These are books that are based on folk tales and fairy tales from around the world. The stories are sorted by the cultural origin or location of the stories, not by the nationality of the books’ authors. Sometimes, location is difficult to gauge because stories are set somewhere other than where they originated, and folktales also frequently get shared between countries and regions of the world, with different regions producing their own variations.
The geographical regions and cultural categories are listed in alphabetical order. At the bottom of the page, I have a section for folk tale renditions I couldn’t place in origin and lists of modern fairy tales (modern stories in the style of fairy tales and folktales) and parodies.
Africa
For the moment, this section refers to the general continent because it’s still a small section.
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (1987)
Mufaro has two beautiful daughters, but only one with the kindness and humility to be the queen. Based on an African folktale.
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
A retelling of an African folktale in which a mosquito’s tall tales accidentally lead to the death of a young owl.
American
With the exception of Native American stories (listed below), American (in the sense of the United States, not the continent), many American folk tales are newer than those in other parts of the world. Many of the folk tales of the United States involve the Founding Fathers and other American patriots, but they’re also frequently tall tales with larger-than-life figures. Even the stories about real people tend to exaggerate their qualities, giving them a kind of tall-tale feel.
Flossie and the Fox (1986)
A fox gets away with stealing eggs until he meets a smart girl named Flossie who insists that she won’t be afraid of him until he proves that he’s really a fox. By Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Rachel Isadora.
Pecos Bill (1986)
A Western American tall tale where a boy raised by animals becomes a legendary cowboy. Retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg.
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox (1985)
A giant of a man becomes a legendary lumberjack.
The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South (1989)
Similar to the Mother Holle folktales, young Blanche is rewarded for following a witch’s instructions, but her mean sister is punished for making fun of the old woman. By Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed (1997)
Johnny Appleseed, a figure from American folklore, journeys westward to plant apple trees.
China
Brothers with super-human powers save one of their brothers, who is sentenced to be executed. Based on an old folktale. By Claire Huchet Bishop and Kurt Wiese.
The Fourth Question (1991)
A young man wants to ask the Wise Man why he is so poor, but it is only in asking questions that help others that he finds the solution to his problem. A Chinese folktale, retold by Rosalind C. Wang, illustrated by Ju-Hong Chen.
Egypt
The Egyptian Cinderella (1989)
A variant of the Cinderella story where a young slave girl in Ancient Egypt marries the Pharaoh. By Shirley Climo, illustrated by Ruth Heller.
The First Book of Tales of Ancient Egypt (1960)
A collection of folktales and myths from Ancient Egypt for children. By Charles Mozley.
The Prince Who Knew His Fate (1981)
A retelling of an Ancient Egyptian story about a prince and a prediction regarding his death with an unknown ending, although the author has provided one. By Lise Manniche.
England
Saint George and the Dragon (1984)
St. George, the Red Cross Knight, defeats a fearsome dragon and wins the hand of Princess Una. Retold by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.
France
Cinderella (1954)
A retelling of the traditional fairy tale of Cinderella. Translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown.
The Clown of God (1978)
A legendary Italian juggler becomes famous, but in his old age, when he has been forgotten, gives the best performance of his life for the Christ Child. The story takes place in Italy, but the folktale is from France. By Tomie dePaola.
German
Many German folk tales were collected and popularized by the Brothers Grimm.
The Elves and the Shoemaker (1981)
A retelling of a folktale. A pair of elves secretly help a shoemaker every night. Story adapted by Lucy Kincaid, illustrated by Gillian Embleton.
Rapunzel (1997)
A retelling of a classic fairy tale, a girl with long hair is kept hidden in a tower until a prince finds her. By Paul O. Zelinsky.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses (1990)
Twelve princesses’ shoes are mysteriously worn through every morning even though they are locked in their room every night. Retold and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson.
Greece
The Olympians (1984)
A picture book about gods and goddesses in Ancient Greek mythology. By Leonard Everett Fisher.
India
The Ninth Jewel of the Mughal Crown
A collection of folktales and legends about the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his advisor Birbal. Birbal was a friend as well as advisor to Akbar the Great, known for his wit and unique solutions to problems.
A group of blind men set out to learn more about elephants, which they have never actually seen, but run into difficulties when they each develop different impressions of a very large animal.
Ireland
Tom Fitzpatrick thinks that his fortune is made when he is lucky enough to catch sight of a leprechaun one day. If a person can manage to catch hold of a leprechaun and frighten him, the leprechaun will hand over his gold. But, the leprechaun might be more clever than Tom is.
Fin M’Coul (1981)
Fin M’Coul’s clever wife helps him to defeat the giant Cucullin. Retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola.
Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland (1992)
The life and legends of St. Patrick. By Tomie dePaola.
