When it comes to studying traditional literature, you quickly realize this area is full of patterns, motifs, and archetypes. You can have three wishes, or four trials or seven siblings and magical helpers, evil villains, and talking animals. In keeping with that notion, I would like to highlight SEVEN attributes and advantages of folktales, fairy tales, and myths for teaching and learning.

1. Storytelling: We all tell stories every day. If you talk to someone about your day, share a childhood memory, or describe an event, you are very likely framing it as a story. Psychologists tell us that traditional literature grows out of our basic human need to explain ourselves and our world. And every culture has stories that provide this needed function, with uncanny similarities across languages and cultures. As we work with students, we can share stories from a variety of cultures as we incorporate traditional literature into our story times or read aloud repertoires. One excellent new resource is Supporting Diversity and Inclusion with Story: Authentic Folktales and Discussion Guides by Lynn Ford and Sherry Norfolk (2020). Locate the root culture on a map and show students where the story comes from. Look for other connections to make between the story's culture and other traditions from the culture via arts, crafts, and songs.

2. Multimedia: Look for storytelling videos on YouTube and other outlets, such as the Center for Digital Storytelling (https://www.storycenter.org/) and Marshall Cavendish's Story Teller (https://storytellermc.com/), as well as authors' own websites. The National Storytelling Network (http://www.storynet.org) of the National Storytelling Association can help you locate storytellers and storytelling festivals in your area. And, of course, there are many animated and live action films based on folktales and fairy tales available, such as live action and animated Disney versions of Cinderella, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and others. Seek permission before sharing these media adaptations, of course.

3. Variants: Sharing multiple versions or variants of one folktale is an excellent way to approach traditional literature. Here, one story becomes the focus, rather than a single book title. By highlighting the basic story elements or motifs in one tale, like the mistreated girl, the obnoxious sister(s), the magical task, we can help children see the building blocks of stories, while developing their awareness of the similarities and differences across cultures. My favorite root tale is "Cinderella" or "good sister/bad sister" tale because there are so many picture book versions available rooted in so many different cultures. Folklorists have identified more than 3,000 stories that qualify as Cinderella variants worldwide; almost every culture, every nation, has at least one variant.

4. Parodies: Children really enjoy the "fractured" fairy tale or fairy tale parody in which authors have altered, caricatured, or modernized the characters, setting, plots, or language of more traditional well-known tales. These books are especially appealing for more advanced readers or older kids familiar with the basic versions. However, many children have missed the so-called "originals" or know tales from other cultural traditions and not the usual "Three Bears" or "Cinderella" root tales. Thus a parody is less meaningful if they don't understand what is being parodied. You may find it valuable to compare the fractured versions with the traditional European (or other) antecedents that provide opportunities to discuss the differences. One recent example in picture book form is La Princesa and the Pea (Putnam, 2017) by Susan Middleton Elya and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal with art inspired by the culture of Peru.

5. Art: Traditional tales have been very popular in the children's publishing market over the years and many well-written and beautifully illustrated versions can be found that have immense appeal across grade levels. This generally takes the form of a picture book featuring a single folktale, legend, or myth. Several individuals have built quite a reputation for illustrating traditional oral tales for children. Artists like Ashley Bryan, Jerry Pinkney, Paul. O. Zelinsky and others have brought their award-winning artistry to their interpretations of classic folk and fairy tales like Beautiful Blackbird, The Lion and the Mouse, and Rapunzel. A new artist, Bethan Woollvin, has brought her vivid, graphic technique and feisty, feminist sensibility to creating new tales, Little Red, Rapunzel, and Hansel & Gretel.

6. Culture: Through folktales, children can gain insight into the customs and values of many nations and cultures. Most of today's retellers and adapters and illustrators conduct careful research to be sure they capture the cultural traditions relevant to the story in rich and accurate ways. Of course, individual storytellers add their own interpretations, as do the illustrators who help create the picture book versions. For example, check out the new picture book version of Mulan by Faye-Lynn Wu, illustrated by Joy Ang or the novel Mulan: Before the Sword by Grace Lin—just in time to compare these with the new film version of this ancient Chinese legend.

7. Fantasy: There are many allusions to traditional literature and folktales in longer works of contemporary fiction and fantasy. For example, many modern fantasies echo literary motifs and patterns found in myths and legends, such as in the Percy Jackson series, Heroes of Olympus series, Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, and the Trials of Apollo series, all by Rick Riordan. These books have mythic and legendary characters that parallel Prometheus, Aeneas, Odysseus, Jason, and King Arthur. Students can begin to see that many protagonists lack important information about their births, set out on quests to correct wrongs, have access to magic in their fights against evil, and once successful, return home to help others. They will glean even more from the story with a prior knowledge of the root tales from traditional literature.