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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Used Books & Materials

	American Tall Tales by Adrien Stoutenberg from Puffin Books for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Andersen's Fairy Tales Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 Paperback by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Arthur Szyk from Grosset & Dunlap Fairy Tales for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum by Ashley Bryan from Aladdin Paperbacks Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.99 $5.50 (4 in stock)
	Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth PF from Collier Books for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Children's Homer Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy by Padraic Colum & Willy Pogany from Aladdin Paperbacks Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $10.99 $6.00 (6 in stock)
	Children's Homer Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy by Padraic Colum from Simon and Schuster Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Cow-Tail Switch And Other West African Stories by Harold Courlander, George Herzog Reissue from Square Fish Publishing for 5th-7th grade 1948 Newbery Honor Book in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $17.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
	D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire from Yearling Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $19.99 $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Dance Me a Story Twelve Tales from the Classic Ballets by Jane Rosenberg from Thames and Hudson for 3rd-8th grade in Dance (Location: ELE-DANCE) $12.00 (3 in stock)
	Deirdre A Celtic Legend by David Guard; illustrated by Gretchen Guard 2^nd edition from Celestial Arts for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Favorite Greek Myths by Bob Blaisdell from Dover Publications for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $2.50 (2 in stock)
	Goddesses, Heroes and Shamans The Young People's Guide to World Mythology by David Bellingham from Kingfisher for 4th-6th grade in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Golden Fleece And the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padraic Colum & Willy Pogany from Aladdin Paperbacks Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade 1922 Newbery Honor Book in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $10.99 $6.00 (3 in stock)
	In the Beginning Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton, Illustrated by Barry Moser from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-8th grade 1989 Newbery Honor Book in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $20.00 $11.00 (1 in stock)
	Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling from Dover Publications for 1st-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $4.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Joseph M. Gleeson from Book-of-the-Month Club Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	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)
	Rowan Hood Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Shakespeare Stories II by Leon Garfield 1st American Ed from HMH Books for Young Readers for 4th-8th grade in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Sweet and Sour Tales from China from HMH Books for Young Readers in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH) $8.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Tales of Robin Hood by Tony Allan, illustrated by Ron Tiner from Usborne for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Tatterhood and Other Tales by Ethel Johnston Phelps (editor), illustrated by Pamela Baldwin Ford from Feminist Press for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Edouard Sandoz from Houghton Mifflin Mythology for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Edouard Sandoz from Houghton Mifflin Mythology for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine from HarperCollins for 4th-7th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends by Rodney Matthews from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Wise Words by Peter Leithart from GCB Publishing Group for 3rd-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Yu the Great Conquering the Flood A Chinese Legend by Paul D. Storrie from Graphic Universe for 3rd-6th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer from HarperCollins for 3rd-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)

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