Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Faeries (25th Anniversary Edition)

by Brian Froud, David Larkin, Alan Lee

It has been 25 years since Brian Froud and Alan Lee created the delightful, imaginative, and surprising Faeries-a book that quickly became a massive international bestseller and went on to sell more than a million copies. Readers continue to offer praise: "This is the most influential book I have ever read." "This book is-where are the words to describe it? Magnificent / Fabulous / Beautiful / Moving / Terrifying... (more)

Italian Folktales

by Italo Calvino

Chosen by The New York Times as one of its best books in the year of its original publication, this treasure trove of 200 lively Italian folktales has won a cherished place among fans of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. In this collection, Calvino combines a sensibility attuned to the fantastical with a singular writerly ability to capture the visions and dreams of a culture.

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (Picture Puffin S.)

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (Picture Puffin S.)

by John Steptoe

Mufaro was a happy man. Everyone agreed that his two daughters were very beautiful. Nyasha was kind and considerate as well as beautiful, but everyone -- except Mufaro -- knew that Manyara was selfish, badtempered, and spoiled. When the king decided to take a wife and invited "The Most Worthy and Beautiful Daughters in the Land" to appear before him, Mufaro declared proudly that only the king could choose between... (more)

The Boy of the Three-Year Nap (Caldecott Honor Books)

The Boy of the Three-Year Nap (Caldecott Honor Books)

by Dianne Snyder

Lazy Taro gets his comeuppance.

The Weaving of a Dream (Picture Puffins)

The Weaving of a Dream (Picture Puffins)

by Marilee Heyer

Heyer retells an engrossing Chinese folktale about an old woman who weaves exquisite brocades. Full-color illustrations.

The Interpretation of Fairy Tales

by Marie-Louise von Franz, Kendra Crossen

Of the various types of mythological literature, fairy tales are the simplest and purest expressions of the collective unconscious and thus offer the clearest understanding of the basic patterns of the human psyche. Every people or nation has its own way of experiencing this psychic reality, and so a study of the world's fairy tales yields a wealth of insights into the archetypal experiences of humankind. Perhaps... (more)

American Tall Tales

by Mary Pope Osborne

Illus. in full color. Upstarts like Davy Crockett, giants like Paul Bunyan, and gentle souls like Johnny Appleseed are among the nine "tall" heroes featured in this exuberant collection of traditional American folk tales. "McCurdy's intricate wood engravings set these larger-than-life folk on majestic landscapes brimming with energy, rich with wildlife and local color. The author's thoughtful introduction and... (more)

Stinky Cheeseman (Picture Puffin S.)

by Jon Scieszka

Jon Scieszka introduces some really stupid off-the-wall fairy tales including: "Chicken Licken", "The Princess and the Bowling Ball"; "The Really Ugly Duckling", and "Jack's Bean Problem". Chosen by children as the Book of the Year for the Federation of Children's Book Groups, this book was described by "She magazine" as, 'The most delightful collection of stories a young cynic could hope to read'.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

by Jon Scieszka

"Parodic humor here runs riot...irrepressibly zany fun!" -- Kirkus * Caldecott Honor Book * An ABBY Honor Book * Publishers Weekly Top Selling Kids Books of All Time List * ALA Notable Children's Book * New York Times Notable Book of the Year * New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year * School Library Journal Best Books of the Year * Booklist Children's Editors' Choice, "Top of the... (more)

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale

by Verna Aardema

In this Caldecott Medal winner, Mosquito tells a story that causes a jungle disaster. "Elegance has become the Dillons' hallmark. . . . Matching the art is Aardema's uniquely onomatopoeic text . . . An impressive showpiece."--Booklist, starred review. Full color.

The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales

by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

The classic edition of 210 ageless tales of myth and magic - one of the most popular collections of fairy tales ever published.

American Indian Myths and Legends (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

American Indian Myths and Legends (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

by Richard Erdoes, Alfonso Ortiz

Gathering 160 tales from 80 tribal groups to offer a rich and lively panarama of the Native American mythic heritage. 100 drawings.

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

by Velma Wallis, Jim Grant

Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, this is the suspenseful, shocking, ultimately inspirational tale of two old women abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine. Though these women have been known to complain more than contribute, they now must either survive on their own or die trying. In simple... (more)

The Grey Fairy Book

by Andrew Lang

35 stories, many from oral traditions, others from French, German, Italian collections: "The Goat-faced Girl," "The Sunchild," "The Street Musicians," "The Twin Brothers," "Prunella," and many more. 59 illustrations.

The Blue Fairy Book

by Andrew Lang

Finest stories from around the world--most of them old favorites: "Sleeping Beauty," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Cinderella," "The Arabian Nights," 33 more. Includes original 138 black-and-white illustrations.

A Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories

A Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories

by Rudyard Kipling

In this sumptuous volume, eight of Kipling's playful, inventive tales are brought to life by eight of today's most celebrated illustrators, from Peter Sis's elegantly graphic cetacean in "How the Whale Got His Throat" to Satoshi Kitamura's amusingly expressive characters in "The Cat That Walked by Himself." This collection of pourquoi tales is sure to please and delight curious children everywhere who wonder,... (more)

The Violet Fairy Book

by Andrew Lang

Roumania, Japan, Serbia, Lithuania, Africa, Portugal, and Russia are among the sources of these 35 stories that tell of haunted forest, chests of gold coins, a magical dog, and a man who outwits a dragon. 74 illustrations.

The Sisters Grimm: Book 4

Once Upon a Crime

by Michael Buckley

The Grimms take Manhattan in the fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series! When fairy-tale detectives Sabrina and Daphne Grimm venture back to the big city to help a friend, they land in the middle of a big mystery. Puck’s father, King Oberon, has been murdered, and the Grimms suspect one of the many famous (and infamous) fairy-tale folk who call the city home. Can they find the culprit while... (more)

Old Wives' Fairy Tale Book, The

by Angela Carter

Fairy tales, folk tales, stories from the oral tradition, are all of them the most vital connection we have with the imaginations of the ordinary men and women whose labour created our world." -- From the Introduction There was a time when fairy tales weren't meant just for children -- they were part of an oral folklore tradition passed down through generations. This volume of sixty enchanting and enduring tales,... (more)

Sleeping Ugly

by Diane Stanley, Jane Yolen

When beautiful Princess Miserella, Plain Jane, and a fairy fall under a sleeping spell, a prince undoes the spell in a surprising way.

Shelfari Book Activity

Tags: fairy tales/folk tales

by Brian Froud, David Larkin, Alan Lee

by Italo Calvino

by John Steptoe

by Dianne Snyder

by Marilee Heyer

by Marie-Louise von Franz, Kendra Crossen

by Mary Pope Osborne

by Jon Scieszka

by Jon Scieszka

by Verna Aardema

by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

by Richard Erdoes, Alfonso Ortiz

by Velma Wallis, Jim Grant

by Andrew Lang

by Andrew Lang

by Rudyard Kipling

by Andrew Lang

by Michael Buckley

by Angela Carter

by Diane Stanley, Jane Yolen