Favorite Fairy Tales
- List of the Month
- January 2026 (see all)
- Talk
- January 2026 List of the Month: Favorite Fairy Tales
- Description
- Charming, disturbing, archetypal. There are many things that can be said about the stories we call fairy-tales. Our January 2026 List of the Month is devoted to our Favorite Fairy Tales, including collections, individual retellings, and fiction based on known fairy-tales. For the purpose of this list, this does not include fiction which has fairy-tale trappings (castles, princesses, etc), but is wholly original. Each member may add fifteen titles, and if adding fiction, is encouraged to include a note indicating what story is being retold/adapted. Please only downvote titles which do not fit the theme.
1
6,802 members
217 reviews
4.1
Score 82.89
Added 2026-01-08, 02:22 PM
- 24 Members
- Aquila, tardis, Caramellunacy, TeresaInTexas, foggidawn, raidergirl3, wanderlustlover, grayle, lizzy50usa, merrystar, nessreader, souloftherose, vwinsloe, thelorelei, AbigailAdams26, Avida_Lectrix, ctafoyat, MsSally, tmerp, ggnanadesikan, PequeaLibrary, DeEstie, SandyBaySeamstress, SamanthaComer101,
- Explanations
- AbigailAdams26: As the sub-title makes plain, this is a novelized retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
2
- 16 Members
- Aquila, tardis, jain, foggidawn, norabelle414, JennyArch, thelorelei, Msmedea, Verkruissen, msjudy, SandyAMcPherson, ctafoyat, Kalira, tmerp, SandyBaySeamstress, SamanthaComer101
- Explanations
- Aquila: Elements of Rumplestiltskin and the Miller's DaughterSandyAMcPherson: Interwoven with Jewish folklore and Eastern European legends as well as Rumpelstiltskin
3
6,402 members
162 reviews
4
Score 43.92
Added 2026-01-08, 02:47 PM
- 13 Members
- paradoxosalpha, pitjrw, specialkay, sturlington, souloftherose, TheLOFT, Msmedea, ctafoyat, Charon07, Edward528, SZvan, SamanthaComer101, Dirwin56
- Explanations
- paradoxosalpha: Includes multiple versions of "Beauty and the Beast" and "Little Red Riding Hood," as well as "Puss in Boots," Bluebeard, and othersCharon07: Retellings of Grimm fairy tales
4
2,293 members
68 reviews
4.1
Score 39.26
Added 2026-01-08, 02:25 PM
- 12 Members
- Aquila, tardis, pitjrw, bjappleg8, grayle, merrystar, souloftherose, ManWithAnAgenda, ctafoyat, Grassangel, ZephCraven, SamanthaComer101
- Explanations
- Aquila: This contains elements of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer
5
- 13 Members
- Caramellunacy, foggidawn, raidergirl3, norabelle414, bjappleg8, JennyArch, msjudy, ctafoyat, EGBERTINA, stickeminastew, kelidw, DeEstie, SamanthaComer101
- Explanations
- foggidawn: As the title says, a retelling of The Goose Girl
6
- 11 Members
- Aquila, karenb, TeresaInTexas, jain, wanderlustlover, lizzy50usa, saskia17, merrystar, nessreader, ManWithAnAgenda, ctafoyat
7
- 11 Members
- knerd.knitter, nessreader, TheLOFT, Verkruissen, vickidoyle, ctafoyat, EGBERTINA, MsSally, E.Weathington, SamanthaComer101, DeeDee77
8
- 13 Members
- tardis, foggidawn, thelorelei, passion4reading, Msmedea, Verkruissen, ctafoyat, Brandy1411, MsSally, tmerp, ggnanadesikan, SandyBaySeamstress, SamanthaComer101
- Explanations
- foggidawn: Elements of Beauty and the Beast, but with lots of other bits and pieces of fairy tales.
