NOTRE DAME OF SALAMAN COLLEGE INC.

Founded in 1965 by the Oblates

Owned by the Archdiocese of Cotabato
Managed by the Diocesan Clergy of Cotabato (DCC)
“Service for the Love of God through Mary”
(B.E.S.T)
Amare Est Servire

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENT LITERATURE

ELT 111- BSED 3 English
Week 9-12

Course Instructor : Rosalie M. Blanca

rosaliemallorca0485@gmail.com
Mobile #09300351868

At the end of these weeks the learner is expected to:

 identify suitable children and adolescent literary texts for each genre which will suit learners’ gender, needs,
strengths, interests, and experiences
 perform creative presentations, storytelling, and drama appropriate as adapted from children and adolescent
literature

Traditional Literature
 Fables
 Aesop’s Fables
 Fairy Tales
 Andersen’s Fairytales
 The Grimm Brother’s Fairytales
 One Thousand and One Arabian Nights Stories
 Filipino Folktales
 Filipino Legends

What Is Traditional Literature?

You have probably heard of tales like 'Cinderella' and the 'Three Little Pigs', but do you know how many times
they have been retold? Stories like these are part of the genre known as traditional literature, which are stories that have
been passed down through generations. Much of traditional literature was initially told orally and written down later on.
Because of this, the stories are often altered slightly in each retelling. For example, Cinderella's name in other versions has
been 'Zezolla' and 'Cendrillon.' Nevertheless, the heart of the story will still remain.
The purpose of traditional literature is having the story be relatable to everyone. For this reason, universal themes
are important to the genre. Some common themes include good versus evil, the weak versus the strong, the beautiful
versus the ugly, and the rich versus the poor. Even if the characters are magical or nonhuman, the message of the story is
always one that the majority of people can understand and value.

Traditional Characters
While traditional literature can vary in type, most stories of this genre share common characteristics, especially
character archetypes. To help readers easily recognize the story's problem, its characters are broken into clear good versus
evil. The hero of the story is usually given a mission that seems impossible to achieve, and the villain is set to keep the
hero from accomplishing it.

The main characters can be humans, gods, or animals. They are usually very one-dimensional, meaning that each
character will have one definable trait used to describe him/her. These traits could be physical or related to the characters'

1
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
personalities. For example, if there is a witch character, the witch will most likely be defined by her evil personality, with
'no personal growth' or change of heart.

Types of Traditional Literature

Traditional literature can fall into a number of categories: proverbs, fairytales, folklore, fables, animal tales, myths and
legends, etc. The following are explanations of four of the more common types.

Fables
Also, fictional, these stories are typically short in length and heavily allegorical or symbolic. They use morals to
both entertain and educate the readers. Common characteristics include talking animals, few
characters, and a lot of action, with the lesson of the story appearing at the end. For example, take
the fable of 'The Tortoise and the Hare'. The Hare mocks the Tortoise for his slowness, so the
Tortoise challenges him to a race. Though the Hare is stronger and faster, he lets pride and over-
confidence get in his way. The Tortoise, who is slow yet steady, wins the race, concluding to the
readers that perseverance is more worthy than speed or strength.
Fables, like myths and epics, are also part of a great stream of folklore. A fable is a short
tale in which the chief characters are animals and sometimes inanimate objects that act and talk like human beings. The
wisdom of the foolish
acts of human beings are shown by the actions and words of the beasts. The fable must always point a moral. Often the
theme or moral appears at the end of the story.

