Fairy tale story books for children

16 Fairy Tale Books for Kids

Fairy tales are fun to share and have tons of curriculum possibilities, so it’s no wonder fairy tale books for kids are fixtures in most elementary classrooms. If you’re looking to add some fun new options to your collection—especially to improve representation—check out this list of some of our less-conventional favorites.

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Fairy Tale Books For Kids

1. Once Upon a World series by various authors

This series of fairy tale board books for kids is a must-have for Pre-K, and we even love them for elementary school. They distill classic stories down to a few words and bring them to life with multicultural illustrations. A Caribbean Little Mermaid, Indian Rapunzel, and Japanese Snow White? Yes, please!

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2.

Little Red wants to enter the forest ice skating competition, but she needs a partner. The one she finds has unexpected features: sharp teeth, big ears, and lots of fur! Lots of other familiar characters make appearances, too. This fairy tale mash-up is a read aloud crowd-pleaser.

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3. The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz

We never tire of this martial arts-inspired rendition of the porcine classic. The three pigs decide they’ve had enough of the wolf’s bullying ways and prepare themselves at the dojo. This is tons of fun to read aloud and gives classes new themes to discuss. Check out Ninja Red Riding Hood and Hensel and Gretel: Ninja Chicks, too.

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4. Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith

Little Red heads out to take baked goods and medicine to her Auntie Rosie. A lion tries to thwart her plans, but Little Red is one smart niece. We love the fun twists on the classic tale and nods to African culture and setting.

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5. Rapunzel by Bethan Woollvin

If you’re looking for fairy tale books for kids that challenge the characterizations of the originals, you’ll want Bethan Woollvin’s titles. In her version, Rapunzel is smart and brave and won’t let the witch get the best of her. Great for story element compare and contrast lessons. Also check out Little Red and Hansel and Gretel.

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6. La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya

This familiar story gets updated with Peruvian influences and Spanish language included throughout. The ending is fun to compare with the classic version.

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7.

This creative retelling imagines what would happen if characters from two tales intersected. It’s fun to read as a follow-up to the traditional versions of “Red Riding Hood” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” This one also gets students thinking about how villains have feelings—great for empathy discussions.

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8. Goldilocks and the Three Engineers by Sue Fliess

Goldilocks the inventor gets stuck, so she uses a great strategy: She takes a walk. Who shows up in her absence? Three STEM-minded bears, of course! Kids love this imaginative retelling.

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9. Reading Beauty by Deborah Underwood

Strong and smart space princess Lex has to reverse an evil fairy’s curse to bring books back to her kingdom. Also check out Interstellar Cinderella by the same author.

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10. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack

This title and the next two help add much-needed LGBTQIA+ representation to this genre. A Prince isn’t interested in marrying any of the princesses his parents introduce to him. When a dragon threatens his kingdom, a brave knight catches his attention.

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11. Maiden & Princess by Daniel Haack

A maiden isn’t excited about going to a prince’s royal ball. She ends up attending anyway, and it turns out to be the prince’s sister with whom she has a special connection. The illustrations are diverse all around, with various skin tones and body types. Hooray!

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12. Cinderelliot: A Scrumptious Fairytale by Mark Ceilley and Rachel Smoka-Richardson

We adore this retelling both for its LGBTQIA+ representation and its fun baking-themed twists. Prince Samuel hosts a bake-off to find his next royal baker. Cinderelliot ends up baking his way into the prince’s heart.

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13. The Poisoned Apple: A Fractured Fairy Tale by Anne Lambelet

An evil witch tries to pass off a poisoned apple to a princess in this fractured version of “Snow White.” What the witch thought would be a simple plot turns into a funny forest escapade. This is a fun title to read aloud to a group and ask students to predict how all the antics will turn out.

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14. Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale Endings by Laurel Snyder

What if YOU got to decide how the fairy tale goes? This choose-your-own-adventure-style tale lets readers choose the actions in a host of familiar situations.

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15. Once Upon a Fairy Tale series by Anna Staniszewski

These Scholastic Branches titles are perfect fairy tale books for early elementary kids to enjoy on their own. Kara and Zed have enchanted adventures that include many elements from classic tales—think magic mirrors, missing slippers, and an evil queen.

