Folktales

Stories that focus on the customs, beliefs, and traditions of ordinary humans and describe how people cope with the events of everyday life; crisis or conflict to resolve.

• Cumulative/Chain Stories
• Trickster Stories
• Stories of Fools and Simpletons
• Fairy or Wonder Stories
• Beast Stories

            Distinction between folktales that have been passed down and collected and stories that resemble this literature but were written by known authors.


Wonder Story/Simpleton story: Strega Nona

Another Simpleton Story: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship

Beast Story: The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Norway)

Trickster Story: Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby

Anansi The Spider and African Children's Literature

African children's literature came from an oral tradition of mythology and folk tales, such as the Anansi the Spider stories. 

• Anansi tales originated from the Ashanti people of present-day Ghana.
• Ananse is an Akan word for "spider."
• The tales spread to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles
• In the United States, he has evolved into Aunt Nancy
• Related to the trickster Brer Rabbit stories

The Golden Baobob Prize for African Children's Literature

One Thousand and One Nights

Complete Tales

•Influenced by the Panchatantra

•Ancient stories first translated into Arabic in the early 8th century.

•Stories were added over the years, showing different cultural shifts and trends throughout the Middle East

•First European version 1704-1717 in French

•First English translation in 1706 was called The Arabian Nights’ Entertainment.

The Asurik Tree

Picture Book in Persian

Story synopsis in English

Also called the Asorig Tree, or  The Babylonian Tree

Persian oral story dating back at least 3000 years.

Dialogue between a goat and a palm tree.