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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American Tall Tales

Andersen's Fairy Tales

Asian Myths & Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales

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	Aladdin by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by Pablo Ramirez from Bobbs-Merril Co for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	All About Story Book by Watty Piper (editor), illustrated by Symeon Shimin from Platt and Munk Publishers for 2nd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Cat and the Devil by James Joyce, illustrated by Richard Erdoes from E.M. Hale and Company for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $38.00 (1 in stock)
	Chinese Mythology: The Four Dragons from PowerKids Press for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Cinderella Everyman's Library Children's Classics by C. S. Evans, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 1st-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Contest by Nonny Hogrogian from Greenwillow Books Armenian Folktale for 1st-3rd grade 1977 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Crane Maiden by Miyoko Matsutani, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki from Parents Magazine Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Curious Critters by Patricia Lauber, illustrated by Don Madden from Garrard Publishing Company for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $36.00 (1 in stock)
	Emperor and the Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Bill Sokol from Pantheon Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Fairy Tales: The Brothers Grimm Everyman's Library Children's Classics by The Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 2nd-6th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $19.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Freedom's Fruit by William H. Hooks from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Leprechaun Tales by Kathleen Green; illustrated by Victoria De Larrea from J.B. Lippincott Co. for 4th-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Ma Lien and the Magic Brush by Hisako Kimishima, illustrated by Kei Wakana, retold by Alvin Tresselt from Parents Magazine Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Magic Beans A Follett JUST Beginning-to-Read Book by Margaret Hillert, illustrated by Mel Pekarsky from Follett Publishing Co. for Kindergarten-1st grade in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Master of all Masters by Marcia Sewall, illustrator from Little, Brown & Company for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	Ogre and His Bride by Nami Kishi, retold by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Shosuke Fukuda from Parents Magazine Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Ol' Paul the Mighty Logger by Glen Rounds from Holiday House for 2nd-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Our Lady of Guadalupe by Helen Rand Parish, illustrated by Jean Charlot 1964 Printing from Viking Press for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Pegasus by Marianna Mayer & K. Y. Craft 1st ed from Morrow Eagle for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $12.00 (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)
	Shoemaker and the Elves by The Brothers Grimm, translated by Wayne Andrews, illustrated by Adrienne Adams from Charles Scribner's Sons for Nursery-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Straw Ox and other tales by Fan Kissen from Houghton Mifflin for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Swamp Angel (Library rebind) by Anne Isaacs Library Binding from Dutton Children's Books for 2nd-4th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Theseus and the Minotaur by Leonard Everett Fisher from Holiday House for 3rd-5th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Wizards and Witches by Frances Wilkins, illustrated by Fritz Wegner from E.M. Hale and Company for 2nd-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Yellow Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, editor from McGraw-Hill Fairy Tales for 3rd-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $38.00 (1 in stock)

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