70 Best Children's Fables & Folktales From Around the World (2024)

It has been proven that the best way to get a child to learn to read early is to read to them as a baby every day and to continue to read to them through the toddler years. Now, you know that I am an absolute book lover, and I read as often as possible. Therefore, I always read to my own children to encourage them to love to read themselves. It did not matter thetype of storyat first, as long as I was reading to them. As they got older, I started to look for tales ofdifferent cultural traditions, stories that taught amoral lesson,tales of animals(such as thetortoiseand thehare), and, as I had multiple children of various ages, I read books that would good forreaders of all ages that offered lessons.

Remember, before the age of technology, stories andlegendswere passed down throughoral tradition, often tellingbeast talesofhuman strengthsas they battledvarious animalsandenchanted creatures. Some of thegreatest storytellers of all timewould have large gatherings of listeners in pubs and gathering halls to listen to their extravagant tales of wonder. They usually played an instrument as they told their tale to these groups and used differentthematic patternsto keep the audience enthralled.

This tradition continued through the19th centuryand early 20th century, as families would gather insmall groupsto tell stories, and if they could afford it and knew how to read, they would readshort narrativestogether by the fire. Many of these stories taughtfolk wisdomand wouldoffer lessonsfor the children.

Fromearlier generations, some of the best moral tales wereanimal fables, such asAesop’s fables, which taught lessons using animals to describehuman behaviorandhuman nature. A great example of this is the story of theantand thegrasshopper.Morals of fableswerecautionary lessonswhereanimal characterswould facerelated problemsto learn from to bring about abehavior change.

My firstpiece of adviceis to head to yourlocal libraryto find books about thesefolktalesfrom around the world before you purchase any of these gems. Also, you can find a fewfolktalesonline for yourKindleor another e-reader.

I absolutely love when my students complete a notebook page with thisfreefolktalegraphic organizer.It makes them really think deeply about thefolktaleorfableand how it relates to them. With this graphic organizer, they will be able to explore different characteristics of the story.

I also have these freereading genrepostershanging up in my classroom. They are perfect for homeschoolers, too.

Can I suggest that you consider focusing lessons on differenttypes of storiesand folk tales? For instance, consider having aFables Weekduring which time you read and explore the differentelements of fables. Also, you can cultural week where students bring in differenttales of culturesfrom around the world. They may even decide to choose a story from where their ancestors came from.

As a lover of reading, I decided to gather a collection of fantastic picture books to use to expose your child to a wonderfulcollection of classical stories,legends,myths, and otherworld folktales! It’s always exciting to read afolktalefrom around the world when you are studying a particular country.

There is a little something for everyone among these pages, starting with the classic fairy tale stories byWilhelm Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Charles Perrault, going on to the morally edifyingfablesof Aesop andJean de La Fontaine, and ending with the wisdom, gathered by the people: thefolktalesfrom different parts of the world. AboutfolktalesThefolktaleis a story passed down verbally from generation to generation. Each storyteller added something new to the stories, making them more interesting and fascinating as the ages passed. Differentfolktalesbear the characteristics of the culture, folklore, and customs of the people from which they originated.

Asia

• The Lost Horse: A Chinese Folktale by Ed Young
• Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
• Judge Rabbit and the Tree Spirit by Lina Mao Wall
• The Drum: A Folktale from India by Rob Cleveland
• The Jade Stone: A Chinese Folktale by Caryn Yacowitz
• The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale by Yumi Heo
• How the Tiger Got His Stripes: A Folktale from Vietnam by Rob Cleveland
• The Archer and the Sun by Rob Cleveland
• The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
• Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Africa

• Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale by Mary-Joan Gerson
• Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky by Elphinstone Dayrell
• Koi and the Kola Nuts by Verna Aardema
• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema
• Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa by Gerald McDermott
• Anansi and the Talking Melon by Eric A. Kimmel
• The Well of Truth: A Folktale from Egypt by Martha Hamilton
• Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
• How the Zebra Got His Stripes by Cari Mostert
• The Heart of a Friendship: An East African Folktale by H. Arrington

