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

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Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

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Aesop's Fables

American Tall Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales & Stories

Asian Myths & Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales

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9th grade (Ages 14-15),

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	Alex O'Donnell and the 40 CyberThieves by Regina Doman from Chesterton Press for 7th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Anpao An American Indian Odyssey by Jamake Highwater from HarperCollins for 5th-9th grade 1978 Newbery Honor Book in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.99
	Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye from Laurel-Leaf Books for 6th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $5.99
	Black as Night A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman 2^nd edition from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Complete Fairy Tales Penguin Classics by George MacDonald from Penguin Classics Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $17.00
	Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Jack Zipes 3^rd edition from Bantam Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $25.00
	Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm from Bantam Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $8.50 (1 in stock)
	Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm, Josef Scharl from Pantheon Books for 9th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Fantasy Stories of George Macdonald - 4 Book Set Light Princess, Wise Woman, Gray Wolf, and Golden Key by George MacDonald, illustrated by Craig Yoe from Eerdmans Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Favorite Folktales from Around the World by Jane Yolen from Pantheon Books for 4th-Adult in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters Heroines in Folktales from Around the World by Kathleen Ragan, Foreword by Jane Yolen from W. W. Norton and Co. for 5th-Adult in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $16.95
	Gifts of the Child Christ - 2 Volume Set Fairy Tales and Stories for the Childlike by George MacDonald from Eerdmans for 5th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Gray Wolf and Other Stories by George MacDonald 2nd THUS from Eerdmans for 7th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $17.00
	Gray Wolf and Other Stories by George MacDonald from Eerdmans for 7th-12th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen from Penguin Classics for 5th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Hans Christian Andersen: The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Translated by Erik Christian Haugaard 1983 Anchor Books Edition from Anchor Books for 2nd-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $27.00
	Midnight Dancers A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman 1^st edition from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Miracle On 34th Street by Valentine Davies from Clarion Books Realistic Fairy Tale for 6th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99
	Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and Sagas by H.A. Guerber from Dover Publications for 6th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $14.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library from Pantheon Books for 7th-10th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Odyssey (retold) by Robin Lister & Alan Baker from Kingfisher for 7th-9th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	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
	Shadow of the Bear Snow White & Rose Red Retold by Regina Doman 4^th edition from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield X from Sandpiper Books for 7th-12th grade in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
	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 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)
	Tale of the Cid: and Other Stories of Knights and Chivalry by Andrew Lang from Dover Publications for 6th-Adult in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Tristan and Iseult by Rosemary Sutcliff from Sunburst Book Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $15.99
	Tristan and Iseult by Rosemary Sutcliff from E.P. Dutton & Co. Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 7th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
	Waking Rose A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman from Chesterton Press Modern Fairy Tale for 7th-10th Grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)

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