Sources of Fables

1. Aesop
 Most of the fables have been at tributed to Aesop, who was said to have been a Greek slave. He was ugly, but
cunning and clever. His skill in making fables gained him his freedom from slavery and he even won a high
position in government. In Greece, during the era of the tyrants, people had no freedom of speech. The fable
was largely used for political reasons, to attack the corrupt officials. The most prominent user of the fable was
Aesop. But this account of Aesop, of the idea that a person named Aesop ever existed, is purely legendary.
2. Panchatantra
 The Panchatantra meaning "Five Books" was composed about 200 B.C. It is the oldest known collection of
Indian fables. It is the source of many of the Aesop and the La Fontaigne fables. Under the title of Kalilab and
Dimad or the Fables of Bidpai, the stories were translated into Persian, Arabic, and Latin. In the Latin
version, they became popular throughout medieval Europe.
3. Jatakas
 Another ancient collection of Indian fables is the Jatakas. When they originated is not defi-nitely known.
Jataka is a Buddhist name for stories concerning the rebirth of Gautama Buddha who according to tradition
was reincarnated many times in the forms of many different animals until he became, at last, Buddha, the
Elightened One. These beast stories
were about a man living briefly as an animal, associating with other animals. The man derives moral lessons
from these experiences.

4. La Fontaigne
 Another name associated with fables is Jean de la Fontaigne, a Frenchman who turned many of the fables of
Aesop into verses.

Characteristics of Fables:
1. Characters of the story are usually animals.
2. Animals are made to think, act, and talk like human beings.
3. The moral lesson of the story is usually at the end.
4. The story is usually short.
5. Animals personify human beings.

2
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 6. The fable is full of actions and conversations.
7. Full of humor and funny situations.
8. Some have tragic and dramatic series of events.

Values of Fables
1. They give delight and enjoyment to both children and adults.
2. They teach ethical truth in an attractive manner or form.
3. They provide background for the understanding of many
new or current expressions and allusions.
4. Some of the fables serve as a guide to good conduct on the child's level of experience.
5. Children enjoy the fable because of the prominent part played by animals.
6. They touch moral and spiritual sense of values.
7. They cultivate thinking and imagination.
8. They are good for storytelling and dramatization purposes.

Following' are some examples of fables for children:

LION AND THE MOUSE

One day a lion, tired with hunting, lay down to sleep under a tree. A mouse ran over the lion's face and awakened
him. The angry lions were about to crush the mouse with his large paw. The mouse pleaded so earnestly for his life so the
lion let him go. Sometime later, the lion was caught in a hunter's
snare. The lion roared and roared and tried to free himself. The mouse heard the lion's roar and recognized his voice. He
ran towards the trap. He gnawed the net that held the lion and set him free. The lion was very grateful and said to himself,
"Sometimes the weakest can help the strongest."

THE FOX AND THE CROW

A fox saw a crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a branch of a tree. The fox wanted the
cheese for himself. He looked up at the crow and said, "Good day Mistress Crow. How
well you look today! I am sure that your voice can surpass that of other birds. Your figure is better than
that of other birds. Let me just hear your sweet voice so I can call you the "Queen of Birds. "The crow began to sing. The
moment the crow opened her mouth, the cheese fell to the ground. The fox hastily
grabbed the cheese. Then he said to the crow, "This is all that I wanted. In exchange for your cheese, I will1 give you this
piece of advice for the future. "Do not trust flatterers."

THE CROW AND THE PITCHER

One day a thirsty crow found a pitcher with some water in it. The pitcher had a very narrow neck. She could not
reach the water at the bottom of the pitcher with her beak. She would die of thirst if she could not get even a drop of that
precious water. At last, she thought of a clever idea. She collected pebbles and began to drop them into the pitcher. With
each pebble that was dropped, the water rose a little higher. At last the water reached the brim and the clever bird was able
to quench her thirst. Where there is a will, there is a way."

THE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL

A farmer's daughter had just been out to milk the cows. She was returning home with the pail of milk. She carried
the pail of milk on her head. She was so happy with the milk. She began to daydream. The milk in this pail will provide
me cream. I will make butter out of the cream. Then I will sell the butter in the market. With the money, 1 will buy a
dozen eggs. When the eggs are hatched, they will produce
chickens. By and by I shall have a large poultry yard. I shall sell some of the fowls. With the money from
the sale of my fowls, I will buy a new dress. I will wear the new dress when I go to the fair. All the other girls will envy
me. All the boys will court me. But I shall toss my head and say no to them. As she tossed her head, the pail of milk fell
down and all the milk spilled on the ground. All her dreams vanished and she cried to her mother. Her mother told her,
"Do not count the chickens before the eggs are hatched"

