Guest Post:
Photo credit: PeopleImages, iStock/Getty Images Plus
Why Kids Say They Love Fairy Tales
by Kari Ness Riedel
(readbrightly.com)
Kari Ness Riedel is a mom of two boys, and the founder of Bookopolis.com, an online community made especially for 7- to 12-year-old readers to share reviews of their favorite books with friends and help them find new ones. It’s like Goodreads for kids with built in tools for educators and parents. Kari believes that there’s a perfect book for every kid. If you need help matching your kid with the right book, contact her on Twitter @bookopolis or at kari@bookopolis.com
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Almost any young person can tell you the basic plot of Cinderella or Hansel & Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood. What is it about this genre of stories that make them so memorable and so loved by kids and adults?
In talking with young people about why they love of fairy tales, their responses are quite consistent. These stories draw them in, transport them to another place, and make them feel something — fear, happiness, worry, or excitement to name a few. They speak to universal themes of good versus evil and moral values like hard work and kindness. This makes sense as these tales were often passed down as oral traditions, so they must be captivating and relatable enough that people want to hear them again and again and memorize them to tell their own friends and family.
What Kids Say About Fairy Tales
Michael, 7, speaks for many kids when he says, “The magic is my favorite part about reading fairy tales.” Witches and warlocks, good fairies and evil trolls, characters who can transform into something more beautiful or an entirely new shape inspire active imaginations and make kids feel like anything is possible. Zoe, 9, loves the adventures in fairy tales. “Reading them lets me escape from the real world.“ Isabella, 8, seconds that saying, “I can use my imagination when I read these and visit places I could never really go.”
Some like, Riley, 7, and Rowan, 9, rank “romance” high for why they like the stories while for siblings, Raymond and Rose of Sharon, both 4, the more “twisted and bizarre” the better. Cecilia, 7, likes reading different versions of the same story from different cultures and “seeing the same things and the new things that show up” in each version.
What Educators Say About Fairy Tales
Educators also love sharing fairy tales with kids to strengthen their reading comprehension and writing skills. Kristen, a second grade teacher likes to use these stories to introduce the topic of perspective. “We read The Three Little Pigs and then another story from the Big Bad Wolf’s perspective. They loved it!” Jenni, a fifth grade teacher, uses fractured fairy tales like The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka to kick off a creative writing unit with her students. “Reading a book like this opens up a new world to them as writers. Knowing that it’s okay to take a familiar storyline and riff off of it gets their creative writing juices flowing.”
Favorite Fairy Tales and the Disney Factor
When asked to pick their favorite fairy tales, the answers ranged from classics to modern twists to Disney’s versions. Kyra, 12, appreciates the depth and complexity of classic fairy tales. “They help me think about real life problems and give me hope” and Abby, 12, “loves the original, dark tales like the Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales.” Jack, 12, loves books like A Tale Dark and Grimm where “the tales take a twist and who you thought was bad becomes good.” For older tweens and teens, series like The Selection and The Lunar Chronicles take familiar tropes and characters and give them a modern and mature feel that these readers adore.
While many kids first get introduced to these stories through Disney books and movies, the “Disneyfication” of fairy tales is not for everyone. “The Disney versions are way too cheesy and wrap it all up with a ‘happily ever after’ formulaic ending. I prefer the modern takes on the fairy tales like The Land of Stories where things are more complicated,” shares Nicole, 12. Others, like Mezzie, 12, like the ‘happily ever after’ ending and find it “comforting and optimistic.” I was glad to learn that the kids I spoke with do not think that the Prince must come in to deliver the happy ending. They know that the Princess is just as likely to be the hero of the story.
Magic, adventure, a quest with twists and turns, and a dash of romance are tried and true foundations of any good book. Fairy tales offer all of these elements with the added comfort of familiarity. Kids first learn the rhythm of these stories through being read to as toddlers and pre-readers. Then, they experience joy and contentment as they re-discover the same beloved story arcs and the related roller coaster of emotions in everything from chapter books through the latest young adult bestsellers. They are stories that progress with them through the years, building reading memories along the way.
