 Folktales
are stories that have been passed
from generation to generation, usually told.
 Later, folktales were written down and
shared.
 These stories are called Traditional Talesthey share messages from the past that still
apply today, and will in the future!
Tall tales are stories written from
someone’s imagination. The story can be
funny or silly. They are filled with
exaggerations, similes, metaphors, and
lots of descriptive language. It is always
told as if it were true, even though the
listeners know that the story could never
really happen.
Some of the characters were real heroes
and heroines whose stories got
exaggerated a lot, others were characters
such as cowboys, railroad workers,
loggers, sea captains, and
firefighters. Tall tales told information
that really happened at the time and
combined it with a wild tale full of
fantasy.
What are they?
In general the tales were about people
who were trying to conquer the American
Wilderness. Most of these tall tales were
written back in the 1800's when the
pioneers were trying to conquer the
wilderness of America. It was a way for
the pioneers to make the taming of
America a little easier to handle.
Review
Tall Tales have exaggerations

The main character is bigger
than life with super-human skills
 Explains how some familiar
things began

Hero has problems with
nature, people, and/or progress.

Fairy Tale
A fairy tale is a fictional story
that may feature folkloric
characters (such as fairies,
goblins, elves, trolls, witches,
giants, and talking animals) and
enchantments, often involving a
far-fetched sequence of events.
The term is also used to describe
something blessed with unusual
happiness, as in "fairy tale
ending" (a happy ending) or "fairy
tale romance," though not all
fairy tales end happily.
Characters
Fairy
Tales
Review
are simple.
One
is good.
One
is wicked.
One
character is someone of royalty (king,
queen, prince, princess, etc.)
The
story begins with “once upon a time”
or something similar.
Plots are simple and direct.
Magic events, characters and objects are
part of the story.
Certain numbers like three and seven are
often in the story.
Fable
Fables
are Fiction
Short narrative such as a short story
or folktale
Ends in a moral or lesson
Characters are usually animals that
talk and act like humans, but keep
their animal traits
A character usually represents a
single human characteristic such as
fox being symbolic or a trickster
Fables
A fable usually has animal characters with human
traits (for example, a wise owl, or a foolish
monkey). The story also has a moral to it, which is
a valuable lesson that the reader, as well as the
animal in the story learns. All fables have a:
•Beginning:
Setting, characters in situation
•Middle:
•
An explanation of what the problem is and how
the characters attempt to solve problem.
•End:
Moral or lesson to be learned from story
•
Now you try your
detective skills. Read the
examples and decide,
fairy tale, fable, or tall
tale.
Fable
Fairy Tale
Tall Tale
Now everyone knows that Alfred Bulltop
Stormalong was the ultimate sailor. He was
the captain of a mighty ship known as the
Courser, which was so wide that she
couldn't sail into Boston Harbor and so tall
that the mast was hinged into the middle
so it could be taken down to avoid the sun
and the moon whenever they passed by.
Her keel was so deep that no harbor in the
world could take her, so she spent all her
time in deep water.
Fable
Fairy Tale
Tall Tale
When he woke up, the room looked so funny.
The sun was shining into part of it, and yet all
the rest was quite dark and shady. So Jack
jumped up and dressed himself and went to the
window. And what do you think he saw? Why, the
beans his mother had thrown out of the window
into the garden, had sprung up into a big
beanstalk which went up and up and up till it
reached the sky. So the man spoke truth after
all.
Fable
Fairy Tale
Tall Tale
The Crow and the Pitcher A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came
upon a Pitcher which had once been full of water; but when
the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he found
that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not
reach far enough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried, but
at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came to him,
and he took a pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he
took another pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he
took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then
he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher.
Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the
Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into
the Pitcher. At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near
him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he was able to
quench his thirst and save his life. Little by little does the
trick.
Fable
Fairy Tale
Tall Tale
Imagine, if you can, the excitement that
was caused by the birth of Paul Bunyan! It
took five giant storks, working overtime, to
deliver him to his parents.
He cut his teeth on a peavy pole and grew
so fast the after one week he had to wear
his father's clothes. His lungs were so
strong that he could empty a whole pond of
frogs with one "holler".
Fable
Fairy Tale
Tall Tale
Pecos had one true love, Slue-foot Sue. She was
his first wife - and she could ride almost as good
as Bill himself.
Bill first saw Slue-foot Sue ridin' a catfish down
the Rio Grande. She was riding standing up and
holdin' on with only one hand sose she could
take pot-shots at the clouds with her sixshooter.
Fable
Fairy Tale
Tall Tale
On one fine summer's day in a field a Grasshopper was
hopping about in a musical mood. An ant passed by
bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was
taking to the nest.
The grasshopper invited the ant to sit for a chat with
him. But the ant refused saying that "I’m storing up
food for winter". " Why don’t you do the same?" asked
the ant to the grasshopper.
"Pooh! Why bother about winter?" said the
Grasshopper; we have got enough food at present."
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
Finally, when winter came, the Grasshopper found
itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants
distributing corn and grain from their storage.
Then the Grasshopper understood that…
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
Fable
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful stream that flowed
by a stony hill. A small village stood by this stream and the
people of this hamlet used its water for their daily needs.
One day, two women started to gossip and forgetful of their
belongings, both of them left their pots by the stream. One of
the pots was of brass, another of earthenware.
Fairy Tale
When the tide rose, the swollen waters carried off both the
pots downstream. The earthenware pot struggled to keep
itself away from the brass one. Seeing this, the brass pot
called out to the earten pot:
"Why are you afraid, my friend? I will not strike you."
Tall Tale
The earthen pot replied, "That is allright. But if I come too
close to you, I will break. You are too tough and I am so weak.
Whether I hit you, or you hit me, I shall be the one to suffer
for it."
The strong and the weak cannot keep company.
Fable
Fairy Tale
Tall Tale
Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little
country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her
mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother
doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red
riding hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well
that everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood. One day her
mother, having made some cakes, said to her, "Go, my dear,
and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear she has
been very ill. Take her a cake, and this little pot of butter."
Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately to go to her
grandmother, who lived in another village.
As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who
had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not,
because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He
asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not
know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to
him, "I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake
and a little pot of butter from my mother."
"Does she live far off?" said the wolf