THE TURTLE WHO COULD NOT STOP TALKING

3
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 A turtle lived in a pond at the foot of a hill. Two wild young geese were looking for food one day. They saw the
turtle and talked with him. The next day, the geese came again to visit the turtle. They became well acquainted and
became good friends.
"Friend Turtle," the geese said one day, we have a beautiful home far away. We are going to
fly back t it tomorrow. Will you go with us?
"How could I? I have no wings," said the Turtle.
"We will take you if you keep your mouth shut. Do not say a word to anybody," they said.
"I can do that. Please take me with you. I will do exactly as you say," the turtle said.
So, the geese brought a stick and they held the ends of it with their beaks.
The geese told the turtle, "Take the middle of this stick in your mouth and don't say any word until we reach
home."
The children in the village saw the two geese flying with the turtle and they shouted, "Oh! See the turtle up in the
air. Look at the geese carrying a turtle by a stick. Did you ever see anything more ridiculous in your life?"
The turtle looked down and began to say, "Well, if my friends carry me, what business is that to
you?" And he fell dead on the ground. As the geese flew on, they heard the people who came near
the turtle says, "The fellow could not keep his mouth shut. He had to talk, and so lost his life."

Proverbs and Expressions

Many well-known proverbs and familiar expressions have been drawn from fables such as the following:

1. Practice what you preach -- “The Wolf and the Donkey"

2. One good turn deserves another. "The Dove and the Ant"
3. Sour grapes. "The Fox and the Grapes
4. Example is the best teacher. "The Two Crabs"
5. Don't be too ambitious. "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse"
6. God helps those who help themselves. "Hercules and the Wagoner" and the
7. Don't be greedy. "The Dog and His Shadow"
8. Look before you jump. "The Fox and the Goat"
9. Common sense is better than force. "The Wind and the Sun"
10. Don't be boastful. "The Frog and the Ox"
11. Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today. "The Ant and the Grasshopper".
12. Slowly but surely. "The Hare and the Tortoise"
13. When one tries to please everybody, he pleases none, not even himself. "The Miller, His Son, and the Ass".
14. It is often much easier to suggest a plan than to carry it out. "Belling the Cat"
15. It takes time to attain success. "The Goose With the Golden Eggs"
16. Easy to get; easy to forget. "Monkey and the Barber"
17. Be yourself if you want to be your best. "The Crow and the Partridge"
18. Your best friend can be your worst enemy. The Turtle and the Eagle"
19. If there's a will, there's a way. "The Crow and the Pitcher."
20. Don't be greedy or don't be selfish. The Monkey and the Turtle"

Fairytales
Often romantic and always fictional, these stories usually occur 'long, long ago' in 'a far
away land.' They are stories of enchanted creatures like witches, giants, and dragons, and fanciful
settings like castles or forests. Common characteristics include reoccurring numbers, royalty and, of
course, the happily-ever-after ending. For example, take 'Cinderella', the story that began in the
late 17th century. Cinderella, a beautiful girl enslaved by her evil stepmother, longs for a better
life. When her fairy godmother appears to grant her a wish, Cinderella meets the Prince, who
saves her and marries her. The lesson is that kindness and love will triumph over selfishness and evil.

Unlike the other two, this type of traditional literature is based on real people and events, or those thought to
have been real. The stories are exaggerated to depict heroism, or to give explanation to something not necessarily

4
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
explainable. Common characteristics include events that have occurred in the recent past, secular themes, and a hero with
an astonishing ability. For example, 'The Legend of Paul Bunyan', first referenced in 1904, describes the giant and
hardworking lumberjack and his companion, a blue ox named Babe. Paul was thought to have saved the people with his
superhuman strength, which was used to explain the creation of such things as lakes and animal migration.
Adapted from: https://study.com/academy/lesson/traditional-literature-definition-characters-types-books.html

The term "fairy tales" includes a wide variety of folktales. It includes almost any tale in which something
extraordinary like fair s, and es, giants, dwarfs, genies, and speaking animals appear. The term is used to describe stories
about magic.
The word "fairy" came originally from the Latin "Fatum” meaning fate, through the Old and Middle French
"Feerie" meaning the land of the free or fates, into the Middle English "faerie". Edmund Spenser used the word
"Faerie" in his story Taerie Queen". Later the word became fairy.

