Fairy tales for children
Fairy tales have been captivating kids for centuries, mixing bits of myth, magic, and mischief into stories about courage, kindness, and cleverness. Talking animals, witches, and tricksters aren’t just there for fun – they help children make sense of big ideas in ways that feel simple and safe. These tales spark imagination, stretch empathy, and sneak in life lessons about fairness and grit. Plus, they connect young readers to generations of storytelling magic. This list features books by Robert Sabuda, Rachel Isadora, Jan Brett, Jon Scieszka, Eric A. Kimmel, John Steptoe, Susan Middleton Elya, Emily Winfield Martin, Josh Funk, and Susan Verde.
Fairy tales for children – our recommendations
Beauty & the Beast by Robert Sabuda. 
Rapunzel by Rachel Isadora. 
All at Once Upon a Time by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Gladys Jose. 
Boo Stew by Donna L. Washington, illustrated by Jeremy Ebbeler 
Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith. 
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall. 
Little Red Hot by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith. 
Cinders by Jan Brett. 
Jack and the Beanstalk by Carly Gledhill. 
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith. 
The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith. 
Into the Goblin Market by Vikki VanSickle, illustrated by Jensine Eckwall. 
Tallulah the Tooth Fairy CEO by Tamara Pizzoli, illustrated by Frederico Fabiani. 
Little Red by Bethan Woollvin. 
Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim, illustrated by Grace Zong. 
La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated bu Juana Martinez-Neal. 
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe. 
Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin. 
CROWNED by Kahran Bethencourt and Regis Bethencourt. 
The Girl and the Wolf by Katherena Vermette, illustrated by Julie Flett. 
The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Dan Santat. 
Reading Beauty by Deborah Underwood, illustrated Meg Hunt. 
The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra by Marc Tyler Nobleman, illustrated by Ana Aranda. 
The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin, illustrated by David Shannon. 
Look Out, Wolf! There’s a Beast in Your Book by Jude Evans, illustrated by Lucy Semple. 
Tortoise and Hare by Susan Verde, illustrated by Jay Fleck . 
It’s Not Hansel and Gretel by Josh Funk, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor. Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this fairy tale book list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page which makes this process easy.
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Fairy tales for children – resources for teachers
- PBS LearningMedia – “Understanding Fairy Tales: Old & New” A curated collection (video, interactives, lesson ideas) to compare classic tales with modern retellings and guide discussion on motifs, structure, and theme.
- SurLaLune Fairy Tales – Annotated “Jack and the Beanstalk” Line-by-line annotations, tale variants, motif notes, and discussion prompts you can lift into close-reading or compare/contrast activities.
- Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books (MythFolklore) Classroom-friendly transcriptions of Lang’s coloured fairy books, organised by volume and tale – useful for text evidence work, vocabulary, and adaptations.
- ReadWriteThink – “The Big Bad Wolf: Analysing Point of View” A complete lesson to interrogate narrator bias using fractured fairy tales; includes handouts, objectives, and assessment ideas.
- PBS LearningMedia – Fairy Tales Collection Searchable clips and lesson supports across multiple tales (Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood) for structure, character, and theme mini-lessons.
- SurLaLune Fairy Tales – Main Index Gateway to annotated texts, tale type lists, motif essays, and bibliographies – handy for research tasks, comparison charts, and author-study extensions.
BISAC JUV012030 – JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore | Thema YFJB