9
6,437 members
320 reviews
4
Score 36.2
Added 2026-01-09, 08:55 AM
- 12 Members
- jain, bjappleg8, JennyArch, Verkruissen, SandyAMcPherson, ManWithAnAgenda, ctafoyat, Brandy1411, quebuen0, MsSally, kelidw, SueLovesReading
- Explanations
- bjappleg8: combines elements and characters from Russian folklore
10
by Jacob Grimm
17,399 members
134 reviews
4.2
Score 28.42
Added 2026-01-08, 02:30 PM
- 10 Members
- norabelle414, cbl_tn, merrystar, tina1969, AbigailAdams26, ManWithAnAgenda, Avida_Lectrix, beatlegrrl, DeEstie, Dirwin56
11
1,730 members
43 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 28.25
Added 2026-01-08, 04:19 PM
- 9 Members
- TeresaInTexas, jain, foggidawn, lizzy50usa, merrystar, nessreader, al.vick, EGBERTINA, hungrycaterpillar
- Explanations
- foggidawn: A retelling of Tam Linhungrycaterpillar: my favorite book of all time
12
1,643 members
40 reviews
4
Score 26.8
Added 2026-01-08, 02:48 PM
13
- 9 Members
- tardis, jain, foggidawn, norabelle414, Verkruissen, SandyAMcPherson, Brandy1411, Grassangel, Edward528
- Explanations
- norabelle414: A retelling of Sleeping Beauty
14
17,526 members
577 reviews
4.1
Score 22.84
Added 2026-01-08, 05:05 PM
- 7 Members
- Minthe, raidergirl3, msjudy, EGBERTINA, Tosta, kelidw, SamanthaComer101
15
- 8 Members
- tardis, hipdeep, grayle, msjudy, ManWithAnAgenda, Boand, Edward528, SamanthaComer101
- Explanations
- hipdeep: Elements of Cinderella, and a bunch of others.
16
6,807 members
202 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 21.74
Added 2026-01-11, 01:06 AM
- 8 Members
- hipdeep, grayle, perennialreader, JennyArch, msjudy, hungrycaterpillar, tmerp, CreatingCuriosity
17
1,295 members
82 reviews
3.8
Score 20.03
Added 2026-01-08, 03:03 PM
- 7 Members
- Aquila, souloftherose, TheLOFT, JennyArch, Msmedea, ManWithAnAgenda, Tosta
- Explanations
- Aquila: Sleeping Beauty, a lot of sleeping beauties.
18
- 7 Members
- grayle, lizzy50usa, merrystar, thelorelei, ggnanadesikan, PequeaLibrary, CreatingCuriosity
- Explanations
- lizzy50usa: McKinley's second retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Different enough from Beauty to be worth the time to read.
19
1,273 members
20 reviews
½ 3.7
Score 19.09
Added 2026-01-09, 01:02 AM
- 7 Members
- tardis, karenb, TeresaInTexas, lizzy50usa, saskia17, nessreader, SandyAMcPherson
20
6,357 members
385 reviews
4.1
Score 18.52
Added 2026-01-12, 01:53 PM
- 6 Members
- JennyArch, thelorelei, Herrington33, msjudy, kelidw, tmerp
- Explanations
- msjudy: Yiddish Kabal magic meets Syrian mythology.
21
- 6 Members
- TeresaInTexas, norabelle414, saskia17, treegardner, Charon07, Grassangel
- Explanations
- saskia17: Representing the whole series of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books
22
- 5 Members
- cbl_tn, BonnieJune54, stephanieann1983, ManWithAnAgenda, jwindisch
- Explanations
- BonnieJune54: Rapunzel is included with the nursery rhyme characters.
23
2,446 members
27 reviews
4.2
Score 16.46
Added 2026-01-09, 11:15 PM
- 6 Members
- cbl_tn, BonnieJune54, thelorelei, msjudy, Boand, arogers8706
- Explanations
- msjudy: Beautiful illustrations. I inherited this edition and a matching Grimms fairy tales, from my father's sister.