Characteristics of Fairy Tales

1. The story commonly begins "Once upon a time".
2. There is no definite place where the story takes place. It may begin "Once upon a time there was a
prince who lived in a small kingdom."
3. The setting of the story is an illogical world, inhabited with people whose lives are crossed by
creatures of magic such as fairies, witches, genies, elves, dwarfs, who meddle in the affairs of human
beings by means of enchantment. These human beings can be transformed into beasts. They can
be put to sleep for a long, long time or they can be transported from one place to another in the
wink of an eye.
4. It is an unreal world in which the most difficult problem can be solved by enchantment or magic as
the waving of a wand, granting three wishes, wearing a magic ring, repeating a charm or spell. The
ending is always a happy one no matter how great the problem.
5. Every character acts according to his nature, and the stories move in strong, direct action with an
expected ending. The good are rewarded and the evil are punished.

The distinction between old folk1aa and modern fairy tales or tale fanciful tales is immaterial to the child. Th
modern fairy tales is it different from the old folktale. The old folktale is an old traditional story without any known
author that had been known handed down orally from generation to generation. The modern fairy tale like all modern
literature has upon it the stamp of the individual author.

Literary Fairy Tales

Hans Christian Andersen marks a transition in stories for children from pure folk tales to the modern
imaginatively conceived fairy story of fanciful tale.
He is the great master of the literary fairy tale. He was a collector and an interpreter of folktales and writer of the
fanciful stories. Many of the plots and incidents of Andersen's stories were drawn from folklore, but he wove them in such
an imaginative detail and language that they became distinctly his own.
His stories were of a variety of subjects: about everyday life, about inanimate objects, about animals and about
people. One of Andersen's most successful story types was the fantasy. Fantasy means a tale of magic, often beginning
realistically but merging quickly into strange and dreamable adventure. Andersen's stories of this type are often sad and
tragic for example, The Marsh King's Daughter", "The Snow Queen", and "The Little Mermaid". In 1846, English
speaking children were introduced to The Tinder Box", The Wild Swans", "The Emperor's New Clothes". "Thumbelina",
and "The Nightingale Distinctive.

Characteristics of Andersen's Tales

1. Andersen used vivid, dramatic, and direct oral speech.
2. He used the simplest words possible.
3. His stories were of infinite variety.
4. He did not follow the classic forms of old folktales.
5. His stories are a mixture of traditional, realistic, historical, highly imaginative or fanciful.
6. His stories are sometimes in the form of allegory, parable or fable.
7. His stories not only contain Scandinavian tradition, legendary lore and superstition but also from other

5
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 countries.
8. Andersen's most characteristic trait is his shifting from the world of pure imagination and fantasy to
stark realism and from reality to fantasy.

Other stories by Andersen are:

 The Princess on the Pea
 TheWind's Tale
 The Goblin and the Huckster
 The Elf Hil
 The Carden of Paradise
 The Galoahes of Fortunes
 Great Claus and Little Claus

Modern Fairy Tales and Writer

Charles Kingaley, a clergyman and scientist, wrote a book for his own little boy which enjoyed great popularity
for many years. The book The Water Babies tells the story of Tom, a poor little chimmey sweep who was carried off by
fairies to the world under the waters. He became a Water-Baby. The story 18 very appealing to children not only because
it embodies magic, but the water creatures are true to their species. The story also teaches moral lessons in science.

