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FICTION
Gingerbread
by Helen Oyeyemi
Influenced by the mysterious place gingerbread holds in classic children’s stories–equal parts wholesome and uncanny, from the tantalizing witch’s house in “Hansel and Gretel” to the man-shaped confection who one day decides to run as fast as he can–beloved novelist Helen Oyeyemi invites readers into a delightful tale of a surprising family legacy, in which the inheritance is a recipe.
Folk Stories from the Hills of Puero Rico / Cuentos Folklóricos De Las Montañas De Puerto Rico
by Rafael Ocasio
This new anthology gathers together Puerto Rican folktales that were passed down orally for generations before finally being transcribed beginning in 1914 by the team of famous anthropologist Franz Boas. These charming tales give readers a window into the imaginations and aspirations of Puerto Rico’s Jíbaro. Some stories provide a distinctive Caribbean twist on classic tales including “Snow White” and “Cinderella.” Others fictionalize the lives of local historical figures, such as infamous pirate Roberto Cofresí, rendered here as a Robin Hood figure who subverts the colonial social order.
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
These narrative gems, newly translated and brought together in one beautiful book, are accompanied by sumptuous new illustrations from award-winning artist Andrea DezsoÌ. From “The Frog King” to “The Golden Key,” wondrous worlds unfold–heroes and heroines are rewarded, weaker animals triumph over the strong, and simple bumpkins prove themselves not so simple after all.
African American Folktales
by Thomas A. Green
African American culture has a rich tradition of folktales. Written for students and general readers, this volume gathers a sampling of the most important African American folktales. Included are nearly 50 tales grouped in thematic chapters on origins; heroes, heroines, villains, and fools; society and conflict; and the supernatural.
NON-FICTION
Once Upon A Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale
by Marina Warner
Marina Warner has loved fairy tales over her long writing career, and she explores here a multitude of tales through the ages, their different manifestations on the page, the stage, and the screen. From the phenomenal rise of Victorian and Edwardian literature to contemporary children’s stories, Warner unfolds a glittering array of examples.
Once Upon a Time in the Twenty-First Century: Unexpected Exercises in Creative Writing
by Robin Behn
Fun and innovative exercises and prompts for creative writing students Once Upon a Time in the Twenty-First Century: Unexpected Exercises in Creative Writing is a unique creative writing text that will appeal to a wide range of readers and writers—from grade nine through college and beyond.
The Irresistible Fairy Tale: the Cultural and Social History of a Genre
by Jack Zipes
Fairy-tale expert Jack Zipes presents a provocative new theory about why fairy tales were created and retold–and why they became such an indelible and infinitely adaptable part of cultures around the world. Drawing on cognitive science, evolutionary theory, anthropology, psychology, literary theory, and other fields, Zipes presents a nuanced argument about how fairy tales originate in ancient oral cultures, how they evolved through the rise of literary culture and print.
Contemporary Fiction and the Fairy Tale
by Stephen Benson
Considers the profound influence of fairy tales on contemporary fiction, including the work of Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, Angela Carter, Robert Coover, Salman Rushdie, and Jeanette Winterson.
Cinderella Across Cultures
by Martine Hennard Dutheil de la RocheÌre, Gillian Lathey, and Monika Woźniak
This book examplifies the interdisciplinary and transnational discourse of contemporary fairy-tale studies that seeks to foreground a fairy-tale text’s situatedness as well as to historicize its intertextuality.
Exploring Arab Folk Literature
by Pierre Cachia
Le Guin lays out ten chapters that address the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view.
JUVENILE FICTION
Classic Fairy Tales
by Maxine Barry (eBook)
Travel to the faraway land of ‘Once Upon a Time’ with this enchanting collection of classic fairy tales. From The Little Mermaid to The Three Little Pigs, and from Snow White to The Snow Queen, this beautifully illustrated collection is the perfect introduction to these timeless tales for readers aged 4 and up.
The Star Tales of Mother Goose
by Mary Stewart Adams
The Star Tales of Mother Goose is designed to awaken the imagination in relationship to the stars as a companion to the science of astronomy. The book includes traditional Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes in their connection with the constellations of the night sky as imagined by Mary. Rich with original illustrations by Mary’s sister and long-time collaborator Patricia DeLisa.
Jack and the Beanstalk
retold by Steven Kellogg
A boy climbs to the top of a giant beanstalk, where he uses his quick wits to outsmart a giant and make his and his mother’s fortune.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
The Magic Fish
by Trung Le Nguyen
Real life isn’t a fairytale. But Tié̂n still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It’s hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tié̂n, he doesn’t even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he’s going through? Is there a way to tell them he’s gay?
Red Riding Hood: the graphic novel
retold by Martin Powell
One morning, young Ruby sets out to visit her grandma’s house. She wears a red riding hood to protect her from the forest’s evil creatures. But will it? A hungry old wolf has some evil plans of his own.
Cinderella; the graphic novel
retold by Beth Bracken
Cinderella’s wicked stepmother won’t let her go to the ball. But with a little help from a Fairy Godmother, she’ll be getting there in style. There’s just one catch. At midnight, her magical gown will turn back into dirty old rags.
Other Ever After
by Melanie Gillman
In this new feminist, queer fairy tale collection, the princesses, mermaids, barmaids, children, and wise old women who have been forced to sit on the sidelines in classic stories take center stage to fulfill their own dreams and find the love, power, and happiness they deserve.
FILMS IN KANOPY
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Tale of Tales
Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly are Queen and King in this gory, gorgeous grown-up fairytale full of princes & princesses, sorcerers & fairies, and fearsome monsters & ogres.
Son of Sofia: O gios tis Sofias
11-year-old Misha arrives from Russia to live with his mother, Sofia. What he doesn’t know is that there is a father waiting for him there. While Greece is living the Olympic dream, Misha is violently catapulted into the adult world, transforming difficult situations into dark fairy tales. Winner of the Best International Narrative Feature Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Beauty and the Beast
Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy-tale masterpiece—in which the pure love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast.
Rapunzel: Maiden/Mother/Crone
Femininity is once again examined, this time with a focus on the roles women play in stories. Dr. Harvey shares a combined version of “Rapunzel,” pulling from Grimm’s German version and Basile’s Italian version.Looking at the triad of Maiden/Mother/Crone and Warrior/Father/Sage, Dr. Harvey shows how stories reduce and distill all our life experiences into simple symbols.
Beauty and the Beast I: The Sleeping Prince
Dr. Harvey introduces you to a Norse tale called “East of the Sun, West of the Moon. ” This story introduces us to the theme of transformation – a theme that is both scary and exciting, and is a common in folktales to help us understand how we grow and change, and to teach the lesson that looks can be deceiving.
BEYOND THE LIBRARY: PODCASTS
Aesop Radiomatique presents: Future Fables
Aesop’s inaugural podcast series offers freshly penned fables that may provide catalysts for conversation, contemplation and quietude. Written by some of the most thought-provoking authors of today, each of these bedtime stories for adults adopts the ancient fable form to elucidate morals for modern times.
Folklore & Fiction
Welcome to the Folklore & Fiction podcast, where folklore scholarship meets the storytelling craft.
Circle Round
Created and produced by parents of young children, WBUR’s Circle Round adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10. Each 10- to 20-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence and generosity. And each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.
Fair Folk
Fair Folk is a podcast rediscovering and sharing the sacred song and folk traditions of Europe.