International Book Week - Tales for kids from all over the world

Reading about other countries and people from other places is a great place to get kids interested in the world and travel. Of course, there are all sorts of books and stories written by authors from all ove the world to choose from, but something many kids (both young and slightly older) might enjoy are fairy-tales, folk tales, and mythology from different countries and cultures.

There's a wealth of these kinds of tales available both online and in paper book-form. Here are some great links to access some of that material that you can access with your child. To me, this is a great way to explore the world with your children through stories and books.


World of Tales
This website provides reading tips for tales and stories from countries all around the world, and you can also read some of classic folk-tales (like HC Andersen and Aesop's fables) right on the site. There are links to audio fairy-tales, and animated tales as well. It's a great resource with tons of links and tips.


Fairy Tales from Around the World
Here you can download tales from various countries in PDF format. There are Indian, Celtic, Japanese, Welsh, and Irish stories, as well as many, many more.


Fairy Tales of the World
This is another site with tales from various countries. There are Asian, American, European, African, and Australian stories here and they are all illustrated as well.


Myths from around the World
This Scholastic site has links to myths from different cultures all over the world. There are also links to other resources, like books and websites, if your children want to explore the subject of mythology further.


The Big Myth
This is a great interactive website with myths from all the corners of the world. You can watch the animated stories, order a CD with the myths, there are resources for teachers, and you can download PDF files as well. A great site with lots of information.


Magic Tails
On this site, you can find print books, or download books for the Kindle, iPad or iPhone, all with creation myths from around the world. The mythology has been retold by writer Rich Brown, who runs the Magic Tails website.