Folktale Collections from Perpich Library

April 22, 2025

People in all societies have passed down stories for centuries in order to teach, entertain, and create a sense of cultural identity. Reading the folktales of another culture is helpful in understanding it on a deeper level. This is a selection of the folktale collections we have available to checkout in the library.

All items on this list are available at the Perpich library. Click on titles for more information.

1. Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales illustrations by Kate Forrester
Sixteen tales, translated and transcribed by folklorists in the late 19th and 20th centuries. These timeless tales brim with wit and magic, and each one is brought to life with elegant silhouette art in this special illustrated edition.

2. Folk Stories of the Hmong: Peoples of Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam by Dia Cha and Norma J. Livo
Compiled by famed author and storyteller Norma Livo and coauthor, Dia Cha, this is the first collection of authentic Hmong tales to be published commercially in the English language. Beginning with a description of Hmong history, culture, and folklore, the book includes 16 pages of full-color photographs of Hmong dress and needlework and 27 captivating tales divided into three sections: beginnings; how/why stories; and stories of love, magic, and fun.

3. Folktales on Stage: Children’s Plays for Reader’s Theater (or Readers Theatre), With 16 Scripts from World Folk and Fairy Tales and Legends, Including Asian, African, and Native American by Aaron Shepard
A collection of reader’s theater scripts for young readers, adapted by award-winning children’s author Aaron Shepard from his own folktale retellings. A wide variety of countries and cultures is represented, including Native America, Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Southeast Asia, and China. The scripts may be freely copied, shared, and performed for educational, noncommercial purposes. While aimed mostly at ages 8 to 15, the collection features a full range of reading levels.

4. How Things Came to Be: Inuit Stories of Creation by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley & Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley; illustrated by Emily Fiegenschuh & Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall
This beautiful compendium of tales shares eight classic Inuit creation stories from the Baffin region. From the origins of day and night, thunder and lightning, and the sun and the moon to the creation of the first caribou and source of all the Arctic’s fearful storms, this book recounts traditional Inuit legends in the poetic and engaging style of authors Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley.

5. Korean Tales: A Collection of Classic Korean Folk Tales Translated to the English language by Horace Newton Allen and James S. Gale
The fifty-five captivating tales in this collection have been passed down through generations, and provide readers with interesting insight into the folklore and literary tradition of Korea.

6. Living Ghosts and Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories by Dan SaSuWeh Jones; illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre
Thirty-two illustrated short stories chosen from the tradition of ghost stories from American Indian cultures across North America, featuring witches, walking dolls, hungry skeletons, skin-walkers, and other supernatural beings.

7. Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston
A treasury of Black America’s folklore as collected by Zora Neale Hurston, the storyteller and anthropologist who grew up hearing the songs and sermons, sayings and tall tales that have formed an oral history of the South since the time of slavery. Set intimately within the social context of Black life, the stories, “big old lies,” songs, voodoo customs, and superstitions recorded in these pages capture the imagination and bring back to life the humor and wisdom that is the unique heritage of Black Americans.

8. Power to the Princess: 15 Favorite Fairytales Retold with Girl Power by Vita Murrow; illustrated by Julia Bereciartu
In this book, 15 favorite fairytales have been retold for a new generation. These princesses are smart, funny, and kind, and can do anything they set their minds to. Focused on issues including self-image, confidence, LGBTQ, friendship, advocacy, and disability, these stories are perfect for sharing between parents and children, or for older princesses or princes to read by themselves. They teach that a princess is a person who seeks to help others, is open to learning new things, and looks for ways to add purpose to their lives and the lives of those around them. Author Vita Murrow (nee Weinstein) is a Perpich alum in Theater, Class of 2000.

9. Tales of East Africa: Folktales from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania illustrated by Jamilla Okubo
A collection of twenty-two traditional tales from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Translated and transcribed by folklorists and anthropologists in the early 20th century, these stories evoke the distinctive beauty and irresistible humor of East African folklore.

10. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings: 15 Retellings of Asian Myths and Legends edited by Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman
Fifteen authors of Asian descent reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia, in short stories ranging from fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge.

All items on this list are available at the Perpich Library.

Title descriptions are provided by Amazon and/or the publisher.