Genres in Children

Broad Genre: TRADITIONAL LITERATURE: Literature that comes from the oral tradition, collected and written down. Traditional literature generally has a limited or backdrop setting, stock characters, and plot that often has episodic elements. Sometimes in rhyme.
Genre	Description	Examples
Myth	Personification of religious ideas. Explanation of natural phenomenon.	*Literal:* Apollo is the Sun god *Metaphor:* Apollo is the Sun *Conceptual:* Apollo is the god of light, beauty, truth, healing
Religious story	Story concerning relationship between God and His/Her people.	Judeo/Christian Adam and Eve (1450 BC) Jonah and the Whale Noah’s Ark
Epic	Story is told in many episodes, often over a long period of time. Hero exemplifies all the ideal characteristics of a human in that culture Hero is superhuman Often in poetic form.	The Epic of Gilgamesh (Sumerian, 2600 BC) The Odyssey (Greek – 700s BC) attributed to HOMER (POEM) The Iliad 700s BC(Greek) attributed to HOMER (POEM) The Aeneid (Roman) 1^st century AD VIRGIL (POEM) tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The Epic of Beowulf (English- 8^th -11^th century AD)
Saga	Long stories of Icelandic heroes and communities.	Icelandic Sagas (Edda) 12^th and 13^th centuries AD

Legend	A legend is a traditional story belonging to one specific people. The story is a depiction of real facts or characters accepted by almost everyone but distorted or amplified by imagination or biases. It is about someone who probably did exist and is rooted in a kernel of truth for that culture. Realistic in setting and conversational in tone. Often retold and written down in book form Often conversational in tone Human hero/heroine who may do extraordinary things but actions are usually not outside of natural occurrences including miracles...which are believed by the culture to actually have happened.	The Legend of the Poinsettia; retold and illus. by Tomie DePaolo The Legend of the Bluebonnet; ; retold and illus. by Tomie DePaolo The Legend of John Henry; retold by Julius Lester and illus. by Brian Pinckney The Legend of Johnny Appleseed King Arthur retold by Howard Pyle Robin Hood retold by Howard Pyle Hiawatha; excerpt from Longfellow’s epic poem; illus. by Susan Jeffers. The Pied Piper of Hamelin Dick Whittington and his Cat Legend of Old Befana retold and illus. by Tomie DePaola Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving illus. by Will Moses. Legend of William Tell

Tall Tale	A tall tale is a story that exaggerates the truth. ..usually to impossible and unbelievable lengths. The tone of the story is conversational. Outrageous events are made to sound factual. A cornerstone of American folklore; they came from bragging contests of the rough and tumble pioneers of the American West. EXAMPLES Pecos Bill - legendary cowboy who "tamed the wild west" John Henry - A mighty steel-driving African American Johnny Appleseed - A friendly folk-hero whom traveled the West planting apple trees because he felt his guardian angel told him to. Alfred Bulltop Stormalong - An immense sailor whose ship was so big it scraped the moon Tony Beaver - A West Virginia lumberjack and cousin of Paul Bunyan	Aylett C. (Strap) Buckner - A Native American-fighter of colonial Texas Davy Crockett - A pioneer and U.S. Congressman from Tennessee who later died at the Battle of the Alamo. Calamity Jane - A tough Wild West woman Febold Feboldson - A Nebraska farmer who could fight a drought Joe Magarac - A Pittsburgh steelworker made of steel Paul Bunyan - huge lumberjack who eats 50 pancakes in one minute Mike Fink - The toughest boatman of the Mississippi and is rival of Davy Crockett. Also known as the King of the Mississippi River Keelboatmen Molly Pitcher - A heroine of the American Revolutionary War

Cumulative Tales	Stories that repeat and add episodes.	The Fat Cat (Denmark) The House that Jack Built (England)

Talking Beast Tales	Talking animals; anthropomorphized	The Three Bears (England) The Little Red Hen (England) The Three Little Pigs (England) Chicken Little (England) Little Red Riding Hood (German)
	POURQUOI Stories Animals and natural elements are anthropomorphic. Explains a how or why of nature. Many come from Native American cultures.	Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky

	Fables: A short highly didactic story in which animals , and sometimes the elements speak as human beings. The story has a moral: usually explicitly stated at the end of the story.	Fables of Aesop (Greece) Fables of La Fontaine (many based on Aesop tales) (France) Jataka Tales about previous lives of the Buddha.

Wonder or Magic Tales	Involves magic and transformation.	Cinderella illus. by Susan Jeffers Rapunzel; adapted (from the Brothers Grimm) illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky Rumpelstiltskin illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky Hansel and Gretel illus. by Anthony Browne Bony_Legs retold by Joanna Cole from Russian Fairy Tales by Aleksandr Afanasav (Baba-Yaga) ; illus. by Dirk Zimmer. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs;* retold from the Brothers Grimm by Randall Jarrell; illus. by Susan Ekholm Burkert.

Suspense and supernatural tales	Ghost stories	"The Bony Finger" Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark retold by Alvin Schwartz illus. by Stephen Gammell. "There Was an Old Woman"