Australia/Oceania

• Rainbow Bird: An Aboriginal Folktale from Northern Australia by Eric Maddern
• The Biggest Frog in Australia by Susan Roth
• What Made Tiddalik Laugh by Joanna Troughton
• Galah and Oolah: An Australian Folktale by Anastasia Suen
• The Sun and the Kookaburra: An Aboriginal Folktale from Australia by Jan Mike
• The Flower Seekers: An Australian Aboriginal Folktale by Kwan Shan Mei
• Whale’s Canoe: A Folktale from Australia by Joanna Troughton
• Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail by Martha Hamilton
• The Bunyip: A Folktale from Australia by Steve Osborn
• How the Turtle Got Its Shell by Jeffrey Lee

Europe

• Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale by Margaret Reed MacDonald
• The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle by Margaret Reed MacDonald
• The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket by Sonia Levitin
• The Snow Child: A Russian Folktale by Freya Littledale
• Mr. Semolina-Semolinus: A Greek Folktale by Anthony L. Manna
• The Beautiful Butterfly: A Folktale from Spain by Judy Sierra
• Three Perfect Peaches: A French Folktale by Cynthia C. DeFelice
• The Parrot: An Italian Folktale by Raffaella Gal
• Prince of the Stable: A Hungarian Legend by Christopher Keane
• Baba Yaga: A Russian Folktale by Eric A. Kimmel

North America

• The Jack Tales:Folktales from the Southern Appalachian by Richard Chase
• The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci
• How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend by Jerrie Oughton
• Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest by Gerald McDermott
• The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
• Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
• The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola
• Antelope Woman: An Apache Folktale by Michael Lacapa
• The Magic Hummingbird: A Hopi Folktale by Michael Lomatuway’ma
• John Henry by Julius Lester

South America

• The Dancing Turtle: A Folktale from Brazil by Pleasant DeSpain
• The Llama’s Secret: A Peruvian Legend by Palacios
• How Night Came from the Sea: A Story from Brazil by Mary Joan Gerson
• The Monkey’s Whiskers: A Brazilian Folktale by Anne Rockwell
• Chancay and the Secret of Fire: A Peruvian Folktale by Charles Donald
• Moon Rope by Lois Ehlert
• The Fox in the Moon by Franciso X. Mora
• Mariana and the Merchild: A Folktale from Chile by Caroline Pitcher
• The Search for the Magic Lake: A Folktale from Ecuador by Donna Perrone
• James the Vine Puller: A Brazilian Folktale by Martha Bennett Stiles

The Artic/Antarctic

• Kumak’s Fish: A Tale from the Far North
• The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale by Lydia Dabcovich
• Aurora: A Tale of the Northern Lights by Mindy Dwyer
• The Eye of the Needle: Based on a Yupik Tale by Betty Huffmon
• Raven Brings the Light: An Inuit Folktale by Kim Howard
• The Giant Bear: An Inuit Folktale by Jose Angutingunrik
• The Dancing Fox by John Bierhorst
• The Seal Oil Lamp by Dale de Armond
• Berry Magic by Teri Sloat
• The Salmon Princess by Mindy Dwyer

What’s your favorite folktale from around the world?

One of my favorite stories is the“Origin of the Tiger”,a Cambodianfolktalewith a number of applications. You can see it for yourself here:http://www.chanbokeo.com/index.php?gcm=1411&grid=120007&gtop=5327

Thanks so much for reviewing this list of world stories. As a teacher, I am always looking for stories that will help expand my student’s horizons, and seeing the world through the eyes of a story from another part of the world is a great way to do that. I teach mostly ESE students who often hate reading. Giving them compelling stories can often help get them past the challenges of reading. Plus, if the stories contain an interesting lesson, it gives us lots to discuss as we engage with the text- great assets for any good teacher.