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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	Adelita by Tomie DePaola Reprint from Puffin Books for Nursery-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	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 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
	Beauty and the Beast by Jan Brett from Sandpiper Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	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 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)
	Cinderella Everyman's Library Children's Classics by C. S. Evans, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 1st-4th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $15.95
	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
	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 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 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
	Light Princess by George MacDonald, illustrated by Ned Bustard from Rabbit Room Press Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $18.00
	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
	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
	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 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 Living Book Press Fantasy for 6th-10th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.99
	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 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 Goblin by George MacDonald from Living Book Press Fantasy for 5th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.99
	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
	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 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
	Sleeping Beauty & Cinderella by C. S. Evans, illustrated by Arthur Rackham 100th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press for 1st-4th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $7.95
	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 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
	Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber from Penguin Press for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $15.00
	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)
	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)

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