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

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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 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Arthur the Always King by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illustrated by Chris Riddell from Candlewick Press for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $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 in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Heroes Every Child Should Know by H. W. Mabie from Yesterday's Classics Biography for 5th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $15.95
	Heroes Every Child Should Know by H. W. Mabie from Living Book Press Biography for 5th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $15.95
	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 Tales from the Round Table by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H.J. Ford from Dover Publications for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $5.99
	King Arthur and His Knights by Maude Redford Warren 2^nd edition from Yesterday's Classics Arthurian Legends and Myths for in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $11.95
	King Arthur and His Knights based on Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Mallory 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 Sydney Lanier, Thomas Malory from Grosset & Dunlap British Fairy Tales/Prose Epic for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $12.50 (1 in stock)
	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 in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $17.95
	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 Sydney Lanier, Thomas Malory 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 Sydney Lanier, Thomas Malory 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 Sydney Lanier, Thomas Malory from Grosset & Dunlap British Fairy Tales/Prose Epic for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	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 in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Kitchen Knight A Tale of King Arthur 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 A Tale of King Arthur 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 in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	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 in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	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 in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $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 in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)

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