We term ‘fairy tales’ the kind of traditional tales that tell of magic and talking animals, and of elves, sprites and other ‘little people’. But the boundary between fairy tales and folk tales, which also sometimes have supernatural elements, is thin. Some experts on children’s literature believe that fairy tales are a category of folk tale. John Rowe Townsend argues that ‘folk’ refers to the origin of a tale while ‘fairy’ indicates the nature of the story (Townsend, 1995 edition, Chapter 7, p. 67). Very generally, the characters in folk tales tend to be ordinary people – farm workers, cobblers, seamstresses and woodcutters for example – while fairy tales are usually about kings and queens, princes and princesses and others of noble birth.
Of course it is well known that fairy tales began as oral tales to amuse adults. But by the middle of the nineteenth century, fairy tales collections by Perrault, Grimm and Hans Andersen had been published. The published versions were for child readers and the more shocking elements were toned down.
Primary teachers need some background knowledge and understanding of the history and the features of fairy tales to inspire their classes. One of the most illuminating essays on fairy tales is the introduction by the Opies to their beautifully illustrated book The Classic Fairy Tales. For the Opies the defining feature is that a fairy tale ‘contains an enchantment or other supernatural element that is clearly imaginary’ (I. and P. Opie, 1974, p. 15). We search out anthologies or books on a single tale where the telling makes a powerful appeal to the young imagination. The illustrations too must intrigue and please. The Pea and the Princess by Mini Grey is a delightful retelling of Hans Andersen’s fairy story from the point of view of the pea!
Two anthologies recommended for the under eights are The Walker Book of Fairy Tales told by Amy Ehrlich (Walker Books) and First Fairy Tales re-told by Margaret Mayo in rhyme and with much repetition. Vivian French’s retelling of seven traditional fairy tales (‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘The Fisherman and His Wife’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’, ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ and ‘Cinderella’) is illustrated by Peter Malone with exceptionally fine paintings. French’s gift for memorable language makes her creation of the magical worlds well worth reading out loud. Good primary school collections will include fairy stories from different lands. Reading or listening to them tells us about the culture they arose from – its customs, values and beliefs. The Puffin Classic Fairy Tales has a good mix of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh stories. Barbara K. Wilson tells a rather Cinderella-like tale from China about some magic fish bones in Wishbones: A Folktale from China. Yeh Hsien finds a wonderful golden fish and feeds it until it grows enormous but her jealous stepmother kills and eats the fish. Tales from India retold by Sanjeevini, Navjeet and Misti (illustrated by Daksha and Manju Gregory) is a collection of Indian folk tales adapted for young readers. As well as the books there are also dual-language cassettes available in Gujarati and Punjabi (Mantra, 1984).
Modern fairy tales often challenge traditional gender roles in an entertaining way, for example Princess Smartypants (1986) by Babette Cole, The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch (1980) and William Jay’s The Practical Princess and Other Liberating Fairy Tales (Nelson/Hippo) are enjoyed. Children of about eight years (when they will have a grip on the features and conventions of traditional tales) love the idea of dragons saving princes from princesses, and princesses wearing paper bags instead of gowns. Older children would appreciate the alternative tellings of well known tales in Alison Lurie’s Clever Gretchen and Other Forgotten Fairy Tales. For a most entertaining post-modern picture book presenting playful stories round traditional fairy tale characters see John Scieszka’s The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Puffin, 1992) and by the same author The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
Judith Graham has some helpful suggestions for follow-up activities after ten to eleven year olds have heard The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales – comparing the traditional and revised versions of the fairy tales and later on carrying out their own subversive adaptations to other traditional tales (see Graham, 1997, pp. 68 and 69).
There is a growing software collection with programs that both entertain and raise issues about the conventions of fairy tales. For example children of about five years seem to enjoy the Play and Learn series which includes Snow White and the Seven Hansels which combines Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Children do need to know the stories as the game involves avoiding mixing up the events in the tales.
Graham, Judith (1997) Cracking Good Books: Teaching Literature at Key Stage 2 Sheffield: NATE.
Hallford, D. and Zaghini, E. (2004) Folk and Fairy Tales: A Book Guide London: Booktrust.
Opie, Iona and Peter (1974) The Classic Fairy Tales Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Phinn, Gervase (2000) Young Readers and Their Books London: David Fulton.
Stones, Rosemary (1999) A Multicultural Guide to Children’s Books 0–16+ London and Reading: Books for Keeps with the Reading University Reading and Language Information Centre.
Townsend, John Rowe (1995 edition) Written for Children Harmondsworth: Penguin.
This is the complete article, containing 903 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