Italy
The Legend of Old Befana (1980)
An old woman is given the chance to accompany the Wise Men to see the Christ Child, but she is late leaving. An Italian Christmas folktale. By Tomie dePaola.
The Mysterious Giant of Barletta (1984)
In this Italian folktale, a statue comes to life to defend his town with a clever trick. By Tomie dePaola.
Papa Gatto, a wise cat in a fairy tale in Italy, needs help to care for his young kittens. When he finds a worthy girl who gives the kittens the love and care they need, he rewards her well, saving her from her wicked stepmother and spoiled stepsister.
Japan
The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars (1992)
Izumi is an unusual girl at the court of Medieval Japan because of her love of the creeping creatures in the natural world. Adapted by Jean Merrill, illustrated by Floyd Cooper.
Middle East
The First Book of Tales of Ancient Araby (1960)
A collection of Arabian folktales, rewritten for children. By Charles Mozley.
Native American
A Comanche girl realizes that the only way to save her people from a drought is to sacrifice the thing she loves most. By Tomie dePaola.
Monster Slayer (1991)
Navajo hero twins defeat a monster, giving one of them a new name.
Scandinavian
Usborne Illustrated Guide to Norse Myths and Legends (1986)
A children’s picture book about Norse legends and mythology. By Cheryl Evans and Anne Millard, illustrated by Rodney Matthews.
Miscellaneous Folk Tales
This section is for any folktales or fairy tales that I couldn’t place in origin or location. I may move some later.
Button Soup (1975)
Uncle Scrooge has a reputation for never sharing with anyone, but his visiting niece, Daisy, gets him to throw a feast for the entire town. Retelling of a folktale. By Walt Disney Productions.
Princess Furball (1989)
A princess runs away from an arranged marriage and works in the kitchen of a neighboring king until she gets his attention at a series of balls while wearing her fantastical dresses. Retold by Charlotte Huck, illustrated by Anita Lobel.
Stone Soup (1986)
When villagers refuse to share their food with a pair of hungry travelers, the travelers come up with a plan to inspire them to share. Retold by Marilyn Sapienza, illustrations by Hans Wilhelm.
Collections and Encyclopedias
This book explains Christmas customs in various countries around the world.
Encyclopedia of Legendary Creatures (1981)
A brief encyclopedia describing legendary creatures from around the world.
Ghosts, Witches, and Things Like That (1984)
Children’s book about Halloween and folklore and related games, crafts, recipes, and poems.
Series
A series of collections of classic fairy tales. By Andrew Lang. 1889-1910.
Books in the Wonder-Story Books series are collections of fairy tales and folktales that were also used as reading primers. 1938, 1953, 1962, 1976.
Pseudo-Fairy Tale
These are stories which are written in a fairy tale style or contain elements of fairy tales but which aren’t based on traditional fairy tales or folk tales. See also Pseudo-Fantasy.
Heckedy Peg (1987)
A witch steals away children while their mother is at the market, and the mother must correctly guess what types of food the witch has turned them into in order to save them.
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub (1985)
King Bidgood loves being in his bath, but one day, he just doesn’t want to get out! By Audrey Wood.
A spoiled little princess learns about friendship and hidden depths and finds her own inner beauty when she is sent to live with a family of commoners for a time.
The Prince and the Golden Ax (1988)
A boastful prince leads his island to destruction in Minoan Greece. By Deborah Nourse Lattimore.
The Shoemaker’s Boy (1991, 1994)
When Jem’s father leaves on a pilgrimage to pray for a cure to his wife’s illness, Jem is left behind to care for her and has a bizarre sequences of visitors. By Joan Aiken, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus.
Modern Fairy Tales
I suppose that these could be considered part of the Pseudo-Fairy Tale category, but I sometimes think of them as being a little separate because they follow formats of traditional fairy tales much more closely and are frequently designed to convey some more modern values than the ones in traditional fairy tales. For example, they frequently change the roles of women and girls in the stories so that they are either the main heroes of the story or less helpless in some way than traditional fairy tale damsels-in-distress.
When her castle is attacked by a dragon who kidnaps her prince and burns all of her clothes, the princess dons a paper bag and sets out on a rescue mission.
A collection of fairy tale style stories with intelligent and brave heroines. By Jay Williams.
Princess Hyacinth (2009)
Princess Hyacinth isn’t affected by gravity and would just float away if she wasn’t weighted down. She figures out how to deal with her condition with the help of a friend. By Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Lane Smith.
Series
Elaborations and expansions on classic fairy tales. By Gail Carson Levine. 1999-2002.
Spoofs and Parodies
A collection of very short stories parodying popular folk tales and fairy tales.
Jestress's Forgotten Books and Stories 