Fairy Tales, Fables, and Poems

Enjoying Fairy Tales, Fables, and Poems

Fairy tales, fables, and poems offer rich reading experiences that work on many levels. Children's literature recognizes that kids learn through play and imagination, creating inspired stories, poetry, and moral lessons.

Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are among the most popular selections for children because they open their minds to far off places conjured by imagination. Disney fairy tales are modern creations that appeal to young kids and many classic tales have timeless appeal that many children never outgrow.

Themes for these children's books include:

• Challenges and tests
• Obstacles
• Good versus evil
• Jealousy
• Romantic love
• Kindness
• Cleverness

Fables

Wolf Turned Shepherd

Many fairy tales have moral lessons weaved into them, but fables are among the most useful tools for exploring the "moral of the story".

Fables have ancient roots that delve deep into the past, when people did not read stories. Many of the fables, such as Aesop's Fables were passed from one generation to the next in the oral storytelling tradition. Later, the stories were recorded in texts.

These stories are very brief, often written in poetic verse. The morality stories have certain qualities, namely anthropomorphism, in which human characteristics are attributed to any of the following:

• Animals
• Forces of nature
• Plants
• Objects

The little stories may include poetic verse but they are not necessarily classified as children's poetry.

Children's Poems

Poems for children, like fairy tales and fables, have long histories. The verse tends to focus on meter, rhythm and rhyme rather than complex poetic elements. However, many do explore imagery, simile, and metaphor. Shel Silverstein poems are excellent examples of poetry for kids that conjure rich images in remarkably simple language.

Poetry for learning

Poems for child enhance learning by:

• Exercising memory using repetition
• • Rhyme
  • Rhythm
  • Meter
• Developing figurative language
• • Simile
  • Metaphor
• Introduction to poetic devices

Fairy tales, fables, and poems are staples in any child's book collection. These writings can help to develop a love of learning that lasts a lifetime.