Fairytale read aloud

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.

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

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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Welcome to the online fairy tales page

Welcome to the fairy tales page! Below you will find a list of magical and captivating bedtime stories for kids written by some of the best known fairy tale authors.

People have been telling each other stories about talking animals, magic, witches and giants, kings and heroes since ancient times. A very significant literature genre, fairy tales are present in all cultures around the world. In comparison to myths and legends, the time and place of occurrence in fairy tales are unknown.

Good and evil in fairy tales is usually clearly separated, often in the form of good and evil characters. The main themes in these stories usually include a hero, a conflict between good and evil, natural and supernatural forces. At the end, the good is rewarded and evil punished.

Choose a bedtime story from the list

Cinderella

Little Red Riding Hood

Snow White

The Snow Queen

The Ugly Duckling

Puss in Boots

The Sleeping Beauty

Beauty and the Beast

The Little Mermaid

The Princess and the Pea

The Goose Girl

The red shoes

The Frog Prince

The Fairy

The naughty boy

Hansel and Grethel

The story of the youth. ..

Snow-White And Rose-Red

Blue Beard

The Valiant Little Tailor

Rumpelstiltskin

The emperor's new clothes

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Jack and the Beanstalk

Goldilocks and the Bears

The Juniper Tree

Little Thumb

Golden Goose

Authors & Books

Andrerw Lang

Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 - 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and literary critic. Born in Selkirk, Lang was the oldest among eight siblings. After graduating, he began to publish his works, showing he was a gifted journalist, poet, and writer.
His books contain stories from around the world collected from various sources and translated mainly by his wife and other enthusiasts.

Go to Andrew Lang's fairy tales

The Blue Fairy Book

Notes: The first in a collection of twelve books gathered by Andrew Lang from various sources. Published in 1889, the Blue Fairy Book contains 37 bedtime stories to read online.

Author: Various
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published: 1889
Publisher: Langmans, Green, and Co., London; New York

1.The Bronze Ring

2.Prince Hyacinth and the Dear Little Princess

3.East of the Sun and West of the Moon

4.The Yellow Dwarf

5.Little Red Riding Hood

6.The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood

7.Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper

8.Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

9.The Tale of a Youth Who Set Out to Learn what Fear Was

10.Rumpelstiltzkin

11.Beauty and the Beast

12.The Master-Maid

13.Why the Sea is Salt

14.The Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots

15.Felicia and the Pot of Pinks

16.The White Cat

17.The Water-Lily. The Gold-Spinners

18.The Terrible Head

19.The Story of Pretty Goldilocks

20.The History of Whittington

21. The Wonderful Sheep

22.Little Thumb

23.The Forty Thieves

24.Hansel and Grettel

25.Snow-White and Rose-Red

26.The Goose-Girl

27.Toads and Diamonds

28.Prince Darling

29.Blue Beard

30.Trusty John

31.The Brave Little Tailor

32.A Voyage to Lilliput

33.The Princess on the Glass Hill

34.The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou

35.The History of Jack the Giant-Killer

36.The Black Bull of Norroway

37.The Red Etin

Check out other books by the Andrew Lang below

The Green Fairy Book

Notes: The third book from Andrew Lang's collection was first published in 1892 and contains 42 stories.

Author: Various
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published: 1892
Publisher: Langmans, Green, and Co., London; New York

The Red Fairy Book

Notes: The second book from Andrew Lang's collection was first published in 1890 and contains 37 stories.

Author: Various
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published: 1890
Publisher: Langmans, Green, and Co., London; New York

The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm are probably the best known storytellers in the world. Many years have passed since the time Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm released their "Children's and household tales". The first edition and was very modest, both in appearance and capacity - there were only 83 stories, compared to the 200 we know today.

Go to Grimms' fairy tales

Notes: Translated by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes. Contains 62 stories.

Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Translator: Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes
Published: 1876
Publisher: R. Meek & Co., London

Download .PDF

1.Ashputtel

2.Briar Rose

3.Cat And Mouse In Partnership

4. Cat-Skin

5.Clever Elsie

6.Clever Gretel

7.Clever Hans

8.Doctor Knowall

9.Frederick And Catherine

10.Fundefogel

11.Hans In Luck

12.Hansel And Gretel

13.Iron Hans

14.Jorinda And Jorindel

15.King Grisly-Beard

16.Lily And The Lion

17.Little Red-Cap ( Little Red Riding Hood )

18.Mother Holle

19.Old Sultan

20.Rapunzel

21.Rumpelstiltskin

22.Snowdrop

23.Snow-White And Rose-Red

24.Sweetheart Roland

25.The Adventures Of Chanticleer And Partlet

26.The Blue Light

27.The Dog And The Sparrow

28.The Elves And The Shoemaker

29.The Fisherman And His Wife

30.The Four Clever Brothers

31.The Fox And The Cat

32.The Fox And The Horse

33.The Frog-Prince

34.The Golden Bird

35.The Golden Goose

36.The Goose-Girl

37.The Juniper-Tree

38.The King Of The Golden Mountain

39. The Little Peasant

40.The Miser In The Bush

41.The Mouse, The Bird, And The Sausage

42.The Old Man And His Grandson

43.The Pink

44.The Queen Bee

45.The Raven

46.The Robber Bridegroom

47.The Salad

48.The Seven Ravens

49.The Story Of The Youth Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was

