Comments on: 8 Reasons Why Fairy Tales Are Essential to Childhood

By: Genie Chow

Genie Chow — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:23:49 +0000

I am so glad I read this blog article. I am an author and illustrator who paints in watercolor. I paint mostly fairy and fantasy figures and themes. I’m working on a book of poems and accompanying pictures for the children’s book market. I agree, you can’t shelter kids, they have to learn the realities of life, even as moral messages within a fairytale. Letting children grow in their imagination is creative play and critical thinking that will benefit them now and in their future. Fairies are beautiful, their environment is nature and they can teach kids to appreciate the natural environment and the stories, though imaginary, in turn help them be more imaginative themselves.

By: Melissa Taylor

Melissa Taylor — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 15:21:15 +0000

In reply to Regina. Thanks for sharing, Regina!

By: Regina

Regina — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 19:20:32 +0000

Nice post, Melissa. I’m not a teacher or a parent, but I love books and story telling. I don’t remember ever being scared by fairy tales, and they haven’t affected my world view of romance (at least I don’t think so). I think parents may be critical of fairy tales because they are looking at them with their own jaundiced adult life experience. That said, I do think pre-schoolers may be too young for fairy tales. Older kids seem to understand that fairy tales are stories; they’re not real.

My personal favorite is Beauty and the Beast. I related to Belle, who was well-read and grounded, and had no interest in guys like Gaston who were full of themselves. The story teaches us to look past external appearances to see the true humanity of a person within. She was able to love the Beast because of who he was, even when he did not love himself. It’s about treating people with kindness, no matter who they are. A valuable lesson indeed, especially in today’s society.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 14:09:33 +0000

For me, it depends on the fairy tale and I would be sure that my child is old enough to understand reality from fantasy, because I grew up blurring the two and have had a miserable existence because of it!

By: Tommy Tinker And The Sacred Trees of Ireland

Tommy Tinker And The Sacred Trees of Ireland — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 01:13:13 +0000

Even as adults, we may learn from the characters in stories. They assist us because they allow us to connect with our own lives, dreams, and fears, as well as think what we would do if we were in their shoes. Children can learn how to navigate life by reading fairy tales. Thank you so much for the knowledge!

By: Ginnette

Ginnette — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 23:12:12 +0000

In reply to Beth Kimberly. I do studies with the students where they read fairy tales to identify themes and then look for a similar story in other cultures such as The little blue slipper : an Irish Cinderella tale by Jude Daly, Yeh-Shen : a Cinderella story from China by Ai-Ling Louie, and Cendrillon: a Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci. They then compare and contrast and look for indications of culture in the variations. (We do this with Little person theme for stories similar to Tom Thumb etc as well.) Fairy tales around the World is a great study.

By: Ginnette

Ginnette — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 22:58:40 +0000

In reply to Daniél. Hi Daniel, When comments are made by parents about the violence in fairy tales I wonder whether they carry through this mindset by not letting their children see the news on television, in the paper and online, and also ensure there is no violence in the games they play online and elsewhere. Unfortunately violence occurs in life even in the home and so learning resilience is important and there is not always a happy ending.

By: Ginnette Cameron-Gardner

Ginnette Cameron-Gardner — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 22:52:04 +0000

In reply to Mamacita.

Hi Mamacita, I use the original fairy tales with children up to 8 and then recap on the original and add in the abridgements with 8 year olds who are quick to comment on what they feel has been omitted and whether they feel it adversely affects the story. I do not use fractured fairy tales until at least Grade 3 – students approximately 9 years of age – and then only after we have had years of reading and enjoying the original versions. I am also still selective about which I use even then. For example they find it amusing to hear the excuses of the Wolf as to what really happened with the three little pigs. He was really trying to borrow a cup of sugar to bake sick granny a cake and sneezed and accidentally blew the house down. It does not appear to detract from their enjoyment of the original story. (The true story of the 3 little pigs by A. Wolf ; as told to Jon Scieszka ; illustrated by Lane Smith. isbn 9780140544510. )