LIBRARY BLOG
Celebrate National Tell a Fairy Tale Day
February 26th
Fairy tales are short stories that contain magical and imaginary beings including goblins, wizards, elves, and even fairies. Originating in folklore, mythology, and legends, these stories feature the moral struggle of good versus evil. While they are considered to be for children, some are not at all appropriate for young audiences as the stories can be graphic, morbid, and complex. Many of these tales have been passed down orally for many generations before being recorded in writing.
Classic examples of fairy tales include: Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, and Rip Van Winkle. These stories have been adapted and retold many times since their creation. You may be surprised to learn that they have a brutal and gruesome history of not ending “happily ever after.” An early version of Cinderella written by Giambattista Basile in 1600s Italy included murder and bodily mutilation. In fact, most original versions of fairy tales include murder and overtly sexual language.
However, the existence of fairy tales in childrens’ lives is paramount. These stories often show a clear separation between good and evil with no grey areas. Children can project their natural aggression onto the villains and similarly identify with the hero or heroine of the story. Reading fairy tales is a way to nurture the imagination and soothe fears for children as well as adults. Fairy tales help us to consider honesty, right and wrong, and similar ethical questions which lead us to innovation, engineering, and philosophy.
What are some fairy tales that made an impact on you as a child?
Recommended Books
Bibliography
Preda, V., and E. Cocorada. “The Therapeutic Use of the Romanian Fairytales in Improving the Parent-Child Relationship and Well-Being.” Romanian Journal of Experimental Applied Psychology, vol. 8, Jan. 2017, pp. 337–342. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=130632880&site=ehost-live.
Tuttle, Edward F. “The Tale of Tales; or, Entertainment for Little Ones.” Marvels & Tales, vol. 22, no. 2, Nov. 2008, pp. 319–322. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=40305500&site=ehost-live.
Wipf, Joan Brogan, and Denise Da Ros-Voseles. “Lost Opportunities: Rediscovering Fairy Tales.” Library Media Connection, vol. 30, no. 4, Jan. 2012, pp. 26–28. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=70426675&site=ehost-live.
-Emily Duplantis, Youth Services