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

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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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5th grade (Ages 10-11),

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Used Books & Materials

	Aesop's Fables (Stories for Young Children) by Aesop, retold by Anna Milbourne and illustrated by Linda Edwards from Usborne for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	All Jahdu Storybook by Virginia Hamilton; illustrated by Barry Moser from Harcourt Brace Jovanich for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	American Folklore and Legend by Robert Dolezal from Reader's Digest for 3rd-6th grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	American Indian Tales and Legends by Vladimir Hulpach, illustrated by Miloslav Troup from Paul Hamlyn for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Atlantic Treasury of Childhood Stories by Mary D. Huchinson Hodgkins (selector and editor), illustrated by Beatrice Stevens from Atlantic Monthly Press for 1st-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.80 (1 in stock)
	Babar the King / Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jean de Brunhoff (Babar); Rose Dobbs (reteller, Grimm), Illustrated by Gertrude Elliott Espensheid from Random House for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Bag of Moonshine by Alan Garner, illustrated by P. J. Lynch from Delacorte Press for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Beautiful Blue Jay and Other Tales of India by John W. Spellman, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney 1^st edition from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Beowulf (retold) by Michael Morpurgo from Candlewick Press for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Big Book of Fables Favorite Stories From Around the World by Walter Jerrold (editor), illustrated by Charles Robinson and Jane Harvey from Portland House for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Black Heart of Indri by Dorothy Hoge; illustrated by Janina Domanska from Charles Scribner's Sons for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Celtic Fairy Tales by Neil Philip, illustrated by Isabelle Brent from Viking Press for 3rd-8th grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths by Padraic Colum, illustrated by Willy Pogany from Macmillan Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $32.00 (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) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen as told by Various Authors from Harcourt, Brace & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Every Common Bush A Book of Flower Legends for Children by Hilary C. J. Boyle, illustrated by Caryll Houselander from Sheed & Ward for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.60 (1 in stock)
	Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Edited by Signe Toksvig, Illustrated by George and Doris Hauman from Macmillan for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Kay Nielsen from Viking Press for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Faun and the Woodcutter's Daughter by Barbara Leonie Picard, illustrated by Charles Stewart from Criterion Books for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Favourite Tales from Grimm and Andersen by Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Jirí Trnka 1983 Printing from Paul Hamlyn for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $14.40 (1 in stock)
	Folk Tales and Fables of the World by Barbara Hayes, illustrated by Robert Ingpen First Edition from Portland House for 1st-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.60 (1 in stock)
	Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean from Eerdmans for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $17.00 $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Golden Book of Fairy Tales by Translated by Marie Ponsot, Illustrated by Adrienne Segur from Golden Books for 2nd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Gypsy Story Teller by Cora Morris, illustrated by Frank Dobias from Junior Literary Guild for Kindergarten-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Higglety Pigglety Pop! or, There Must Be More to Life by Maurice Sendak from Harper & Row for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	I Saw Esau The Schoolchild's Pocket Book by Iona & Peter Opie First U.S. Edition from Candlewick Press for 2nd-6th grade in Poetry (Location: POET-GEN) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Images of God by John and Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Alexander Koshkin 1^st edition from Clarion Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	In A Circle Long Ago by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by Lisa Desimini from Apple Soup Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	In the Beginning Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton, Illustrated by Barry Moser from Harcourt Brace Jovanich for 3rd-8th grade 1989 Newbery Honor Book in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $11.20 (1 in stock)
	It's Perfectly True and Other Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by Paul Leyssac and illustrated by Richard Bennett from Harcourt, Brace & World for 5th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt First Edition (first thus) from MDC Books for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	King and the Green Angelica by Isabel Wyatt and Joan Rudel from Lanthorn Press for 1st-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Land of the Long White Cloud Maori Myths, Tales and Legends by Kiri Te Kanawa, illustrated by Michael Foreman from Pavilion Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Legends of Paul Bunyan by Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht, illustrated by Kurt Werth from Crowell-Collier for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $11.20 (1 in stock)
