What are the elements of a

fairy tale?
A fairy tale is a magic story
which can not be true.
 A fairy tale often has a beginning phrase
that indicates a distant past or make-believe
land.
Once upon a
time……

Once there was….

Long, long ago…

 Fairy tales take place in made-up times
and places called settings.

Gingerbread house
Imaginary forest

Castle in the sky

Fairy tales have imaginary characters
that are good.
Fairy tales have imaginary characters
that are bad.
 Fairy tales often have royal characters
such as queens, kings, princes, princesses
and sometimes a castle.
 Imaginary characters like dragons,
fairies, elves, and giants are often in
fairy tales.
 Characters in fairy tales often
have magical powers or magical
things.
 Fairy tales may include magical
events.
• A wolf blows down a house made of
sticks.
• A gingerbread boy comes to life.
• A fairy godmother turns mice into
horses.
• A boy buys magic beans that grows
into a giant bean stalk.
Characters are sometimes filled with
greed and use tricks to get what they
want.
Things often appear or happen in
‘threes’ or ‘sevens’.
Wishes are often granted in fairy
tales.
There is often a problem which leads
to a solution which has a pleasing
outcome.
A difficult problem, often very
hard to solve is solved by the
end of the story.
Sometimes a lesson can
be learned from the
ending of the fairy tale.
A fairy tale has a pleasing ending and
often a happy ending phrase.

….and they
lived happily
ever after.
What fairy tales have you
heard or read?
2014 COPYRIGHT MSDE