The Treasury of Read-Alouds

FOLK & FAIRY TALES page 1 of 1

Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys

Collected and told by Jane Yolen     Gr. 3-6       100 pages        Harcourt, 2003

Folktale expert Jane Yolen offers fourteen tales from around the world, each demonstrating that male heroes can overcome adversity by using their wits instead of their swords.

Rapunzel

Adapted by Paul O. Zelinsky        Gr. 1-4        32 pages         Dutton, 1997

Of all the fairy tale picture books in the marketplace, this is perhaps the most lushly illustrated and thus deserving its Caldecott Medal. Borrowing from both the Grimms and previous versions from France and Italy, Zelinsky’s retelling might make it the best of all, especially when coupled with his Italian Renaissance oil illustrations of the fair damsel locked in the tower by the evil sorceress. No other illustrator has captured as many Caldecott honors as Zelinksy, including runner-up awards for: Hansel and Gretel: Rumpelstiltskin; and Swamp Angel.

Tatterhood and Other Tales.

by Ethel Johnston Phelps        Gr. 2 and up        174 pages        Feminist Press, 1979

An excellent collection of fast-moving tales with witty, resourceful and confident heroines (not heroes) from different cultures.

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales

by Virginia Hamilton; Leo and Diane Dillon, illus.        Gr. 3–6        174 pages         Knopf, 1985

Rich with rhythm, energy, and humor, these twenty-four stories were kept alive by slave tellers and include Bruh Rabbit, Gullah, and freedom-trail adventures. Related books: Tales of Uncle Remus, retold by Julius Lester.

Red Ridin’ in the Hood and Other Cuentos

by Patricia Santos Marcantonio; Renato Alacao, illus.         Gr. 4 and up        181 pages        Farrar, 2005

When the author was growing up as a Mexican American in Colorado, she loved the traditional fairy tales but mourned the absence of Latino culture in the tales. She solved that problem by writing these 11 versions as though they were set in the barrio itself. The title story, “Red Ridin’ in the Hood,” has a contemporary urban-Latino setting; Roja’s mother has dispatched her with food for her ill grandmother, along with instructions to wear the new red dress her abuelita (grandmother) made for her, take the bus, and avoid Forest Avenue. Instead, the daughter saves the bus fare and travels down Forest Avenue where a brown low-rider Chevy begins to follow her. While very well written, these tales are closer to Grimms’ versions than Disney, and the illustrations are not for the meek. My personal favorite was “Juan and the Pinto Bean Stalk,” in which the irresponsible Juan (Jack) is wearing baggy pants and a bandanna and wants to do nothing but watch TV.

The Serpent Slayer and Other Stories of Strong Women

by Katrin Tchana; Trina Schart Hyman, illus.        Gr. 3–6        105 pages        Little, Brown, 2000.

This handsome collection of eighteen fairy tales from around the world focuses on heroines and is handsomely illustrated by one of the most talented Caldecott-winners.

Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird

by Vivian Vande Velde        Gr. 6 and up        128 pages        Harcourt, 1995

The author takes 13 traditional fairy tales and turns them on their heads, spins them with a grand and sometimes dark sense of humor, including a Hansel and Gretel who deserved to be baked to a crisp, and part of the problem for Jack (of beanstalk fame) was his hangover!