50.The Straw, The Coal, And The Bean

51.The Three Languages

52.The Travelling Musicians

53.The Turnip

54.The Twelve Dancing Princesses

55.The Twelve Huntsmen

56.The Valiant Little Tailor

57.The Water Of Life

58.The Wedding Of Mrs Fox

59.The White Snake

60.The Willow-Wren And The Bear

61.The Wolf And The Seven Little Kids

62.Tom Thumb

Check out other books by the Brothers Grimm below

Notes: Translated by Margaret Hunt, this is the only book that contains the complete collection of the Brothers Grimms' Children's and Household Tales - 200 fairy tales and 10 legends.

Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Published: 1884
Translator: Margaret Hunt
Publisher: George Bell and Sons, London

Download .PDF

Notes: This book contains 25 stories by the Brothers Grimm.

Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Translator: Unknown
Published: 1922
Publisher: Cupples and Leon Company, New York

Download .TXT

Notes: This fairy tale collection contains 52 of the Grimms' tales.

This new Dover edition, first published in 1963, is an unabridged republication of the work first published by Macmillan and Company in 1886.

Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Translator: Lucy Crane
Published: 1963 (1886)
Publisher: Dover Publications, New York (Macmillan & Co, London)

Download . TXT

Charles Perrault

Charles Perrault was a French writer who lived in the second half of XVII century. He was one of the first writers in European literature who turned his eyes to folklore. Born in 1628 in a clerical bourgeois family, Perrault received legal education and had high royal office. In the second half of XVII century there was a dispute amidst French writers about the advantage of modern writers compared to the writers of antiquity. Charles Perrault played an important role in...

Go to Perrault's fairy tales

Notes: The first edition of Perrault's famous collection of fairy stories.
Author: Charles Perrault
Translator: Charles Welsh
Published: 1901
Publisher: D.C. Heath & Co., Boston; New York; Chicago

1.Cinderella, Or The Little Glass Slipper

2.The Sleeping Beauty In The Woods

3. Little Thumb

4.The Master Cat, Or Puss In Boots

5.Riquet With The Tuft

6.Blue Beard

7.The Fairy

8.Little Red Riding-Hood

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen, born April 2, 1805 in Odense, was a Danish writer and poet. In his early days, Andersen wanted to become an opera singer. In 1819 he went to Copenhagen to pursuit that dream. His voice, however, was too weak and he was accepted as a dance student at the Royal Theater.
In the style of the German romantics Andersen did a lot of travelling - to find himself in the world and the world in himself. In 1840-41, after visiting Germany, Italy, Malta and Greece, he came to Istambul and returned home through the Black Sea and the Danube.

Go to Andersen's fairy tales

Notes: "Andersen's fairy tales" contains 18 of H.C.Andersen's most notable fairy stories. This is not the original cover.

Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Translator: Unknown
Published: Unknown
Publisher: Unknown

1.The emperor's new clothes

2.The swineherd

3.The real princess

4.The shoes of fortune

5.The fir tree

6.The snow queen

7.The leap-frog

8.The Elderbush

9.The bell

10.The old house

11.The happy family

12.The story of a mother

13.The falce collar

14.The shadow

15.The little match girl

16.The dream of little Tuk

17.The naughty boy

18.The red shoes

Check out the complete collection of Hans Christian Anderesen fairy tales below

Notes: This is the first of two volumes of Andersen's fairy tales edited by J. H. Stickney.

Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Editor: J. H. Stickney
Published: 1914
Publisher: Ginn and Company - Boston; New York; Chicago; London

Notes: This is the second volume of Andersen's stories edited by J. H. Stickney.

Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Editor: J. H. Stickney
Published: 1915
Publisher: Ginn and Company - Boston; New York; Chicago; London

Audio fairy tales for the night. 🌙⭐ Listen online for free.

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Continuously plays the selected audio and all subsequent audio on the page. When you press the "Play" button, all the works are added to the player's queue, starting from the selected one. When autoplay is disabled, only one audio starts

This section of the site contains small kind tales that set the child up for a good sleep. To select a fairy tale by age, use the tag system! :)

Audio stories Audio verses

• Tale about the brothers who shared the sun and the moon

  Ingush audio fairy tale

  There lived two brothers. One day they wanted to share the sun and the moon. They argued for a long time, but did not come to an agreement and went to roam the world. On the way, they got tired and sat down to rest under a plane tree. She descended from a tree…

• A fairy tale about a tree that protects us

  Ingush audio fairy tale

  One boy grazed sheep in the mountains and cut different figures out of boredom. Once he carved a little rider out of ture wood, hung a dagger made of wood on his belt, put the horseman on a stone, and dozed himself ...