24
1,721 members
31 reviews
3.8
Score 15.48
Added 2026-01-09, 07:21 AM
- 5 Members
- Minthe, thelorelei, Boand, Dirwin56, arogers8706
25
4,962 members
167 reviews
4
Score 15.18
Added 2026-01-08, 03:08 PM
- 6 Members
- hipdeep, norabelle414, saskia17, TheLOFT, ManWithAnAgenda, slimikin
- Explanations
- saskia17: First in amazing series of graphic novels full of many fairy tale characters
26
7,859 members
143 reviews
4
Score 14.83
Added 2026-01-21, 02:02 AM
- 5 Members
- tardis, grayle, al.vick, tmerp, CreatingCuriosity
- Explanations
- CreatingCuriosity: The Pied Piper
27
665 members
46 reviews
3.8
Score 14.83
Added 2026-01-11, 10:16 AM
- 5 Members
- ManWithAnAgenda, Tosta, Charon07, SealedArchive, Grassangel
- Explanations
- Charon07: Inspired by Bluebeard
28
- 5 Members
- TeresaInTexas, grayle, lizzy50usa, thelorelei, SandyAMcPherson
- Explanations
- lizzy50usa: Retelling of Sleeping Beauty
30
- 5 Members
- jain, lizzy50usa, merrystar, sarw, Grassangel
- Explanations
- lizzy50usa: Beauty and the Beast
31
2,582 members
29 reviews
3.9
Score 13.11
Added 2026-01-11, 12:09 PM
- 4 Members
- sturlington, treegardner, ManWithAnAgenda, SZvan
32
4,576 members
136 reviews
3.9
Score 12.96
Added 2026-01-08, 02:41 PM
- 5 Members
- grayle, Bookwomble, msjudy, ManWithAnAgenda, ZephCraven
- Explanations
- ZephCraven: Perhaps a bit of a stretch, but one could argue that Clarke has written some rather classic fairytales (parts of which border on retellings) using modern, creative forms. Some of my favorites stories: especially John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner.
33
4,787 members
144 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 12.75
Added 2026-01-09, 08:49 AM
- 4 Members
- bjappleg8, thelorelei, Avida_Lectrix, verinrot75
- Explanations
- bjappleg8: inspired by the Six Swans
34
3,066 members
41 reviews
3.8
Score 12.65
Added 2026-01-09, 01:07 AM
- 5 Members
- nessreader, thelorelei, treegardner, Avida_Lectrix, CreatingCuriosity
- Explanations
- CreatingCuriosity: Robin Hood
35
2,110 members
27 reviews
4
Score 12.53
Added 2026-01-11, 01:07 AM
36
209 members
1 review
4.2
Score 12.36
Added 2026-01-20, 09:22 PM
- 5 Members
- TeresaInTexas, grayle, epaterson, BonnieJune54, kelidw
37
- 4 Members
- TheLOFT, thelorelei, slimikin, SZvan
- Explanations
- slimikin: A retelling of "Allerleirauh" ("All-Kinds-of-Fur")
38
52,883 members
871 reviews
4.2
Score 12.23
Added 2026-01-11, 12:11 PM
- 4 Members
- specialkay, perennialreader, Rommert, kelidw
39
15,166 members
423 reviews
4.1
Score 12.06
Added 2026-01-21, 01:58 AM
- 4 Members
- Avida_Lectrix, ggnanadesikan, DeEstie, CreatingCuriosity
- Explanations
- CreatingCuriosity: Cinderella
40
857 members
9 reviews
½ 3.7
Score 11.91
Added 2026-01-08, 09:14 PM
- 4 Members
- aprille, TeresaInTexas, TracyNectoux, Dirwin56
41
7,556 members
343 reviews
3.9
Score 11.42
Added 2026-01-11, 01:05 AM
- 4 Members
- TheLOFT, passion4reading, msjudy, ManWithAnAgenda
42
2,024 members
27 reviews
½ 3.7
Score 11.41
Added 2026-01-10, 06:24 PM
- 5 Members
- grayle, lizzy50usa, merrystar, thelorelei, tmerp
- Explanations
- lizzy50usa: A story collection, one of which is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princessesmerrystar: Also includes a telling of The Princess and the Frog, and The Hunting of the Hind
43
- 4 Members
- epaterson, ManWithAnAgenda, Boand, Charon07
- Explanations
- Charon07: At the heart of the novel is the poem “The Fairy Melusine” by the fictional poet Christabel LaMotte.
