Fairy TalesKayla Martin, Kristen Marbury, Alexandra McGarry, Jill Melanson

What is a Folktale? A tale circulated by word of mouth among the

common folk.

What is a Fable? A fable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse,

that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are given human qualities, and that illustrates a moral lesson.

…… THEN WHAT IS A FAIRY TALE???

What is a Fairy Tale? A fairy tale is a kind of folktale or fable

usually intended for children, involving fantastic forces and beings.

Examples of Popular Fairy Tales

Cinderella Goldilocks and the Three Bears Hansel and Gretel Rumpelstiltskin Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs The Little Mermaid Little Red Riding Hood Sleeping Beauty Thumbelina

Examples of Modern Fairy Tale Books Ella Enchanted The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales Beastly The Princess Bride Wicked

Elements of Fairy Tales Magic words or phrases (ex: “Once upon a time in

a land far far away”, “They lived happily ever after”, etc.)

Monsters Youngest vs. Oldest Talking animals/objects Sleep (death-like) Guardians (ex. fairy godmothers) Human strengths/powers and weaknesses Cleverness/tricks/games Struggle between good and evil, light versus dark Impossible tasks Quests and journeys

Distinguishing Features Based on the definition, expected elements, and your prior knowledge of fairy tales what distinguishes it as its

own genre of children’s literature?

What makes fairy tales different from other genres of children’s literature?

What Makes for Excellence?

A good, likeable character to root for

Exciting setting Good imageryRelatable characters Familiar plotA fresh take on the traditional tale

Old Tales Made New

Today, some authors still like to retell and invent new fairy tales. The Cinderella story was recently re-imagined

by Diane Goode in her book Cinderella: The Dog and Her Little Glass Slipper.

Jon Scieszka's fractured fairy tales in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales are another example of a retelling but with humor.

Different Cultures Same Tale

Japanese Cinderella German Cinderella

In The Classroom! A sense of oral tradition Promotes creativity and imagination Pleasure reading Teach morals

Works Cited http://www.surfturk.com/mythology/

fairytaleelements.html http://www.longlongtimeago.com/

llta_fairytales.html http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/fairy-

tales-around-world#sect-activities http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/fairy-

tales http://www.fairytales.co/

popular_fairy_tales.html