Hoopoe  
Bookworm for Kids

   
Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, Fables

CinderellaCinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
by Marcia Brown
Caldecott Medal 1955
Ages 4–8

This retelling of the classic tale by Charles Perrault is a skillful version that is both simple and romantic. The pen and watercolor illustrations complement the story beautifully.

MouseOnce a Mouse…
by Marcia Brown
Caldecott Medal 1962
Ages 4–8

The mighty tiger challenges anyone to say he was once a mouse, but the hermit knows it to be true, since he himself used magic to transform the mouse into a cat and then a dog and finally a tiger. And unfortunately for the too proud tiger, those changes can be reversed. Beautiful woodcuts illustrate this Indian fable.

ChantecleerChanticleer and the Fox
by Barbara Cooney
Caldecott Medal 1959
Ages 4–8

Chanticleer the rooster falls for the flattery of the fox and is caught. Luckily Chanticleer is clever enough to think himself out of danger in this retelling of the “Nun’s Priest’s Tale” from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Beautiful pen and ink drawings illustrate the fable.

GrasshopperThe Grasshopper’s Song
An Aesop’s Fable Revisited
by Nikki Giovanni
Ages 4–up
The grasshoppers sing while the ants work in rhythm. When the ants refuse to share the harvest, the grasshoppers take them to court. This amusing retelling will appeal to all ages.

StoryA Story, A Story
by Gail E. Haley
Caldecott Medal 1971
Ages 4–8

In the beginning there were no stories for children to hear, so Ananse the Spider went to bargain with Nyame, the Sky God, to bring the stories down to Earth. Wonderful woodcut illustrations support the clever text in this retelling of an African folktale.

HeartbeatsTwenty Heartbeats
by Dennis Haseley, Ed Young
Ages 5–9
Set in the Far East long ago, a rich man hires an artist to paint his beloved horse. After years of waiting, the artists paints the horse in little more than 20 heartbeats. The rich man is furious until he sees thousands of drawings of his horse in the artist’s studio. Ed Young’s incredible illustrations bring the story to life.

One DayOne Fine Day
by Nonny Hogrogian
Caldecott Medal 1972
Ages 4–8

In this humorous retelling of an Armenian folktale, a fox steals some milk from an old farm woman. She cuts off his tail, and the fox spends the rest of the day bargaining to get it back. The vividly beautiful illustrations bring this tale to life.

FablesFables
by Arnold Lobel
Caldecott Medal 1981
Ages 6–10

These short original fables have unexpected morals. The humorous illustrations add to the fun.

WomanThe Funny Little Woman
text by Arlene Mosel, illustrations by Blair Lent
Caldecott Medal 1973
Ages 3–8

Long ago in old Japan a funny little woman with a silly little laugh chases a runaway dumpling and soon finds herself cooking dumplings for a band of demons. Her infectious laugh helps her charm the demons into releasing her.

FoolThe Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
text by Arthur Ransome, illustrations by Uri Shulevitz
Caldecott Medal 1969
Ages 4–8

In this retelling of a Russian folktale, the simple third son is helped by those with magical powers to perform the impossible tasks set by the Czar and wins the princess. The colorful illustrations have a wonderful Russian folk-art look.

GolemGolem
by David Wisniewski
Caldecott Medal 1997
Ages 6–10

Elaborate cut-paper collage illustrations provide dramatic visuals for this retelling of the Jewish legend of Rabbi Loew who used his powers to create a gigantic Golem from clay to protect his people from persecution in the ghettos of 16th-century Prague.

Lon Po PoLon Po Po:
A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young
Caldecott Medal 1990
Ages 4–8

Three daughters left at home while their mother goes to visit Grandmother are almost fooled by Lon Po Po, the wolf pretending to be their Grandmother. Incredible illustrations that are both realistic and abstract add to the power of this retelling of the classic tale.

RapunzelRapunzel
by Paul O. Zelinsky
Caldecott Medal 1998
Ages 4–10

The beautiful Italian Renaissance-styled illustrations with warm golden tones bring the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale to life.

DuffyDuffy and the Devil
illustrated by Margot Zemach, text by Harve Zemach
Caldecott Medal 1974
Ages 4–8

This comic version of the Rumpelstiltskin story is based on a 19th century play from Cornwall, England. The pen and wash illustrations are rich in detail and humorous interpretation of the characters.