	Legends of the United Nations by Frances Frost, illustrated by Karl M. Shultheiss from Whittlesey House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.40 (1 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1^st edition from Harcourt for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Mr. Yowder and the Train Robbers by Glen Rounds from Holiday House for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe 1^st edition from Amistad Press for 2nd-5th grade 1988 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Myths Every Child Should Know Junior Deluxe Editions by Hamilton Wright Mabie, illustrated by Colleen Browning from Junior Deluxe Editions for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen; retold by Stephen Mitchell and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline from Candlewick Press for 2nd-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Odin's Family Myths of the Vikings by Neil Philip, illustrated by Maryclare Foa from Orchard Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Old Stories from Denmark from Kaj Elle-Ebeltoft for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	People Could Fly American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton 1^st edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Read Me Another Fairy Tale by Andrew Lang, illustrated by Wallace Tripp from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-5th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Robin Hood by Jane Carruth, Illustrated by Chris Higham from Award Publications, Limited for 3rd-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Robin Hood The Prince of Outlaws by Carola Oman, illustrated by S. Van Abbé 1984 Reprint from J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. for 5th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Round About and Long Ago Tales from the English Counties by Eileen Colwell (reteller), illustrated by Anthony Colbert from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor by John Yeoman (reteller), illustrated by Quentin Blake from Margaret K. McElderry Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Shadow by Marcia Brown from Charles Scribner's Sons Fairy Tales & Fables for 3rd-5th 1983 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Shen of the Sea Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, illustrated by Else Hasselriis from E.P. Dutton & Co. for 3rd-5th grade 1926 Newbery Medal in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Silver Nightingale and Other Stories by Ruth Gipson Plowhead, illustrated by Agnes Randall Moore from Caxton Press for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.80 (1 in stock)
	Song of Paul Bunyan and Tony Beaver by Ennis Rees from Pantheon Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Stories For Young People: Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Louise & Aylmer Maude, edited by Donna Tussing Orwin, and illustrated by Herve Blondon from Sterling Publishing Co. for 4th-12th grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Stories From Shakespeare Six Dramatic Tales Retold for Children by Nicola Baxter, illustrated by Jenny Thorne from Armadillo Books for 3rd-6th grade in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Stories of Wizards by Gillian Doherty, illustrated by Linda Edwards from Usborne for 3rd-6th grade in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Swallowing the Golden Stone Stories and Essays by Walter Wangerin, Jr. 1st Ed. from Augsburg Fortress for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Tale of Three Wishes by Isaac Bashevis Singer; illustrated by Irene Lieblich from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 2nd-5th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Indian Classics Book III by Savitri (reteller), illustrated by Sukumar Chatterjee from Children's Book Press for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger 1971 printing from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade 1925 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Tales of King Arthur by Daniel and Ronne Randall from Armadillo Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Tales Told in Holland by Olive Beaupre Miller, Illustrated by Maud & Miska Petersham from Book House for Children for 1st-6th grade in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH) $14.40 (2 in stock)
	Tatterhood and the Hobgoblins by Lauren Mills from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	The Adventures of Robin Hood (abridged) The Classic Tale by J. Walker McSpadden, Abridged by Christopher Stella, Illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt from Courage Books for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Through Golden Windows Volume 1: Mostly Magic by Jeanne Hale editor, et. al. from Grolier Publishing for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Treasury of Greek Mythology Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, & Monsters by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Christina Balit from National Geographic for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $7.20 (1 in stock)
	Urashima and the Kingdom Beneath the Sea by Ralph F. McCarthy from Kodansha for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Young Folk's Book of Epic Heroes by Amy Cruse from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $36.00 (1 in stock)
	Young Oxford Book of Folk Tales by Kevin Crossley-Holland from Oxford University for 4th grade-adult in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer; illustrated by Maurice Sendak from Harper & Row for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.60 (1 in stock)

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