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List of Wonderful Fairy Tales Picture Books for Children
( imaginationsoup.net)
The Princess and the Giant by Caryl Hart, illustrated by Sarah Warburton
The princess Sophie lives next to a magic bean stalk with a VERY noisy giant who is so loud he keeps Sophie awake all night. So, brave Sophie determines to figure out giants and how to help the giant and fix the problem. Sophie’s a great problem solver and befriends the lonely giant!
B.Bear and Lolly Catch That Cookie! by A.A. Livingston, illustrated by Joey Chou
Best friends, B. Bear and Lolly, are having trouble with their Porridge Perfector invention when the Gingerbread Man made things worse by tipping it over and running away. So Lolly and B. Bear decide to catch the Gingerbread Man themselves. I love this charming adventure.
Little Cinderella is a cutie pie who speaks in baby talk and throws tantrums. Her fairy godmother helps her get dressed for the dance. This little Cinderella wears her favorite blue dress and yellow boots (“yello”) and goes on her big blue scooter. A charming new telling of this familiar fairy tale!
In this wonderfully illustrated story, Cinderella Ugly is just as bad as her step-sisters Ugly except for the littlest one, Gertie. The Ugly family sends Gertie to the Wicked Queen, the Worst Witch, and the Big Bad Wolf to learn how to be bad. It doesn’t work. And, in another surprise twist, you’ll never guess who goes to the ball with Gertie!!
Beautiful illustrations and evocative descriptions capture the original classic fairy tale stories, each Gorjuss shares with us: Little Red, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Alice, Thumbelina, and Rapunzel. She comments before each story and reflects after each. Here’s what she says after The Little Mermaid: “Sorry and pain are truly horrible, but they reveal depths inside us that we might not have seen before . . the little mermaid has shown a strength that is boundless.” I LOVE this book! It gives these familiar stories a fresh new spark.
It might be a stretch to call this a fairy tale but it’s a wonderful adventure story with a king and queen so . . . The kingdom is invaded and the red-pajama clad prince kidnapped. But, he escapes and the wonderful citizens of his country help him evade the kidnappers, even dressing in red pajamas to camouflage him. A wonderful story about the kindness of other humans.
Who’s the Grossest of Them All? Which Fairy-Tale Character Will Win? by Susan McElroy Montanari, illustrated by Jake Parker
Goblin sets off through the forest so others can fully appreciate his horribleness. But when he comes to Troll’s bridge, Troll insists that HE is the most horrible creature in the forest. They decide to ask someone else to judge and ask several villagers including Little Red Riding Hood. Who, as it turns out, is grosser than either Goblin or Troll. (Because boogers–eew!)
This book includes Hamlet, Don Quixote, Frankenstein, and A Thousand and One Nights. Each story has been shortened into a poem and paired with bright illustrations. It’s a quick and simple introduction to each, hopefully that will prompt further interest in the original stories later on.
Once upon a time, a boy named Gideon wants to be a hero. He uses the fairy tales he knows to figure out how and determines that it’s all about being at the right place at the right time. So he pays attention. Or at least he thinks he does. We, the readers, can tell from the illustrations that Gideon is missing a great adventure. Or is he?
Start with Little Red Riding hood and continue on to Pinocchio, each two page spread asks you to search and find fairy tale items in the cheerful illustrations. These were always a hit with my kids when they were younger.
Fairy Felicity’s Moonlight Adventure by Alison Murray
Sweet, purple-toned illustrations show Fairy Felicity as she follow snail’s raised, sparkly trail through the night garden, the green house, the orchard, the pond, until she finally reaches her surprise birthday party with all her friends. Kids can use their fingers to follow the snail’s trail with Felicity, too.
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My your weekend be filled with 💫🌟💫awe, wonder and magic💫🌟💫! Fairy tales do come true. May yours be one of the stories with a happily-ever-after ending! Enjoying a long weekend here and the weather is going to be super! You enjoy yours too and come back and join me next week as I unwrap more fabulous books to share with your little ones. Books bind us together. Happy reading everyone!
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