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16. Fairy Tale Feasts series by Jane Yolen and various authors

These fairy tale books for kids add a new way to explore favorite stories: through food! The original title includes familiar tales like “Snow White” and “Hansel and Gretel,” plus recipes to match. Other titles share tales and dishes from different cultures.

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There are so many great fairy tale books for kids out there! Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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Best Classic Fairy Tale Picture Books

Quick! What are the  fairy tale picture books you remember from your childhood? Why did they speak to you?

Is it on this book list of the best fairy tales for children?

This is a list of European fairy tales for children and what I consider to be the best fairy tale picture books. I fully admit that many of them I chose simply because they were books my parents read to me while I was in my formative years. They have stuck with me and captured my imagination.

Since these are all European tales, please supplement this list with books from my around the world folktales book list series! And note that these are not adaptations of fairy tales, or modern tellings. (The fractured fairy tale list will be coming soon!)

I know it's tempting to read fairy tales from collected works (and there are some great ones) but I highly encourage you to read single title fairy tale picture books.  I had to work hard to keep this book list from becoming unwieldy! No doubt you already have your favorite classic fairy tale picture books that immediately transport you back to your own childhood! (Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links.)

Snow White, text by Randall Jarrell, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert.  I had this book as a child and I will always remember being surprised at the ending in which Snow White’s stepmother was forced to dance to her death while wearing red hot iron shoes. I wasn’t alarmed by it; in fact I always found the Disney movie much, much more frightening. I don’t think (most) kids find the original Grimm stories to be as disturbing as modern adults do. In any case, if you are going to share fairy tales with your child, the illustrations in this book are dizzyingly marvelous and the text is twelve thousand times better than Disney.

Beauty and the Beast, pop-up retelling by Robert Sabuda. I've never found a traditional picture book version of Beauty and the Beast that I loved, (nothing holds a candle to Robin McKinley's Beauty) so I'm going for this utterly fantastic Pop-up version that will totally wow your kids. Totally worth purchasing. Sabuda has other fairy tales, including The Little Mermaid.

Rapunzel retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. If your primary goal is gorgeous illustrations you can't go wrong with Zelinsky. I like this version of Rapunzel because it draws on many different sources, not just the Grimm version. There is no other Rapunzel book that even remotely compares to this one.

Zelinsky has several other spectacular fairy tales including:

• Rumpelstiltskin
• Hansel and Gretel

Cinderella text and illustrations by Marcia Brown. To me, Marcia Brown’s rendition of the classic fairy tale will always be the quintessential version. There are many, many Cinderellas out there, some quite good, others horrendous. It’s not gruesome like the original Grimm tales but it’s not saccharine-ified like Disney. In fact this was the first book that taught me Cinderella actually went to the ball three times. So you know, she actually knew the prince well enough to marry him. (I joke.) Anyway, Brown’s illustrations are divine and, of my goodness…  the costumes! Let’s just say there will be a lot of dress up play after reading this book.

More fairy tales illustrated by Marcia Brown:

• Stone Soup
• Dick Whittington and His Cat
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff
• The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Henny Penny retold by Paul Galdone. This could perhaps qualify as a folk tale (I'm not sure where the line is drawn) but it is one of my favorites so I get to decide. Henny Penny is freaked out that the sky is falling and rallies equally gullible animals to her cause. Galdone is a gold mine of fairy tales. It would be a little ridiculous for me to list all his books but several that are not on this list by other authors are:

• The Three Little Pigs
• The Gingerbread Boy
• Jack and the Beanstalk
• Three Billy Goats Gruff
• The Elves and the Shoemaker

Goldilocks and the Three Bears retold and illustrated by James Marshall. I thought maybe I should include a more reverent version of this tale, but honestly, I just love this one so much I had to include it. Goldilocks is so wonderfully naughty it's hard not to love her for it.

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson, retold and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Anderson's well-known tale about beauty is given a gorgeous makeover. Pinkney, in addition to many must-read picture book versions of fables, has illustrated several other fairy tales, including:

• Puss in Boots
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Little Red Hen
• The Little Match Girl
• The Nightingale

Three Classic Children's Stories text by James Donnelly, illustrated by Edward Gorey. Just last week on Instagram I shared my discovery of a Gorey illustrated version of Little Red Riding Hood. That book was written in verse by the marvelous Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (author of May I Bring a Friend). Sadly, it is out of print and why the book was re-written for this volume, I have no idea. When I saw the cover for this collection I had an A-HA! memory that I adored the Gorey-illustrated version of Rumpelstiltskin (text by Edith H. Tarcov - re-written by Donnelly for this version) as a kid and I am keeping my fingers crossed that my mother still has it! I haven't seen this exact collection in person but if your library has any Gorey fairy tales, check them out!! (I was unable to resist buying this book for myself!)