Charles Lutwidge Dodson, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland loved children. Alice's Adventure in
Wonderland was the first English masterpiece for children. His pen name was Lewis Carroll.
George MacDonald's At The Back of North Wind is a story of a little boy's adventures, some with North Wind, some with
his friends and foes. The North Wind carries Diamond, the little boy, from his bed of hay and carries him out into the
night, teaches him to follow her through the air and to go from his dreamlife. The little boy's life changes from fantasy to
reality and back again to reality. Children like the early adventures of the little boy.
Robert Lawson's Rabbit Hill tells how the writer felt for the landscape of Connecticut where he
lived and shared the companionship of little creatures especially rabbits.
Selma Lagerlof wrote “The Wonderful Adventure of Nils. The story reveals the feelings of the writer for Sweden,
its landscape, its folklore and people. She used simple and poetic language.
Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Peter Rabbit was the first children’s book of the twentieth century, followed by Kenneth
Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, Pamela Traver’s Mary Poppins, Wanda Gag’s Millions of Cats, Antione de Saint
Exupery’s The Little Prince and many others.
Jose Rizal indulged in part-time fairy-tale writing. He wrote the classic story "The Monkey and the
Turtle"

Values of Fairy Tales or Tales of Fantasy

1. A fairy tale is something that changes the common place into what is rich, strange and wonderful.
2. Fairy tales teach children to look for wonder in the common place.
3. Fairy tales stir the imagination.
4. Fairy tales establish their sense of wonder.
5. Fairy tales satisfy their hunger for adventure.
6. Fairy tales develop courage in children.
7. Fairy tales play a role in the emotional development of children.
8. Fairy tales provide pleasure and enjoyment for children.

Uses of Fairy Tales

1. For reading aloud to children.
2. For storytelling
3. For dramatization.
4. For illustration.

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

Hans Christian Andersen

6
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 There was once a prince, and he wanted to marry a princess, a real princess He traveled all over the world to find
one, but there was always something wrong. There were plenty of princesses all over the land, but he had to find out if
they were real. There was always something that was not quite right about the many young ladies he had met. So he had to
return to the palace very sad that he was unable to find one.
One evening there was a terrible storm. The rain poured down in torrents, and there was thunder and great flashes
of lightning. It was a frightful night.
In the middle of the stormy night, somebody knocked at the castle door. The king opened the
door himself.
A young girl stood outside. She was in a terrible state from the rain and the storm. Her hair and
clothes were drenched. She was quivering from the cold. She pleaded to get in and stay for the night. She said she was a
real princess.
"Well, we shall soon see if you are really a princess, thought the Old Queen. She went into the bedroom and took
all the bed. Then she took twenty cotton mattresses and piled them on the top of the cotton mattresses. Up on top of all
those was the place where the princess was to sleep that night.
In the morning, the King and the Queen asked her how she was. They asked her, "Did you have a good sleep?
"Oh, I hardly closed my eyes the whole night. Heaven knows what was in that bed. I seemed to
be lying on something very hard, and my whole body is black and blue this morning. It was terrible!"
The King and Queen knew at once that she was a real princess when she felt the pea under the twenty mattresses
and twenty feather beds. Nobody but a real princess could have such a delicate skin.
The prince was also convinced this time that he had found a real princess. So, the prince took her to
be his wife.
The pea was placed in a museum where everyone could see it.

THUMBELINA
Hans Christian Andersen
One day there was an old witch who was passing by a forest. She heard that there was a woman living there. The
old witch said that if she only had a little child, she would be happy in her life.
In a few days, the witch visited the woman and gave her some flower seeds. She told the woman to plant the seeds
in s lower pot. She told the woman to wait for a few days and see what would happen.
The woman was so happy and she thanked the witch. She planted the seeds in a flower pot right away.
After a few days, the woman saw big and beautiful red and yellow tulip buds. She was very happy.

Folktales
Stories for Children
The term folktale refers to a traditional narrative of unknown authorship that has
been handed down from generation to generation regardless of its content. These old
stories are often called fairytales because many of them deal with fairies or magic or any
supernatural element. Some of the contents or characters were animals, mysterious and
powerful influences like gods, giants, heroes who overcome incredible obstacles and win
awards and other supernatural beings. There are hundreds of such stories known in every
country and most of these stories were known long before books were made.
Origin of Folk Tales
There are two theories concerning the origin and transmission of folk tales:

1. That all folk tales originated in India in the Sacred Books of Buddhism and were transmitted by migrations of
peoples, by crusaders and Hebrew gypsies.
2. That many of the tales arose independently among people widely separated geographically and historically.

