Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children

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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20 Items found Print
Active Filters: Asia, Used Books & Materials
Beautiful Blue Jay and Other Tales of India
by John W. Spellman, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
PF from Collier Books
for 4th-6th grade
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales
by Jacqueline Onassis, illustrated by Boris Zvorykin
from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Short Story Anthologies for Kids (Location: FIC-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
by Arthur Ransome, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
from Sunburst Book
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1969 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Grain of Rice
by Helena Clare Pittman
from Yearling
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-4th grade
$7.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
Little Humpbacked Horse
by Adapted by Elizabeth Winthrop, Illustrated by Alexander Koshkin
from Clarion Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Lon Po Po
by Ed Young
from PaperStar Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1990 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Magic Brush
by Robert B. Goodman & Robert A. Spicer (adapters), illustrated by Y. T. Mui, edited by Ruth Tabrah
from Island Heritage Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
One Grain of Rice
by Demi
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$21.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Prince Ivan and the Firebird
by Bernard Lodge
from Whispering Coyote Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Seven Chinese Brothers
by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Seven Chinese Brothers
by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Shen of the Sea
by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
from Dutton Juvenile
for 3rd-5th grade
1926 Newbery Medal
$17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Shen of the Sea
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)
Tale of Two Rice Birds
by Adapted by Clare Hodgson Meeker, Illustrated by Christine Lamb
from Sasquatch Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (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)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Tales of a Korean Grandmother
by Frances Carpenter
from Tuttle Publishing
Eastern Fairy Tales for 1st-6th grade
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Urashima and the Kingdom Beneath the Sea
by Ralph F. McCarthy
for 4th-6th grade
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Willow Pattern Story
by Allan Drummond
from North-South Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Yeh-Shen
by Ai-Ling Louie
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)