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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Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Fiction by Genre

Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

Subcategories

Aesop's Fables

American Tall Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales & Stories

Asian Myths & Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales

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	Annotated Hans Christian Andersen by Hans Christian Andersen from W. W. Norton and Co. for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Barefoot Book of Buddhist Tales by Sherab Chodzin & Alexandra Kohn (retellers), illustrated by Marie Cameron from Barefoot Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Big Quiet House A Yiddish Folktale From Eastern Europe by Heather Forest, illustrated by Susan Greenstein from August House for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.61
	Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Chief Seattle, illustrated by Susan Jeffers from Puffin Books for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $8.99
	Coyote Places the Stars from Aladdin Paperbacks for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Elves and the Shoemaker by Freya Littledale, Illustrated by Brinton Turkle from Scholastic Inc. for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $1.60 (1 in stock)
	Eric Carle's Treasury of Classic Stories for Children by Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, retold & illustrated by Eric Carle from Scholastic Inc. for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Fa Mulan The Story of a Woman Warrior by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jean & Mou-Sien Tseng from Hyperion Books for Children for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Iliad (retold) Kingfisher Epics by Nick McCarty, Victor G. Ambrus from Kingfisher for 4th-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Johnny Appleseed My Story A Step into Reading Book Level 3 by David L. Harrison, Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka from Random House for 1st-3rd grade in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
	King Solomon and the Bee by Dalia Hardof Renberg (adapter), illustrated by Ruth Heller PJ Library from Crocodile Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.80 (1 in stock)
	Legend of the Loon by Kathy-jo Wargin, illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen from Sleeping Bear Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Medieval Tales that Kids can Read & Tell by Lorna MacDonald Czarnota from August House for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Paul and the Wolf by Margo Lemieux, Illustrated by Bill Nelson from Silver Press for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Pecos Bill, Colossal Cowboy by Sean Tulien, Illustrated by Lisa Weber from Stone Arch Books for 1st-6th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
	People Could Fly American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Pepper and Salt or Seasoning for Young Folk by Howard Pyle from Dover Publications for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Prince Ivan and the Firebird by Bernard Lodge from Whispering Coyote Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Princess Who Lost Her Hair An Akamba Legend by Tololwa M. Mollel, illustrated by Charles Reasoner from Troll Associates for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Puss In Boots by John Cech (reteller), illustrated by Bernhard Oberdieck from Sterling Publishing Co. for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Rabbit's Snow Dance A Traditional Iroquois Story Dolly Parton's Imagination Library by James and Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Jeff Newman from Dial Books for Young Readers for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Robin Hood The legendary outlaw and hero–his stories and history Dorling Kindersley Classics by Neil Philip, illustrated by Nick Harris 2000 Paperback from DK Publishing for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Salmon's Journey and More Northwest Coast Stories Learning from Nature and the World Around Us by Robert James Challenger from Heritage House Publishing Company for 1st-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Stories From the Billabong by James Vance Marshall, illustrated by Francis Firebrace from Frances Lincoln for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Story of King Arthur by Robin Lister, illustrated by Alan Baker from Kingfisher for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Tales from the Mabinogion by Gwyn Thomas and Kevin Crossley-Holland from Overlook Press for 4th-Adult in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Three Bears by Frances Brundage (illustrator) from Green Tiger Press for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $3.60 (1 in stock)
	Turquoise Boy A Navajo Legend Native American Legends by Terri Cohlene (adapter), illustrated by Charles Reasoner 2002 Reprint from Watermill Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.40 (1 in stock)
	Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends by Rodney Matthews from Usborne for 3rd-6th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	You Read to Me, I'll Read to You (Fairy Tales) Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman, Illustrated by Michael Emberley from Scholastic Inc. for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE) $3.20 (1 in stock)

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