The Pied Piper of Hamelin, retold by Robert Browning, illustrated by Kate Greenaway. I was a little obsessed with this book when I was a kid but also totally freaked out by the story. The illustration of the place where the the kids end up after they followed the piper looked so appealing, yet the idea that the virtual doorway closed forever was quite freaky. But fairy tales help kids work through such fears and you can't go wrong with Greenaway's illustrations!

Hansel and Gretel retold by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Jen Corace. I didn't realize Rylant (who is a very prolific author) adapted fairy tales. This is a very accessible version of Grimm's Hansel and Gretel. It's not overly scary but all the classic elements are there.  Rylant and Corace also collaborated on a version of The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

The Frog Prince retold by Edith A. Tarcov, illustrated by James Marshall is another book I loved as a kid. I like the idea of fairy tales as easy readers. It is a nice way for kids to experience classic tales they may have previously heard on their own terms. Marshall's version has a good deal of humor, even though I still think it is weird that a prince wants to marry a girl who just threw him against the wall.

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger. Confession: I have never really liked this fairy tale. I won't delve into my psyche to try and explain why, lest I start to find things far disturbing than a story about a girl who sacrifices everything for a man who doesn't recognize her worth. Anywhooo. Zwerger's illustrations are spectacular, so if mermaids and muteness are your cup of tea, go for it.

Other books illustrated by Zwerger

• The Pied Piper of Hamlin (warning: the kids have super creepy eyes!)
• The Bremen Town Musicians
• Tales from the Brothers Grimm
• Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales

The Town Musicians of Bremen, by the Brothers Grimm, adapted and illustrated by Gerda Muller. I loved this fairy tale when I was a kid. I tried my hardest to figure out which version I read, but I couldn't. I'm sure it is long out of print. I think this fairy tale about a traveling group of clever, musical animals is often overlooked but it is highly satisfying and Muller's illustrations are a delight.

The Fisherman and His Wife, retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora. Isadora has several fairy tale books in which she sets the action in Africa.  They don't all work for me; I prefer her fables but I thought this was a successful book and I really love Isadora's collage illustrations.

Hans My Hedgehog, retold by Kate Coombs, illustrated by John Nickle. Never heard of wee Hans? You're not alone. I don't remember hearing this story at all when I was growing up. The premise, however, will sound familiar. A couple wishes against hope for a child. When the child is born his is half-hedgehog. Fearing a life of rejection, he sets out from home and meets..... (drumroll) two princesses. And what do you know, his luck starts to change. This is a great picture book to introduce your child to a lesser known Grimm tale.

The Sleeping Beauty. If your library has Swiss designer Felix Hoffann's illustrated version, it is worth seeking out. Hoffman also illustrated versions of other tales, including The Seven Ravens and King Thrushbeard. If you have a version of this tale you love, let me know.

Other book lists you will love:

• Princess chapter books
• Fairy tale chapter books without princesses
• You can see all my world folktale lists here.
• See all my picture book lists.

Books Fairy tales: paper, electronic and audio books

This section contains books with author's and folk tales. Among the publications you can find both the works of Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, Gianni Rodari, Alexander Pushkin, which have long become classics of children's reading, as well as the works of famous Soviet writers: Viktor Dragunsky, Lazar Lagin, Anatoly Aleksin, on which parents grew up and who are still attract the attention of children and adults.

The Eksmo catalog also contains books by modern storytellers who speak a language close to children of the 21st century and touch on topics familiar to them. Like their predecessors, they teach the concepts of good and evil, ingenuity, mutual assistance, friendship. The heroes of the works are ordinary girls and boys, objects, animals and fictional characters, which arouses a keen interest in young readers and contributes to the development of imagination. Some publications of Russian and foreign writers from all over the world are published in series so that the child can assemble his own library in accordance with his interests and visual preferences.

