 in stock)
	Princess and the Goblin Puffin Classics by George MacDonald from Canon Press Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $13.95
	Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories Puffin Classics by Washington Irving from Puffin Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	Stories for Children by Isaac Bashevis Singer from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 1st-3rd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $17.99
	Sword and the Circle Arthurian Trilogy #1 by Rosemary Sutcliff from Puffin Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99
	Tale of Troy Puffin Classics by Roger Green from Puffin Books Greek Mythology for 6th-9th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Shakespeare Puffin Classics by Charles & Mary Lamb from Puffin Books Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Tales of Ancient Egypt Puffin Classics by Roger Green from Puffin Books Egyptian Mythology for 6th-9th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	Tales of the Greek Heroes Puffin Classics by Roger Green from Puffin Books Greek Mythology for 6th-9th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $8.99
	Tales of Uncle Remus The Adventures of Brer Rabbit Puffin Modern Classics by Julius Lester Reissue from Puffin Books for 3rd-7th grade in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF) $7.99
	Trojan Horse How the Greeks Won the War Step Into Reading Level 5 by Emily Little from Random House Greek Mythology for 2nd-4th grade in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP) $4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Wanderings of Odysseus The Story of the Odyssey by Rosemary Sutcliff from Laurel-Leaf Books Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.99
	White Stag Puffin Newbery Library by Kate Seredy from Puffin Books Heroic Legend for 4th-6th grade 1938 Newbery Medal winner in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $6.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Wonder Book: Heroes & Monsters of Greek Mythology by Nathaniel Hawthorne from Dover Publications Myths for 5th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $5.99

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