First fairy tales for toddlers and preschoolers
There's nothing scary or grim (see what I did there?) about these fairy tales. And for the under five set, that's totally OK.
There is so much to say about fairy tales. From the Grimm brothers to Disney, there are many variations, opinions and feelings about these timeless stories.
There are many smart, thoughtful people who discuss the importance of reading fairy tales to children (check out Sarah Miller’s take at Can We Read? and Sarah Mackenzie’s at Read-Aloud Revival), but I recently listened to and enjoyed this episode from The Votive Podcast that shares many reasons why it’s beneficial to read fairy tales to children—even the scary parts, and while I’m sure that has value for older children, my almost-three and almost-five year olds just aren’t ready for that yet.
So if you, like me, want to introduce your five-years-old-and-younger children to fairy tales in an age appropriate way, consider these three stories from the “My First Fairy Tales” series.
Each book in the series features bright, cheerful illustrations and, as a typography nerd, I love the way the text formatting helps tell the story.
In the three books featured below, the adaptations:
stay true to the original stories.
have the catchphrases we all know and love (i.e. “this porridge is juuuust right,” “not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!” and “who’s that trip-trapping over my bridge?”). Surprisingly, I’ve encountered many versions do not!
keep any villains/antagonists true to their original form, but not in a scary way.
“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” adapted by Maya Alperin, illustrated by Kate Daubney
Everything you’d expect from Goldie and the Bear family, but my kids get a kick out of Baby Bear ending the story asking for toast for breakfast instead of porridge.
“The Three Little Pigs” adapted by Maya Alperin, illustrated by Ag Jatkowska
These little pigs are named Horace, Borace and Percy, which is fun, and at the end of the story, the big bad wolf simply burns his bottom and runs away, never to bother the piggies again.
“The Three Billy Goats Gruff” adapted by Maya Alperin, illustrated by Kate Pankhurst
This troll is just the right amount of yucky to satisfy my son and smiley to placate my daughter (who is easily frightened by creatures like trolls or giants). These confident goats also don’t seem scared of the troll, which goes a long way toward comforting my little girl.
Have you read any of the fairy tales in this series? Do you have other versions that you recommend for the toddler/preschool set? If so, drop them in the comments; I’d love to hear!
“If I’m honest, I have to tell you that I still read fairy tales and I like them best of all.” — Audrey Hepburn
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Love this! My daughter is also easily spooked and my son loves gross stuff haha.