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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	Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by written by Marianna Mayer, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft First Edition from HarperCollins for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Beauty and the Beast by M. Charlotte Craft, K. Y. Craft from HarperCollins for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.99
	Cinderella by K. Y. Craft from Chronicle Books for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Cinderella by David Delamare from Simon and Schuster for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Cinderella by Paul Galdone Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Cinderella Calla Editions by C. S. Evans, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Dover Publications for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Cinderella and Other Tales from Perrault by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Michael Hague from Henry Holt and Company for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Ella Enchanted - Special Read-Aloud Edition by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 3rd-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Grimms' Fairy Tales The Classic Edition by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Don Daily from Applesauce Press for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.95
	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)
	Light Princess by George MacDonald, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop from Macmillan Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Light Princess by George MacDonald, illustrated by Arthur Hughes from Barefoot Books Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Light Princess by George MacDonald, illustrated by William Pene du Bois from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Light Princess by George MacDonald, illustrated by Maud Humphrey from G.P. Putnam's Sons Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Light Princess (adapted) by George MacDonald, adapted by Robin McKinley and illustrated by Katie Thamer Treherne from Harcourt Children's Books Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Princess and the Goblin Everyman Library by George MacDonald from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.00
	Princess and the Kiss A Story of God's Gift of Purity by Jennie Bishop from Warner Press Allegories and Moral Stories for 2nd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $12.99
	Princess and the Kiss with Audio CD A Story of God's Gift of Purity by Jennie Bishop, Illustrated by Preston McDaniels from Warner Press Allegories and Moral Stories for 2nd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Princess Stories A Classic Illustrated Ed, from Chronicle Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Rose & the Ring Or, History of Prince Giglio and Prince Bulbo by William Makepeace Thackeray from Heritage Press for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Sleeping Beauty by K. Y. Craft from Chronicle Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales Calla Editions by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch from Dover Publications for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, illustrated by Edmund Dulac from Hodder & Stoughton for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Snow Princess by Ruth Sanderson from Crocodile Books for Preschool-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.95
	Snow White by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Charles Santore from Sterling Publishing Co. for Kindergarten-4th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $16.95
	Snow White by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Charles Santore from Random House for Kindergarten-4th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
	Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs by Wanda Gag from University of Minnesota for Preschool-2nd grade 1939 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs by Wanda Gag from Smithmark Publishers for Preschool-2nd grade 1939 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber from New York Review of Books for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber from Penguin Press for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $15.00
	Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other FairyTales Calla Editions by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch from Dover Publications for 4th-9th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)

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