Diverse Fairytales

The best thing about fairytales is that there are so many multicultural variations for children to enjoy. Our librarians have come up with a list of some of their favorite diverse fairytales that you may not know about! 

The Fisherman and His Wife by Rachel Isadora
Caldecott Honor-winning artist Rachel Isadora brings another fabulous fairy tale to brilliant life with her stunning collages. The Brothers Grimm story of the kind fisherman who catches an enchanted fish, and his greedy wife who always wants more, is perfect for these ‘give-me’ times. Rachel Isadora’s captivating collage-style artwork, featuring the African landscape and the increasingly turbulent ocean, provides a wonderful new backdrop for this classic story.

La Princessa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya
El principe knows this girl is the one for him, but, as usual, his mother doesn’t agree. The queen has a secret test in mind to see if this girl is really a princesa. But the prince might just have a sneaky plan, too . . . Readers will be enchanted by this Latino twist on the classic story, and captivated by the vibrant art inspired by the culture of Peru.

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith
Yum! The lovely Alex serves up a sweet treat fairy tale. A hungry lion. A little girl. A box of doughnuts…? Gorgeous proof that a perfect picture book can look even more tempting than a sweet shop window. Worried about wolves? Don’t make Little Red laugh. She’s not even scared of hungry lions. After all, why would this furry chap want to gobble her up? She’s sure he’d rather have a doughnut. Right, Mr Lion? A sassy heroine, beautiful artwork, jungle animals, a funny twist on a tale you adore. Once again, the World Book Day artist gets us all eating from his hand.

Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen
Reverend Knight can’t understand why his twelve sons’ sneakers are torn to threads each and every morning, and the boys aren’t talking. They know their all-night dancing wouldn’t fit with their father’s image in the community. Maybe Sunday, a pretty new nanny with a knack for getting to the bottom of household mysteries, can crack the case. This modern, hip retelling of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses bursts with vibrant artwork and text that’s as energetic as the twelve toe-tapping Knight brothers themselves.

The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci
A Southern folktale in which kind Blanche, following the instructions of an old witch, gains riches, while her greedy sister makes fun of the old woman and is duly rewarded.

Lon Po Po by Ed Young
In this Chinese version of “Little Red Riding Hood,” three sisters are left alone while their mother goes to visit their grandmother. In the middle the night, a wolf disguised as their grandmother tricks the girls and enters their house. When the girls realize they are in danger, they devise a clever plan to kill the wolf. They prove their courage and intelligence as they fend off the blood-thirsty villain all by themselves.

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
Inspired by a traditional African folktale, this is the story of Mufaro, who is proud of his two beautiful daughters. Nyasha is kind and considerate, but everyone—except Mufaro—knows that Manyara is selfish and bad-tempered. When the Great King decides to take a wife and invites the most worthy and beautiful daughters in the land to appear before him, Mufaro brings both of his daughters—but only one can be queen. Who will the king choose?

Rapunzel by Rachel Isadroa
Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora’s gorgeous collages breathe new life into this classic tale, capturing Rapunzel’s striking beauty and the lush African setting–a new home for this story–with wonderful details such as Rapunzel’s long dreadlocks and the prince’s noble steed–a zebra. Readers will delight in the vibrant illustrations, thrill at the appearances of the frightening sorceress, and chime in with the familiar line “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair,” as they follow this well-loved tale.

Princess and the Peas by Rachel Himes
In this adaptation of The Princess and the Pea, Ma Sally cooks the best black-eyed peas in Charleston County, South Carolina. Her son, John, is a highly eligible bachelor, and three local women vie for his hand in marriage by attempting to cook as well as Ma. At the last minute, a surprise contestant named Princess arrives at the door. Princess and John are well-matched, but Princess has her own ideas. When told she has won John’s hand, she asks him to scrub the pots and pans before she’ll give him an answer. Her answer, it turns out, is that she wants to spend some time getting to know John first.

Maria Had a Little Llama by Angela Dominguez
With gorgeous, Peruvian-inspired illustrations and English and Spanish retellings, Angela Dominguez gives a fresh new twist to the classic rhyme. Maria and her mischievous little llama will steal your heart.

Photo credit: Matt Anderson Designs