Studies have shown the similarity in the plots of the stories that were handed down from generation to generation
in different countries. This proves that human experience, human nature and human emotions are universal.
History of Folktales
The history of folktales begins at the point at which a storyteller, folklorist or anthropologist set it

7
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
down in writing. It has been the convention to credit the origin of a folk story to the country in which it was published.
Most often a story which has been thought of as having originated in the country in which it was first published had been
known in other countries for a long time.
In 1697, a collection of tales Comtes de Ma Mere L ‘Oye or Tales of My Mother Goose appeared bearing the
name of a Frenchman, Charles Perrault. However, Perrault claimed that the, stories were
written by his little son who learned from his peasant nurse. The frontispiece of the book showed three
children listening to a story told by an old woman named Mother Goose while she was spinning. The name Mother Goose
was later associated more with nursery rhymes than of with tales. A translation of
Perrault's tales was published in England in 1719. The eight tales became very popular to English speaking children. The
stories were:
“Little Red Riding Hood"
"Sleeping Beauty"
"Cinderella"
"Blue Bird"
"Hop O My Thumb"
“Puss in Boots"
"Riquet and the Tuft"
“Toads and Diamonds"
The first real collection of old tales was made by two German brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. They
gathered the tales they heard from the old folks throughout their travels in Germany and published them later, between
1812 to 1815. Their purpose was to preserve the folk literature that they heard orally. The first English translation of the
Grimm's Hausmarchen was made by Edgar Taylor. It was called Grimm's Fairy Tales. It became so popular that other
scholars began collecting tales too.
Peter Absjornsen and Jorgen Moe gathered tales throughout their travel in Norway by talking too old people just
as the Grimm Brothers have done. Abjornsen and Moe published their first collection of Norwegian tales in 1842-1843.
Their collection was translated into English by George Webber Dasent
and issued under the title Popular Tales from the Norse in 1859. A systematic collection of folktales appeared in England
in 1849. James Orchard Halliwell called his work Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Tales.
One of the best-known nursery tales was the “The Three Bears" by Robert Southey, 1774-1843, the poet laureate
of England and the author of many books, both poetry and prose.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, a large body of folk materials became available in English. Dr. E. W.
Lane translated the Arabian Nights, a collection of Arabian tales. The most popular of these tales were "Aladdin" and
"Sinbad".

Versions of Folktales
There are different versions of the same story and they may vary greatly in their attractiveness. Making one's
version of a story is to tell children of finding retold version that one considers accept able for reading aloud or for telling
and is not violating the tradition of the folktale. Throughout the ages, the tribal storyteller, the minstrel and the others were
the agents through whom the stories were handed down from generation to generation orally. Each teller of the tale added
something from his own imagination specially designed to appeal to his particular audience.

Primary Characteristics of Folktales

1. Has no known individual author
2. Has no fixed or original form
3. Has a brief introduction
4. Adapted to any age
5. Has simple plot that is easy to remember
6. Characters appeal to both children and adults
7. Has element of magic that appeals to children.

Values of Folktales
1. Gives pleasure and enjoyment to children
2. Stirs the imagination
3. Gives insight into life

8
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 4. Used for dramatization
5. Used for illustration
6. Develops ear training
7. Plays a role in the emotional development of children
8. Develops confidence and courage in children against fear of the unknown

Types of Folktales
1. Accumulative or repetitional tale is the simplest type of tale. It has a simple plot and rhythmical pattern. Its
episodes follow each other neatly and logically in a pattern of cadenced repetition.
Examples of this type are:
 American- "Gingerbread Boy",
 English-"Johnny Cake"
 Norse "Pancake"
 Russian- "The Bun".
2. Talking Beast Stories are stories in which the animals talk. The animals not only talk with other animals but with
human beings. Often the animals are exaggerated characterizations of human beings. The animal tales generally
teach a lesson of courage, ingenuity and self-reliance. Rewards are stressed in the outcome of the tales, but they are
never moralistic.

