LIST: Fairy Tales, Fables and Other Stories for Children & the Adult Child

 

Fairy Tales

Little Red riding Hood - You can be misled if you don’t use your eyes, ears and brains.

The Ugly Duckling - Beauty is hidden until it is nurtured.  Don’t assume a person’s worth by their outside appearance.

The Little Red Hen - If you want to reap the benefits of society, you take responsibility for it.

The Three Little Pigs - Think through what works the best for you.

Rumplestiltskin - If  you don’t have the answer to get you out of a problem, someone else may.  Don’t be afraid to ask.

The Gingerbread Boy - Your cockiness may turn against you.

The Wonderful Porridge Pot - Being greedy may turn against you. Never being satisfied may get more trouble than you expected.

Puss in Boots - Wisdom can come to you from unusual sources and in unusual ways, if you’re sensitive to it.

The Three Wishes - Think through what you really want in life; plan ahead concerning your goals.

The Mice and the Cat (Belling the Cat) - Nothing important gets done without courage and action.

The Golden Goose - Being greedy and ungrateful won’t get you far in life.

Fables

The Hare and the Tortoise - Taking things for granted, smugness, or thinking too highly about yourself will cause you to miss your goal.

The Country Mouse and the City Mouse - Thinking that the grass is always greener somewhere else. What’s suitable for you may not be for someone else. Being satisfied with who and where you are.

The Golden Touch (King Midas) - Making money for money’s sake is a misguided goal.  Money doesn’t buy a “rich” life by itself. If you have your sight on a goal, to the exclusion of those you love, you can bring great unhappiness.

The Sun and the Wind - It’s not always the direct and blustering way that gets things done the best.

The Ants and the Grasshopper - You can’t expect to be given everything without any effort or responsibility on your part.

The Lion and the Mouse - Being smaller than another doesn’t mean you can’t think big or do big things. Even the small can contribute.

The Old Lion and the Fox - Using your head keeps you from making foolish or disastrous mistakes.

The Fox and the Crow - When you believe the flattery of others and think too highly of yourself, you can lose what you have.

The Eagle and the Crow - Trying to be what you aren’t

The Two Goats - When both people are stubborn, and neither wants to yield or compromise, then neither wins.

The Crab and His Mother - Insisting another do what you’re unable to do yourself.

The Two Goats - Being unwilling to compromise can lead to a dead end.

The Ass in the Lion’s Skin - When you talk too much, you can reveal too much.

Other Stories

The Wizard of Oz - Having within you what you already need; your resources lie within.

The King’s Breakfast, poem by A. A. Milne - A reminder of all of the people it takes to bring us what we need in life.

Joseph and His Brothers (Joseph and the Many-colored Coat - Bible story about making the best in whatever situation you are put into.  Also about forgiveness and reconciliation, and about following your intuitions.

Johnny Appleseed - What our little decisions can do.  What happens if you never take the first action?  You begin with the little things until they can be bigger.

A Few of the Available Storybooks

(Where some of these particular stories come from):

Fairy Tales and Fables, with pictures by Gyo Fujikawa

Treasury of Children’s Classics, illustrated by Charles Santore

Sounds of the Storyteller, ed. by Bill Martin, Jr.

Doorways to Adventure

Some of the Dr. Seuss books

Where the Wild Things Are