Folklore includes nursery rhymes, folktales, fables, fairy tales, myths, legends, tall tales and much more. These tales depicting a culture’s customs, traditions, values and beliefs were passed down orally from one generation to the next. It is for this reason that they are included in the nonfiction section of the library under the Dewey classification 398.2. Folklore is important in the lives of our children. In the same way that folklore explained the world to early people, it helps young children understand their own world today. Similar reappearing themes (i.e. good vs. evil) and archetypes, like the fairy godmother and the wicked stepmother, are clearly visible in folktales of all people across time and place. Folklore provides a way of seeing and accepting another culture different from our own. Folklore is a form of therapy, with the old tales allowing wishes and fears to surface safely and be managed by children. Finally, folklore provides a framework for individual belief systems stating the abstract truths of our common human experience. (Yolen, J. 1981. Tough magic: Fantasy, faerie and folklore in the literature of childhood)

Second Grade Fabulous Fable Plays 2005

Link Student Folktales 

Name The Genre - game that teaches genres.

Folklore On the Web

Aesop's Fables - "enjoy the ageless and timeless wisdom of Aesop's Fables. Includes Real Audio narrations and Classic Images."

Afro-American Almanac Folktales - a variety of African American folktales.

Anansi stories - This site traces the Anansi story around the world. It includes five Anansi folktales from Liberia, Nicaragua, Jamaica and includes the two folktales, How stories came to be (A Story, A Story) and Tar Baby performed at the PARP Play.

Andrew Lang's Online Collection of  Popular Fairy Tales - scroll down to the Blue, Red, Purple, or Yellow Fairy Tale Book to get over 100 fairy tales in Lang's collection. Many of the other links on this page do not work.

American Folklore - folktales by state and genre

Arabian Nights - 26 stories from The Arabian Nights Entertainment (1898) selected and edited by Andrew Lang.

Bulfinch's Mythology - THE  GREEK STORIES OF GODS AND HEROES

Norse Mythology - an overview of Norse, Scandinavian and Viking myhtology.

Children story Rhymes - popular Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes with Real Audio narrations.

Folk and Fairy Tales Around the World - " The stories in this collection represent a 
small sampling of the rich storytelling art that is the common heritage of humanity.

Folklore and myths - click on the letter a on the bottom of the page and scroll down the
 alphabet to select a tale of your choice.

Folklore from around the world - large selection of folktales.

Grimm's Fairy Tales - this site contains 209 tales collected by the brothers Grimm.

Gingerbread Man - poem.

Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and Stories - complete list of Andersen's 168 
stories with full-text for 127 of them. 

International Children's Digital Library

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling - includes stories like How the whale got his throat,
How the camel got his hump, How the rhino got his skin and many others.

Mother Goose on the Web: IPL

Mother Goose Pages

Myths and fables from around the world - includes Anansi tales.

Nutshell Stories - more folktales from around the world

Ongoing Tales for the Family - Enhancing the enjoyment of over 75 old time folktales 
with electronic media!

Rebus Rymes -is designed for children who are learning how to read. Preschoolers and 
Kindergartners enjoy picking out the words they can read in their favorite nursery rhymes.

Stories To Grow By - this site includes a selection of folktales from cultures around the globe.

Stories, folklore, and fairy tales theme page - links to folklore, curriculum resources and
 instructional materials including lesson plans.

Tall Tales online

Paul Bunyan

Talking About Mexico: Myths and Stories

Native American Lore

Iroquois Stories

Iktomi Legends - Native American tales about a spider named Iktomi.

Native American legends, stories and poems

Native American Lore Index Page - links to 131 stories from several tribes across Turtle Island.

Native Online - Native American legends.

World and Country Maps

 National Geographics Map Machine - Find where the country of origin for your folktales is located on this interactive map site. Choose maps or satellite views and apply a variety of themes to them including land use, population, vegetation, mineral resources and more. Maps can be chosen by pointing, clicking and zooming in to the desired target and/or by entering a place name. Once a country has been selected, click on "Flags and Facts" and a brief overview of the country appears.