45
9,304 members
147 reviews
½ 3.5
Score 10.97
Added 2026-01-08, 03:00 PM
- 4 Members
- norabelle414, stephanieann1983, DeEstie, CreatingCuriosity
46
- 4 Members
- tardis, foggidawn, JennyArch, ggnanadesikan
- Explanations
- foggidawn: Snow White, but from another perspective
48
50
1,666 members
28 reviews
3.8
Score 9.5
Added 2026-01-08, 07:21 PM
- 3 Members
- book58lover, kelidw, arogers8706
51
- 4 Members
- foggidawn, grayle, merrystar, Avida_Lectrix
- Explanations
- foggidawn: A retelling of The Dancing Princesses
54
55
1,301 members
16 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 9.02
Added 2026-01-15, 02:29 PM
- 3 Members
- perennialreader, treegardner, PovesteaPreferata
- Explanations
- PovesteaPreferata: Read poetry, discover hidden surprises and even play along with Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood, Gingerbread Man, Three Little Pigs, Nursery Rhymes characters
56
4,233 members
275 reviews
4.1
Score 8.96
Added 2026-01-16, 11:29 PM
59
417 members
5 reviews
3.9
Score 8.61
Added 2026-01-08, 03:20 PM
- 3 Members
- kleo, masterdeski, Dirwin56
- Explanations
- masterdeski: Thistledown is my favorite one in this collection
60
- 3 Members
- aprille, sturlington, hungrycaterpillar
- Explanations
- sturlington: Retelling of Sleeping Beauty
61
- 3 Members
- saskia17, nessreader, Kalira
- Explanations
- saskia17: Representative of this whole series of anthologies
62
64
- 3 Members
- TeresaInTexas, SandyAMcPherson, Brandy1411
- Explanations
- SandyAMcPherson: Book 2 The Arthurian Merlin Saga: based on Celtic legends arising from 5th century (AD) Britain.
65
67
by Neil Gaiman
2,437 members
156 reviews
4
Score 7.35
Added 2026-01-11, 01:08 AM
- 3 Members
- stephanieann1983, msjudy, Edward528,ManWithAnAgenda
- Explanations
- msjudy: A bit of Sleeping Beauty, a bit of Snow White. Gorgeous illustrations.
68
- 3 Members
- foggidawn, raidergirl3, norabelle414
- Explanations
- foggidawn: Elements of Russian fairy tales, including Vasilisa the Brave, The Firebird, and Baba Yaga
70
71
- 2 Members
- princessgarnet, pitjrw
- Explanations
- princessgarnet: Got this book as a gift while I was in middle school.
72
73
- 2 Members
- Grassangel, CreatingCuriosity
- Explanations
- CreatingCuriosity: Exploring Cinderella and other stories with fairy godmothers from the Fairy godmother's perspective.
75
- 3 Members
- grayle, lizzy50usa, saskia17
- Explanations
- lizzy50usa: East of the Sun and West of the Moon
76
by Maria Tatar
758 members
14 reviews
½ 4.5
Score 6.31
Added 2026-01-08, 09:13 PM
- 2 Members
- TracyNectoux, Dirwin56
78
157 members
1 review
½ 3.5
Score 5.71
Added 2026-01-17, 06:26 AM
81
484 members
32 reviews
4.2
Score 5.6
Added 2026-01-20, 02:33 PM
82
1,274 members
42 reviews
3.8
Score 5.5
Added 2026-01-12, 10:21 AM
- 2 Members
- Edward528, hungrycaterpillar
- Explanations
- Edward528: Connected retellings of several well-known stories,
83
85
by Neil Gaiman
892 members
44 reviews
4.1
Score 5.38
Added 2026-01-11, 12:09 PM
- 3 Members
- sturlington, stephanieann1983, kelidw,ManWithAnAgenda
- Explanations
- sturlington: Graphic retelling of Snow White
87
504 members
5 reviews
3.8
Score 5.35
Added 2026-01-12, 10:22 AM
- 2 Members
- ManWithAnAgenda, Edward528
- Explanations
- Edward528: Neapolitan fairy tale collection which predates Perrault and the Grimms.
90
15,370 members
493 reviews
½ 4.3
Score 5.14
Added 2026-01-21, 02:03 AM
- 2 Members
- kelidw, CreatingCuriosity
- Explanations
- CreatingCuriosity: Plays with the tropes of first, middle, and youngest children's fates in fairy tales.
91
92
27,323 members
493 reviews
3.8
Score 5.12
Added 2026-01-08, 05:06 PM
- 3 Members
- raidergirl3, Cecrow, al.vick,ManWithAnAgenda ,Grassangel
94
by A. A. Milne
9,846 members
90 reviews
½ 4.4
Score 5.02
Added 2026-01-17, 06:29 AM
- 3 Members
- epaterson, Rommert, treegardner,tardis ,CreatingCuriosity
96
98
- 2 Members
- thelorelei, SZvan
- Explanations
- SZvan: "The Goose Girl", where it matters that the rightful queen lives among the city's peasants
100