Separately, it should be said about the collections that are dedicated to the best fairy tales of famous authors and folk stories, interpreted differently in different parts of the world.

Even adults love fairy tales, what can we say about children. They take the reader to a magical world inhabited by real daredevils, ready for exploits, talking animals and amazing creatures. Reading such stories is interesting and useful: the child learns what is good and what is bad, learns the skills of behavior in certain situations, trying on various social roles.

In the Eksmo catalog you will find fairy tales for children of all ages:

Russian folk tales. These are well-known stories about Kolobok, Hen Ryaba, Turnip, Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf. Fairy tales are presented in the edition and processing of modern writers.
Collected fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm are German linguists who collected folklore from all over the country. The first book of wonderful stories was published in 1807, and since then they have not lost their popularity. On our site there are fairy tales about the Brave Little Tailor, Thumb Boy, Rapunzel, the Bremen Town Musicians.
Tales of Charles Perrault. In 1697, the French poet published his first collection entitled The Tales of Mother Goose. C. Perrault introduced this genre into "high" literature, and now his heroes are known all over the world: this is the cunning Puss in Boots, and the beautiful Cinderella, and the sweet Little Red Riding Hood, and the Sleeping Beauty.
Fairy tales of Soviet writers. In Soviet times, many wrote for children: Konstantin Paustovsky, Valentin Kataev, Nikolai Nosov, Viktor Dragunsky. The catalog contains collections of stories about Dunno, Gray Neck, Tsvetik-Semitsvetik.
Disney Collection. These are colorful editions with cartoon characters from the Disney studio: Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Bambi the deer and the inhabitants of Zootopia, Princess Jasmine and many others.

See also:

• Adventures for children
• Fiction and fantasy
• Children's detective
• Books on Cartoons and Cinema
• Foreign prose
• Domestic prose
• Books for girls
• Books for boys
• Books for boys
• Books about nature and animals.
• Books about pirates. 1500 fairy tales with pictures online.

  The tale about Kolobok is found in Russian and Ukrainian folklore, and also has analogues in the tales of many other peoples. Our site presents a version of a folk tale in the processing of A.N. Tolstoy. "Kolobok" read Once upon a time there was an old man with an old woman. Here ...

  Grade 2

  A fairy tale about three brothers-piglets who built houses for themselves. One brother built a house out of straw, another out of twigs and twigs, and a third out of bricks. "Three Little Pigs" read Once upon a time there were three little pigs in the world. Three brothers. Everything…

  Grade 1

  A short story about a trusting girl and a cunning gray wolf. Disobeying her mother, the girl turns off the road and talks to a stranger - a gray wolf ... "Little Red Riding Hood" read Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her mother loved her without memory, and her grandmother ...

  Grade 2-3

  Recently, scientists discovered that there are naughty children in the world who do everything the other way around. They are given useful advice: "Wash in the morning" - they take and do not wash. They are told: "Hello to each other" - they are here ...

  Grade 1

  Kitten named Woof - a series of short stories about the adventures of the kitten Woof and his friend - puppy Sharik. Ridiculous situations constantly happen to Gav, as soon as he goes out into the yard. Together with his friend, he manages...

  A tale about a cowardly hippopotamus who ran away from the clinic because he was afraid of vaccinations. And he got jaundice. Fortunately, he was taken to the hospital and cured. And the hippo was very ashamed of his behavior ... “About the Behemoth, who was afraid ...

  Grade 1

  The turnip is a famous fairy tale for the little ones with a lot of repetitions. The child quickly remembers the sequence of presentation and a simple plot. "Turnip" read Grandfather planted a turnip and says: - Grow a turnip, sweet, sweet! Grow big, big! A turnip has grown, sweet and big, big….

  Teremok is a short fairy tale for kids about a house that sheltered many animals. However, the tower could not accommodate a huge bear and broke. "Teremok" read There is a teremok in the field. A mouse runs past. I saw the tower, stopped and asked:—...

  A tale about a hedgehog, a hare and a crow who could not share the last apple among themselves. Everyone wanted to own it. But the fair bear judged their dispute, and each got a piece of a treat... It was late to read "Apple"...

