Fun with Fables and Fairy Tales

Growing up, one of my favorite books to pull from the shelves was an encyclopedia sized hard-cover titled, “A Treasury of Fairy Tales: Classic Bedtime Stories”. The pages held a collection of timeless tales like Cinderella at the Ball, Hansel and Gretel, and Rumpelstiltskin. I remember noticing the differences between the story of Cinderella that I read in the book and the popular Disney adaptation. The vivid illustrations captivated my attention and always brought me back.

Why are Fables and Fairy Tales still so important for early literacy?

Fables and Fairy Tales are both short stories that are typically passed down through generations orally or in written form. They both can be altered to reference the present and relate to the audience, and the audience is usually children. Today, we have many movies released that creatively alter the typical fairy tales we know like Snow White and Cinderella in order to connect with audiences and the times. Finally, both fables and fairy tales convey a moral or ethical lesson.

In terms of differences, fables feature anthropomorphic animals (animals with human characteristics, specifically faults) as main characters. The story provides an overarching lesson to be learned, and the ending does not always have to end well. In fairy tales, there are usually characters that have magical powers or abilities like mermaids, unicorns, or witches. The story usually starts with ‘Once upon a time’ and ends with ‘happily ever after’. Aesop is our go-to for fables and Hans Christian Andersen is famous for writing our most popular fairy tales.

Here are some well-known fables and fairy tales:

Fables

• The Three Little Pigs

• The Boy Who Cried Wolf

• The Lion and The Mouse

• The Tortoise and The Hare

• The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg

Fairy Tales

• The Princess and The Pea

• Little Red Riding Hood

• Jack and the Beanstalk

• Rapunzel

• Goldilocks and The Three Bears

I grew up reading and listening to these stories, and my parents and grandparents did too. Different cultures from around the world have their own traditional fables and fairy tales. In Mexico, children grow up listening to stories about La Llorona (the crying woman) and El Cuco/El Coco (The Boogeyman). Both of these stories are spooky and scary, but are meant to teach children to behave and mind their parents. Fables and fairy tales are found throughout history and around the world. They are a strong connection in the fabric of human nature. But why?

Fables and fairy tales are important for many reasons and contribute to early literacy in young readers.

1. They help shape cultural behaviors and traditions throughout society.

2. They teach us about our cultural heritage, history, and ancestry. They help us understand what our ancestors wanted and why they did certain things.

3. They bind humanity. The various fables and fairy tales across the globe are relatable in their moral of the story.

4. They introduce the basic structure of storytelling to young readers. The beginning of a story introduces main characters and setting, the middle of the story provides the rising action, problem, and climax, and the end of the story gives the conclusion and resolution to the problem. It also highlights the moral of the story.

5. Fables and fairy tales are entertaining and creative introductions to stories. Whether oral or written, these are usually a child’s first introduction to storytelling. They can entice children to seek stories of all kinds and inspire Print Motivation (1 of our 6 Early Literacy Skills)

If you are having trouble deciding what books and stories to introduce to your young child, try the basics! The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood continue to inspire, entertain, and connect us all.