The EdWorld Guided Tour ... to Folktales!

Some people believe that all humans have a shared “memory,” which is why, they believe, certain stories are told for hundreds, even thousands of years. Folktales might be part of a shared memory, but they are surely part of school, so it’s smart to know more about them. And they also happen to be enjoyable to read (... or to see or to hear, depending on how the story is being told). Included: Links to some of the best resources online for learning more about Folktales.

Myths, Folktales & Fairy Tales
Scholastic is the American publisher of Harry Potter, the most successful kids’ book series of all time, and of many other kids’ series, from Baby Sitters’ Club to the tales of Clifford the Big Red Dog. So it’s not surprising that the “folks” at Scholastic would put together a great site on folktales (and myths and fairy tales, which are all kind of but not exactly the same things). To learn more, just pay them a visit. (Remember to come back here for more!)

American Folklore
Forget about those European folktales like Little Red Riding Hood and pay a visit to this large site dedicated to American stories (including a section of Canadian stories). Tall tales, ghost stories, famous characters ... It’s all here. Well, except for the stuff the wily old coyote stole away in the night!

Absolutely Whootie: Stories to Grow By
Here are some folktales from various places around the world. Some of take just 5 minutes to read; some take up to 25 minutes.

Classic Fairy Tales
One of the great storytellers of all time was Hans Christian Andersen, born April 2, 1805. A great storytelling team was the Brothers Grimm -- Jacob Ludwig Carl and his brother Wilhelm Carl, born in 1785 and 1786, respectively. This Classic Fairy Tale site is operated by a media technology company and includes sections dedicated to Anderson and to the Brothers Grimm. The stories are animated in “EnTechneVision,” which is the name of the company. Pretty cool, modern stuff for some stories that are well over 100 years old!

Internet Public Library: Story Hour
This area of the Internet Public Library, sponsored by the University of Michigan, is another good place to look at some folk literature, including some Mother Goose that a “mother goose” can read to you online. (The original Mother Goose, whoever that was, didn’t even have electricity!)

Aesop’s Fables
No Guided Tour to folk literature would be complete without a site dedicated to that granddaddy of folk storytellers, the legendary Greek Aesop.

Here’s another Aesop’s Fables site, too! Aesop’s fables are famous for having a “moral,” or message at the end. One message we’ve learned is that Web sites can disappear, so it’s a good idea to have two Aesop’s Fables sites on our list!

Well, that’s it for now for the EdWorld Guided Tour. If you know about other good sites on this topic, drop us a line by clicking here (or copy this shortcut into your e-mail system if clicking doesn’t work: [email protected]; put “guided tour” in the subject line, please!).

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