• Tale of a horseman and a cricket

  Ingush audio fairy tale

  A young man lived in a high tower, who believed that he was no more worthy in the world. With one blow of a checker, a young man cut down a pine tree. Not far away, in a poor shack, lived a beautiful girl. And the young man from the tower decided to woo her…

• The tale of the tower builders and the smart wife

  Ingush audio tale

  A tale about a father and son who were good at building towers but lived in poverty. Once they hired the prince to build a five-tiered tower, but the father warned his son that this was an insidious prince: he could kill so as not to pay ...

• Bobik visiting Barbos

  audio story Nosov N.N.

  A funny story about how the yard dog Bobik came to visit his master's Barbos. Bobik was surprised by everything in the house: a wall clock, a hairbrush, a mirror, a TV set. Watchdog, as a hospitable host, explained to a friend about the purpose of objects. And then…

• Sea Devil

  audio performance based on the novel by A.R. Belyaev. "Amphibian Man"

  A science fiction novel tells how rumors about a "sea devil" - a strange creature, half-man, half-fish, performing rational acts, began to spread in the town of Buenos Aires in Argentina. And he has already been seen more than once in La Plata Bay ...

• O. Henry Audio Stories Collection

  O. Henry Audio Stories Collection

  Short and mostly funny, although not without irony and sadness, stories about topical social issues. In them, the author shows hostility to the foundations and rules of bourgeois society. The main characters are representatives of completely different social categories: millionaires, bandits,…

• Pollyanna

  audio novel by Eleanor Porter

  A lovely 11-year-old girl named Polianna comes to live with her aunt Polly. The girl lost her mother very early, and now her father has died, leaving her no inheritance. Polianna has an exceptionally rich inner world and ...

• The Tale of the Shepherd and the Wild Boar

  audio poem by Yazykov N.M.

  A tale in verse about a wise and caring king, a brave and resourceful shepherd and a beautiful princess.

• Heather honey

  audio verse by RL Stevenson (translated by S. Ya. Marshak)

  An old ballad about the cruel Scottish king and the brave people - the Picts, who did not reveal the secret of preparing heather honey to the invader.

• Glove

  audio verse by Schiller F.

  A ballad about a fearless knight and a hard-hearted beauty.

• Judgment of God over the bishop

  audio verse by Southey R.

  Translated by Vasily Zhukovsky.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Disney audio fairy tale.

A fairy tale about the king's beautiful daughter. The evil stepmother owned a magic mirror that once said that Snow White was a thousand times more beautiful than her. The queen was angry and ordered to take Snow White to the forest and kill her. The huntsman took pity on the girl and did not kill her. Snow White was taken in by forest gnomes... Listen to the fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" online at Mishka's Books! nine0003

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Recommended listening

Audio stories Audio poems

• Tale of the brothers who shared the sun and the moon

  Ingush audio tale

  Two brothers lived. One day they wanted to share the sun and the moon. They argued for a long time, but did not come to an agreement and went to roam the world. On the way, they got tired and sat down to rest under a plane tree. She descended from a tree…

• A fairy tale about a tree that protects us

  Ingush audio fairy tale

  One boy grazed sheep in the mountains and cut different figures out of boredom. Once he carved a little rider out of ture wood, hung a dagger made of wood on his belt, put the horseman on a stone, and dozed himself ...

• Tale of a horseman and a cricket

  Ingush audio fairy tale

  A young man lived in a high tower, who believed that he was no more worthy in the world. With one blow of a checker, a young man cut down a pine tree. Not far away, in a poor shack, lived a beautiful girl. And the young man from the tower decided to woo her…

• The tale of the tower builders and the smart wife

  Ingush audio tale

  A tale about a father and son who were good at building towers but lived in poverty. Once they hired the prince to build a five-tiered tower, but the father warned his son that this was an insidious prince: he could kill so as not to pay ...

• Bobik visiting Barbos

  audio story Nosov N.N.

  A funny story about how the yard dog Bobik came to visit his master's Barbos. Bobik was surprised by everything in the house: a wall clock, a hairbrush, a mirror, a TV set. Watchdog, as a hospitable host, explained to a friend about the purpose of objects. And then…

• Sea Devil

  audio performance based on the novel by A. R. Belyaev. "Amphibian Man"

  A science fiction novel tells how rumors about a "sea devil" - a strange creature, half-man, half-fish, performing rational acts, began to spread in the town of Buenos Aires in Argentina. And he has already been seen more than once in La Plata Bay ...

• O. Henry Audio Stories Collection

  O. Henry Audio Stories Collection

  Short and mostly funny, although not without irony and sadness, stories about topical social issues. In them, the author shows hostility to the foundations and rules of bourgeois society. The main characters are representatives of completely different social categories: millionaires, bandits,…

• Pollyanna

  audio novel by Eleanor Porter

  A lovely 11-year-old girl named Polianna comes to live with her aunt Polly. The girl lost her mother very early, and now her father has died, leaving her no inheritance. Polianna has an exceptionally rich inner world and .

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