Examples of this type of stories are:

 "Puss in Boots"
 "The Three Little Pigs"
 "The Three Billy Goats Gruf"
 "The Tale of Peter Rabbit".
3. Drolls or Humorous Stories are stories about sillies and numbskulls. They are meant for fun and
nonsense.
Example of these stories are:
 "Lazy Jack"
 "Epaminondas"
4. Myths are stories that explain primitive man's idea of the origin of the universe, the mysteries of natural
phenomena, the life of gods, goddesses, and other pagan divinities, their contacts with each other and their relation
to man. It is especially associated with religious rites and beliefs. There are three types of these stories -- the
Greek, Roman and Norse myths.
Examples of myths are:
 "King Midas
 Jason and the Golden
 Fleece
 Baucis and Philemon
5. Epics and Hero Tales
An epic is a story that is sometimes written in verse, sometimes in prose, and others are in ballads. The story may
be the exploits of a hero, and his heroic acts embody the moral code of a country or of a nation.
Examples of epics are:
 El Cid of Spain,
 Odysseus of the Greeks, Lam-ang of the Philippines
6. Legend is an old story containing wonders and miracles that was handed down without any foundation in history
but popularly believed to be true. Every country has its own custom and tradition. It could be a story that tells the
origin of a place, thing.
Examples of legends are:
 "The Legend of Manila
 "The Legend of the pineapple"
 "The Legend of Lanzones"
7. Fables

9
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 A fable is a fictitious story about an animal or an inanimate object which behaves like a human being and has one
dominant trait. It is meant to teach a lesson or moral. The most popular fables are those of Aesop, the Jatakas or
Indian fables, the fables of Jean de la Fontagne.
Examples of fables are:
 The Fox and the Grapes
 The Crow and the Pitcher
 The Monkey and the Turtle
8. Fairy Tales (Old) The term fairy tales include a wide variety of folktales. A large proportion of these stories are
based on the element of magic or the supernatural. Something extraordinary happens in the story. The setting of a
fairy tale is a visionary or unreal world. The setting is usually idealized or romantic setting. The characters are
fairies, water pixies, dwarfs, giants, speaking animals, and beautiful creatures.
Examples are:
 Cinderella
 The Three Bears
 Briar
 Rose and many other
9. Religious Tales
Folktales using religious elements or beliefs are rarely found in children's collection. The religious
folktales are either comical or didactic. They were patterned after the morality plays of the Middle Ages. The
devil and St. Peter usually appeared in comic roles. They are not well adopted to children.
10.Romance in the folktale is remote and impersonal. "The characters are stereotypes.
Enchantments and impossible tasks separate folktale lovers and magic brings them together as in "Beauty
and the Beast", "The Goose Girl and the King", "East of the Sun and West of the Moon". These types of stories
are for older children and not for the younger ones.
11. Realistic Stories are those stories that are improbable but possible. Examples of this type of stories are "Mr.
Vinegar" and "Blue Bird".

Folktales by Country or Nationality

A. American  "Toads and Diamonds"
 "The Dun Horse" F. German
 "Gingerbread Boy"  Briar Rose
B. Arabian  Elves and the Shoemaker
 "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp"  Hansel and Gretel
C. East Indian  Snow White and the Seven
 "The Tiger, The Brahman and the Jackal"  Dwarfs
D. English  The Traveling Musicians
 "Jack and the Beanstallk" G. Greek
 "Lazy Jack"  Fables of Aesop
 "Mr. Vinegar" H. Norse
 "The Old Woman and Her Pig"  Boots and His Brothers
 The Three Bears"  The Princess on the Glass Hill
 The Three Little Pigs"  The Three Billy Goats Gruff
E. French  Why The Bear is Stumpy Tailed
 "Cinderella"  The Wonderful Knap Sack
 Little Red Riding Hood"
 "Puss in Boots" I. Russian
 "Sleeping Beauty"  The Straw Ox"
of Folktales

Desirable Uses of Folktales

1. For entertainment

10
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 Old folktales should be read for fun. They are also good for storytelling purposes.
2. For illustration
Folktale characters are subjects for drawing, sketching, modelling, painting, etc.
3. For dramatization
Even in the nursery schools, children can play "The Three Little Pigs", "Three Billy Goats Gruffr and other tales.
4. For puppets
The characters in folktales are suitable for hand puppets, sock puppets, stick puppets.

