Children's travel books: Folktales, Fairytales, and Myths
Folktales, Fairytales, and Myths from around the world
World Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Myths
Below you will find a large variety of world fairy tales, folk tales, and myths. Most books share a story or group of stories from a specific country. You can click on any book to read more information and then find links to more books about that specific country. Enjoy learning more about your world via stories that have been told through generations.
What are Folktales?
A folktale is a story that was passed down through generations in the oral tradition. They’re usually based on something real to life and have a moral at the end of the story.
What are Fairy Tales?
A fairy tale is similar to a folk down in that the story was, likely, passed down orally through generations. There is also a lesson in the end. The difference is that instead of being based on real-life situations, there’s a magical element. For example, the story includes dragons, unicorns, or fairies.
What are Myths?
Myths are like folktales with more meaning, often the story of the beginning, and include supernatural beings. Some can be based on actual events, but through time a great importance is connected to these stories which gives it a strong cultural connection.
What are Legends?
Legends started based on historical facts, but the story grows to include supernatural elements through time.
Please note: In many cases, these stories can overlap where they have elements of each other in them. For little kids, acknowledging those differences may not be as vital as sharing the stories that make up the backbone of a culture. Parents, however, may enjoy getting more in-depth than this post allows.
For a more in-depth look on this discussion, check out Scholastic or Myths and Legends.
Showing 41–80 of 112 results
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Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
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The Legend of Mackinac Island
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Legend’s and Fables from Liechtenstein
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The Princess of the Springs: A Story from Brazil
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The Clever Monkey: A Folktale from West Africa
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The Mermaid’s Twin Sister: More Stories from Trinidad
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Party Croc!: A Folktale from Zimbabwe
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Beautiful Blackbird
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Traveling to Tondo: A Tale of the Nkundo of Zaire
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The Zebra’s Stripes: And Other African Animal Tales
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Give Up, Gecko!
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I Know An Old Mzee Who Swallowed A Fly…in Uganda!
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The Enchanted World of Tunisian Folktales
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True Friends: A Tale from Tanzania
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Celtic Folktales from Wales 1
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Secret of the Glass Mountain and Other Folktales from Ukraine
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The Mitten
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How Tiger Got His Stripes: A Folktale from Vietnam
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Children of the Dragon: Selected Tales from Vietnam
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The Dragon Prince: Stories and Legends from Vietnam
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The Girl Who Wore Too Much: A Folktale from Thailand
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I Lost My Arrow in a Kankan Tree
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The Gift of the Sun: A Tale from South Africa
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Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales
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The Ogress and the Snake and Other Stories from Somalia
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Never Say a Mean Word Again
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An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales
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The Turtle and the Island: A Folk Tale From Papua New Guinea
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Conejito: A Folktale from Panama
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Romanian Fairy Tales
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Trisba and Sula: A Miskitu Folktale from Nicaragua
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Ajapa the Tortoise: A Book of Nigerian Folk Tales
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Why The Sky Is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale
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The Mean Hyena
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Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia
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D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths
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Norwegian Folktales
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The Khan’s Daughter: A Mongolian Folktale
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