One of the most popular types of books for children are fairy tales. One of the most popular questions I receive while working in the library is, "Where are your classic fairy tales located?" Nine times out of ten, they are really asking where the DISNEY fairy tales are located.
I'm a huge fan of Disney. In fact, my favorite book as a child was the Golden Book version of Cinderella. I don't know how many copies of that book I went through because I absolutely loved it. That being said, I've also extensively studied fairy tales through classes and research. So for me, the CLASSIC fairy tales are shelved under 398.2 in Dewey, and Disney is not the author.
In the 398.2 section, you'll find so many versions of the classic fairy tales. Some of them are gruesome with definite right and wrong mentality like the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson and Charles Perrault. Others take these classic tales and put them into another culture or time. Several show beautiful illustrations with only slight changes to the original story.
If you only look under Disney, you'll miss several of my favorite fairy tales like The Snow Queen, The Polar Bear King and The Mask of the Dancing Princess. If you only look under Disney, you'll only ever see the recognizable cartoon characters and miss the art of talented illustrators.
I'm writing this post because I absolutely DO NOT discourage parents from taking home Disney books. I encourage children to read anything, because reading is so important. If they are reluctant readers, seeing characters who appear on TV may be the only way to get them hooked. By writing this post, I'm hoping to make you aware of the alternatives. The next time you visit your library, ask the librarian to show you the 398.2 section of classic fairy tales.
I'm a huge fan of Disney. In fact, my favorite book as a child was the Golden Book version of Cinderella. I don't know how many copies of that book I went through because I absolutely loved it. That being said, I've also extensively studied fairy tales through classes and research. So for me, the CLASSIC fairy tales are shelved under 398.2 in Dewey, and Disney is not the author.
In the 398.2 section, you'll find so many versions of the classic fairy tales. Some of them are gruesome with definite right and wrong mentality like the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson and Charles Perrault. Others take these classic tales and put them into another culture or time. Several show beautiful illustrations with only slight changes to the original story.
If you only look under Disney, you'll miss several of my favorite fairy tales like The Snow Queen, The Polar Bear King and The Mask of the Dancing Princess. If you only look under Disney, you'll only ever see the recognizable cartoon characters and miss the art of talented illustrators.
I'm writing this post because I absolutely DO NOT discourage parents from taking home Disney books. I encourage children to read anything, because reading is so important. If they are reluctant readers, seeing characters who appear on TV may be the only way to get them hooked. By writing this post, I'm hoping to make you aware of the alternatives. The next time you visit your library, ask the librarian to show you the 398.2 section of classic fairy tales.
What a great reminder! We love the Mary Englebreit Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes books, but we should definitely read some of the others you have listed! Thanks!
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