5. For storytelling
Storytelling is one activity that is best suited for young children and the folktales are excellent types of stories for
telling.

Legend
A legend is a narrative that is partly true and partly imaginary about a particular person,
event, place or natural feature. It is a form of story containing miracles and wonders handed
down from generation to generation though they are not authenticated by accepted proof. A
legend is closely allied to history although it is not verifiable.
Legend will continue to develop because man with his busy printing presses, can’t
write down or preserve all the history of every person, place or thing in the minds of future
generations.

Origin of Legends:
Legend came from the Latin word “Legenda” which means “for things to read.” The term was used to designate
the life story of a saint and was also applied to portions of scriptures and selections from lives of saints to be read at divine
service. From the origin, the term legend came to be applied to any story with or without historical background but
thought to be true.

Difference Between Myths and Legends

1. The myth is an interpretation of nature while a legend is the idealization of history.
2. Myths are stories in which god, goddesses and other divinities play a part while legends are stories of wonder or
miracles not only of gods and goddesses but about animals and other things.
3. The legends live within one or two localities and has one or two characters whose names and sometimes their
motives change with the locality. Myths are found everywhere in one form or another.
4. The legend is usually built into one episode on a single act of the hero.

Difference between Legends and Folktales

Legendary Heroes According to Nationality:
1. English Legends
a. Beowulf’s Fight with Grendel
b. Robin Hood Tales
c. How Saint George Slew the Drago
d. King Arthur and His Sword
2. French Legends
a. Roland and His Horn
3. Scandinavian Legends
a. Sigurd’s Youth
4. Persian Legend
a. Zal
5. Spanish Legend

11
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 a. The Legend of Cid Rodrigo Diaz de Benar
6. North America Legend
a. The Legend of Paul Bunyan
Filipino Legends According to Subject:
A. Legendary Heroes
 The Legen of Lam-Ang
 The Legend of Bernardo Carpio
B. Legends about Places
 Legend of Gapan, Manila
 Legend about every town and province
C. Legend about Nature
 Legend of Mt. Makiling, Mt. Mayon, Mt. Kanlaon, Mt. Pinatubo, Mt Sinukuan, Mt. Paypay
 Legend about the origins of the Universe, Legend about the Sun, Moon and the Stars

D. Legend about Plants

 Legend of the Banana
 Legend of the Pineapple
 Legend of the Lanzones
 Legend of the Macopa
E. Legend about Flowers
 Legend of the Sampaguita
 Legend of the Ilang-Ilang
F. Legend about Animals
 Legend of the Smallest Fish in the Philippines
 Legend of the First Monkey
 Legend of the Firefly

Values of Legends in Children’s Literature

1. Legend as a source of children’s literature deals with religious facts. Religious facts help children in strengthening
their faith in God.
2. Legend deals with historical backgrounds. They awaken the National consciousness of children.
3. They develop vivid and fantastic imagination.
4. Some legends give children a moral lesson. They serve as a guide on what is right and what is wrong.
5. Legends help acquaint children with the cultural phase of the country.
6. They give pleasure and enjoyment to children.

Example of Filipino Legends:

1. Dama De Noche
2. The Legend of Manila
3. The Legend of the Hundred Islands
4. Why the Sky is So High

Individual Learning Activity #1

Let Us Process

Discuss your understanding about the literary terms given below. Give one example in each literary
term ( include the whole story) and apply the element of the story in each example you have chosen.

1. Fairy Tales
2. Legends

12
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________
 3. Folktales
4. Fables

Group Learning Activity #1:

Choose one children story. For your 11-12 weeks task, make a video presentation while having a
storytelling in front of the children. Each member should participate and can be seen in the video making.

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
– John Wooden

13
Name:__________________________________Program/Year:______________________