Genres - Folk Literature

Some of the students have been talking about genres and reading folk tales.  I love the genre of folk literature.  Genres are the different kinds of books there are.  We organize books into the kind of book they are or into the different genres.  For example, I'm reading Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald Sobol which is about a boy who solves mysterious cases that people bring to him.  That book is a mystery.

Folk literature, or folk tales, are stories that have been passed down from generation to generation.  Here are some other characteristics of folk tales:

*they have been told and retold so much 

that we rarely know the author

*the setting is usual unknown, 

like "once upon a time," or "in a land far, far away."

*characters are usually "all good" or "all bad"

*they usually have a happy ending

*there are magical or unreal elements in the story

*the stories teach us how to treat others 

or explain something in nature

We have read lots of fairy tales and fables.  Here are some of my favorite fairy tales or fables:

If you can come to school and 

tell me your favorite fairy tale or fable, 

you will earn one sticker 

towards a reading reward!