Modern fairytale for toddlers

What about Abbie Longstaff's Fairytale Hairdresser series? They are takes on a classic fairytales, where the main character is a hairdresser who steps in and saves the day. Although they do still have the princess marrying the prince it comes across as between equals because he isn't rescuing her. I like that they introduce a strong female role without requiring her to have all the same characteristics as a traditional male hero (ie sword fighting etc), and they were a lot more popular with DD that full fairytale reversals like the Paper bag princess or Princess Smartypants. My DS used to happily listen too and they would be right for age 3.

@mowly77

So the fairy tales which enrage you are fine when the genders are swapped? What?

Well this thread has gone off the rails somewhat but I appreciate the recommendations from those that made them! OP I have the same issue with my DD who loves fairytales too ... I did buy the Gender Swapped Fairy Tales book which is lovely, but she's too little for it at 3, imo. It's lots of words, her attention span won't last that long – I'm keeping it for when she's a little bit older though, it's great.

I find myself swapping genders around when I'm reading to her anyway as the default male enrages me. In animal stories; in all sorts of stories when the gender could be balanced. This will not work when she can read for herself I admit.

@kmbegs

Actually it was OP and you who are threatened by me not having a problem with some fairytales having gender roles and not wanting to totally change them all for your specific 2021 opinion. If you want that buy new books.

It’s seems your threatened by old fairy tales having gender roles and horrified a boy might hear one some day. Who knows what might happen if that were to occur?!😬

Don't know where you live OP but on a similar theme it sounds like you'd enjoy the panto they do at the Lyric in Hammersmith. Maybe one to look into for next year as it's always very up to date.

@RedDeadRoach agreed and how threatened they seem when that's challenged.

Thanks to OP though as Ive found this a really helpful thread and have saved a lot of ideas for my little ones Christmas. Shame it was a bit hijacked

Control what a child reads and plays with because of their gender is ridiculous and contributes to how gender is constructed from a very young age..

Oh the irony!

It's mad how much some women are wedded to gender stereotypes.

I’m not angry simply giving my opinion, being in the minority (on this thread) is neither her nor there, I would expect it given what was asked.
I will accept that you “find (classic) fairy tales problematic” though.

And for the record I have no problem with empowering stories for girls where they are heroes (or whatever) etc. But these are all likely to be modern stories. So for me I would prefer to read those modern stories and a somewhat faithful (at least to the point it’s recognisable) version of the old fairytales and mix them up. A child can hear that a princess married a prince from time to time, or a story with gender roles, there’s nothing wrong with that, so long as they hear other stories with other options for girls as well. Basically have empowering girls characters in some stories, but keep Rapunzel letting down her hair for the prince, instead of inventing a hang glider and sailing away cos she don’t need no prince or whatever you are suggesting.

After all what if you read your son nothing but feminist fairy tales (yuck) and he still grows up to choose to live out traditional gender roles with his own Princess? Would that really be so very wrong?

Just got this post on my Pinterest and thought of you

You mean the “problems” of reading traditional fairytales are well documented by people with the same ideological beliefs as you - who naturally see problems with anything that doesn’t conform to their ideology. And the “literature” is written by the same. But that’s to be expected and of course I’m aware of it. I find it foolish and you very condescending. But that too is to be expected from someone so convinced their ideology needs to be grafted onto all kids stories.

It's a favourite with my daughter, and I really like the pics.

www.cartoonkate.co.uk/dont-call-me-princess-page/

I tend to speak my own footnotes for anything I don't agree with as I go along. I don't have any up to date fairytale, but make sure I mention that breaking in, destroying someone's possessions and eating their food is wrong. Or that yes, cannibalism is a problem, but if you go around eating people's houses you should expect consequences. Especially when the house belongs to a lonely old lady in the woods that could probably do with some company and help about the house instead of outright vandalism.

On a separate note, Zog and the flying doctors annoys me. Pearl teaches Gadabout how to be a doctor and is then relegated to vaccinations while he performs surgery. My boys love it though.

to the point they are unrecognisable you might as well just choose newly written stories which are more likely to conform to you point of view.

Er... That's why some of us suggested zog ... Yet you've still got a problem with those too.

What are you so upset about? The idea that little boys and girls might be attracted to stories that don't fit reductive gender stereotypes? The idea that a girl could teach a boy a skill? (like being a doctor) i don't think you're actually familiar with the book at all so you've just dismissed it out of hand because... You're upset that some people might not want to give children traditional fairy tales as their only source of fiction? I mean I'm really struggling to get what your point is here.