  Grades 1-2

  A story about one serious and independent boy, whose name was Uncle Fyodor and his friends: the cat Matroskin and the dog Sharik. Uncle Fyodor's mother did not like animals very much and did not want to start them. To live with a cat…

  Grade 3

  CHARACTERS Cat; Two kittens; Cat Vasily; Rooks; Goat; Beavers; Goat; Pigs; Rooster; Ram; Chicken; Sheep; Pig; Narrator. Chorus Beam-bom! Tili-bom! Outside is a tall building. Carved shutters, Painted windows. And on the stairs there is a carpet…

  A story about animals and the young Troubadour who went to the city of Bremen to become street musicians. In the city they stopped in front of the royal castle. The king and princess came out onto the balcony of the palace, the townspeople ran to the square and it began ...

  Grade 1

  A fairy tale about a wooden boy carved from a log by Carlo's father, his adventures in the theater of Karabas Barabas, meeting with scoundrels Alice the Fox and Basilio the Cat, Malvina and Artemon the poodle, Tortila the turtle and Duremar. "Pinocchio" to read to the Joiner...

  Tale about the Hedgehog, how he walked at night and got lost in the fog. He fell into the river, but someone carried him to the shore. It was a magical night! “Hedgehog in the Fog” read In the evenings, the Hedgehog went to the Bear cub in ...

  grade 2

  A short story about the kid and prankster Carlson adapted by B. Larin for children. "Kid and Carlson" read This story actually happened. But, of course, it happened far away from you and me - in Swedish ...

  Grade 1

  A small fairy tale for the little ones about three restless kittens and their funny adventures. Small children love short stories with pictures, that's why Suteev's fairy tales are so popular and loved! “Three kittens” read Three kittens — black, gray and…

  The fairy tale tells about an evil wolf who changed his voice, made his way into the goat's house and ate little goats. But the mother goat will be able to save her children and get rid of the wolf. "The Wolf and the Seven Kids" read Once upon a time there was a goat with kids . ...

  1st grade

  A fairy tale about a girl named Zhenya, who was presented with a magic seven-colored flower. It had seven petals and could grant any seven wishes. Zhenya spent the first six wishes, but did not get any pleasure and only made her last wish...

  4-5 grade

  The Snow Queen is one of Hans Christian Andersen's most famous fairy tales about love, which is able to overcome any test and melt even an icy heart! "The Snow Queen" read The first story, which tells about the mirror and its ...

  A tale about a cunning fox who found a rock on the road and asked people to spend the night, and in the morning burned the rock and demanded a chicken for it. “Fox with a rolling pin” read A fox walked along the path, found a rolling pin. Raised and…

  This section of our site presents Russian folk tales with vivid illustrations, as well as a selection of fairy tales by foreign and Russian authors: Andersen, the Grimm brothers, Perrault, Pushkin, Tolstoy, Suteev and many others. The site is constantly updated with new authors and works.

  For your convenience, we have written a brief description of each fairy tale and developed a system of labels (tags). Thanks to them, you can easily pick up fairy tales according to age and preferences. To quickly find the desired author, use the menu. Happy reading :)

  
  Fairy tales for children are one of the very first literary works that young readers get acquainted with. The roots of these stories go far into antiquity, but they do not lose their relevance today. Children believe in magic, in reincarnation, in the victory of good over evil, in the existence of good wizards, and it is children's fairy tales that give rise to this belief - pure, naive, bright, at the same time instructive and educating. Most often, animals are the main characters, so popular works also instill love for our smaller brothers.
  The site mishka-knizhka.ru contains a fabulous collection - a real magical wealth for the children of domestic and foreign authors, Russian folk tales and tales of the peoples of the world, illustrated and printed without abbreviations. Through such works, kids get to know the world and learn to distinguish good from bad, highlight the positive and negative qualities of a person, form their correct position in life. They learn the rules of conduct, the way of life of their own and other countries. The benefits of a children's fairy tale can hardly be overestimated, and the huge variety and popularity is a direct confirmation of this. The whole section is completely at your service, so you won’t have to look for a long time what to read with your child. A convenient online format will allow you to use the site, read with your child anytime and anywhere, even if you are in transport or waiting in line. Spend time with benefit, plunging into the world of unique reincarnations.
  Reading is an important stage of learning. At an early age, children can listen to adults and look at illustrations, imagining unprecedented colorful pictures, empathizing with the characters, trying to find clues, draw logical chains and draw conclusions.

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