Folktales

Definition of "folktale": A traditional, usually anonymous, story that has been handed down orally (aloud, not written down) among a people or culture.

Elements of Folktale Literature:

• Usually depicts characters of the lower class. (commoners, ordinary working people)
• Often depicts a historical event. (example: slavery, the passing of a comet, or a particular war)
• Characters are from a geographical area. (example: a tale from Africa)
• Tells of special deed(s) or actions by a person or group. (example: In Little Red Riding Hood, the woodcutter opens up the wolf to save Grandmother and Red Riding Hood.)
• May contain an explanation for a phenomena or happening. (example: why there are four seasons, or how the elephant got its trunk)
• May be retold in many versions. (example: Little Red Riding Hood)

• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale by Verna Aardema
• Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema
• How the Camel Got Its Hump by Rudyard Kipling
• Little Red Ridinghood