You can discuss and explore fairy tales any time of the year with your students. This post shares Fairy Tale Children’s Books that you can use for this purpose. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these Fairy Tale Children’s Books!
6 Fairy Tale Children’s Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite Fairy Tale Children’s Books to share with elementary students. Check them out!
1. The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkey
In the midst of a beautiful summer day, a duck rests upon her six eggs. Five of them were small, while one was oddly shaped.
Once the eggs hatched, it was clear that the oddly shaped egg contained an ugly duckling. Other ducks made fun of him, hens pecked at him, and his siblings were mean to him. Finally, he ran away from home, venturing to a cottage in the woods. There, he stayed with an elderly lady, a cat, and a hen. Still, there, he felt out of place and left to venture in the pond.
That is, until winter came. He saw beautiful swans flying above him, but he dared not to follow out of fear. He was freezing and, with a few events, just survived the brutal weather.
Once spring came, he joined the whirring birds flying. He was amazed by these creatures. That is, until a girl noticed that he was the best looking of all the birds in the pond. He recognized that without all of his struggles, he would never had known what true happiness was. And this- this was exactly it.
Check out these The Ugly Duckling teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
2. The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
Once upon a time, there lived three billy goats of various sizes. They all were named Gruff. The goats were hungry, and there was not enough grass to graze. So, they knew they would have to travel to the hillside with all the daisies.
The billy goats began to walk to a bridge. Under a bridge lived a troll. When the smallest goat walked across, the troll wanted to eat him, but was spared because he told the troll the next goat was even bigger.
The second billy goat walked across the bridge, but similarly to the first billy goat, he was spared as he told the troll the next goat was even fatter.
Then, it was time for the biggest goat to pass. When the troll went to gobble him, the goat used his horns and hooves to throw the troll into the rushing river. The troll was not seen again, and the goats got to enjoy the new pasture!
Check out these The Three Billy Goats Gruff teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
3. The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone
This timeless story shares morals of teamwork, kindness, and cooperation. In a small, cozy house lived a dog, cat, mouse, and hen. While the other animals rested, the hen had to do all of the housework.
The hen had to clean dishes, wash windows, and mend the clothes. When she asked for help picking up the wheat, no animal wanted to help. No one helped when ground the wheat into flour, either.
The hen used the flour to bake a cake, which entranced all the animals in the house. But when they asked for a piece, she told them that since they did not help, they do not get to eat it. From that day on, whenever there were chores to do, all of the animals worked together.
Check out these The Little Red Hen teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
4. Goldilocks and The Three Bears by James Marshall
In a small village lived a young girl named Goldilocks. Although she looked sweet, she was actually quite naughty. One day, her mother sent her to buy muffins in the next village over. Her mother told her not to go off the path, as there was a family of bears in the forest.
Well, Goldilocks quickly broke her promise and ventured into a house, unknowingly the house of the three bears. She tried their porridges, sat in their rocking chairs, and even laid in their beds!
Once the three bears came home, they quickly noticed something was not right. Their porridge was eaten, chairs were broken, and beds were messy. All of a sudden, they saw feet jumping out of the window! They hoped to never see this young girl again. And- they never did.
Check out these Goldilocks and The Three Bears teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
5. Red Riding Hood by James Marshall
Little Red Riding Hood was a delightful young girl. One day, her mother shared that Granny was ill. She made a custard for her, and Red Riding Hood was to deliver it through the deep, dark woods. After Little Red Riding Hood swore to not talk to strangers, she was off.
It did not take long before she met a stranger- a wolf. However, the wolf was like no stranger she had ever met! The wolf was helpful and compassionate. As readers, we know that he has an ulterior motive. Once he learns enough, he runs ahead and gobbles up the Granny. He then jumps into the covers and awaits his dessert.
Little Red Riding Hood approaches Granny’s house and sees her, causing distress. How different she looks! The wolf quickly gobbles her up too, then takes a nap.
Check out these Red Riding Hood teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
6. Hansel and Gretel by James Marshall
Living in the woods in the midst of a famine lived a woodcutter and his wife. His wife was afraid there would not be enough to eat, so they led their children to the woods to starve. Hearing of this plan, Hansel gathered pebbles to help him and his sister find their way home. When they returned, their father was happy to see them, but the wife was not.
In the eyes of the next famine, the woodcutter and his wife led the children deeper into the woods. Hansel left a path of crumbs, but they were eaten by animals! So, the children wandered deeper and deeper into the forest until they found a house of candy. A witch welcomed them, encouraging them to eat. She then locked up the brother and tried to make him eat so he would become plump.
In the end, Hansel and Gretel outsmarted the witch, ran off with her treasures, and found their father. They lived happily ever after!
Check out these Hansel and Gretel teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of Fairy Tale Children’s Books helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
