I love ALL children’s literature…but I have to admit that one of my favorite units to teach is fairytales and folktales! (SHH! Don’t tell the other genres! ?)

When we teach fairytales and folktales, we want to use stories from a variety of cultures. In some stories, they may see their own culture reflected. In other stories, they get a “window” to learn about different cultures.

So in this post, I’ve created a big list of great options for multicultural fairytales and folktales. The list is separated out into “Kindergarten” and “1st & 2nd grade.”

Kindergarten Texts

• The Little Red Hen (Lucinda McQueen)

• The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Paul Galdone)
• The Three Armadillies Tuff (Jackie Mims Hopkins)

• The Three Little Pigs (Patricia Seibert)
• The Three Little Javelinas (Susan Lowell)

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Candice Ransom)
• Leola and the Honeybears (Melodye Rosales)

• The Gingerbread Boy (Paul Galdone)
• The Runaway Rice Cake (Ying Chang Compestine)

First and Second Grade Texts

• The Princess and the Pea (Rachel Isadora)
• Princess and the Peas (Harriet Ziefert)

• The Gigantic Turnip (Aleksei Tolstoy)
• The Enormous Potato (Aubrey Davis)

• Jack and the Beanstalk (Carol Ottolenghi)
• Jill and the Beanstalk (Robin Koontz)

• Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail (Martha Hamilton)
• How Tiger Got His Stripes (Rob Cleveland)

• The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet (Carmen Agra Deedy)
• Conejito: A Folktale From Panama (Margaret Read MacDonald)

• Red Riding Hood (James Marshall)
• Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten! (Trisha Speed Shaskan)
• Lon Po Po (Ed Young)

• Jack and the Beanstalk (Steven Kellogg)
• Trust Me, Jack’s Beanstalk Stinks! (Eric Mark Braun)

• Stone Soup (Marcia Brown)
• Cactus Soup (Eric A. Kimmel)

• The Ugly Duckling (Mercè Escardó)
• Chicken Big (Keith Graves)

• Adelita (Tomie dePaola)
• Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (John Steptoe)
• Cendrillon (Robert D. San Souci)
• The Golden Sandal (Rebecca Hickox)
• The Girl With a Brave Heart (Rita Jahanforuz)

• The Empty Pot (Demi)
• Manjhi Moves A Mountain(Nancy Churnin)
• The Dancing Turtle (Pleasant DeSpain)

Need more materials for teaching fairytales and folktales?

For complete flexible shared reading detailed lesson plans, visuals, graphic organizers and much more, check out my Flexible Shared Reading bundles for Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade!

Happy teaching!