The importance of fairy tales

Make-believe stories that help kids believe in themselves

I’m inspired by myths, fairy tales and folk tales—the kind of stories that have entertained kids (and adults) for centuries.

But experts on fairy tales (like Bruno Bettelheim, Joseph Campbell, and others) believe there is more than just entertainment here.

They say there is something in these stories that is deeply reassuring to kids–something that helps them navigate the sometimes scary inner world of childhood and adolescence.

In an entertaining and subconscious way, fairy tales give kids a real but hopeful way to think and feel about the world and their place in it.

This is why Bettelheim, a renowned child psychologist, used fairy tales in his work with kids. (He also notes that fairy tales were used in India to help treat those who suffered from depression.)

Borrowing elements from that genre, I write “fairy tales for today.” I want these stories to be fun, of course, and to nurture a sense of wonder about life.

But they are also designed to help nurture a young reader’s ability to believe in herself and in her ability to make her way through the world, even with its problems and challenges.

And, my stories are designed to be read aloud and shared. I hope you and your children or students enjoy them.

Geoffery Alan Moore