My family is excited to welcome you back to our 30 minutes of reading challenge. This challenge isn’t just for children but adults as we. In the challenge you do not have to read the books where sharing with you. All we ask is for you to read for at least 30 minutes a day
I believe there is something special about a story that stays with you long after you have grown up. As for Suzzane she isn’t here anymore and Charlie may be older now, but that doesn’t mean he has outgrown the stories he connected with when he was younger.
There are characters, adventures, funny moments, movies, and books that stay tucked away in our memories and come back to us years later. That’s one of the reasons I decided that this week’s 30-Minute Reading Challenge needed to be a little different.
Last week we finished our mystery reading challenge, so this week we’re going somewhere completely different. We’re stepping into the world of fairy tales! And yes, our family is doing it right along with you.
We don’t give people challenges and then sit on the sidelines. If we’re asking you to read for 30 minutes, we’re reading for 30 minutes. If we’re asking you to explore a new genre, we’re exploring it too.
So grab a book, grab the kids, grab a cup of coffee or your favorite drink, and let’s see where a fairy tale takes us. Before we begin sharing these stories with you we wanted to share where fairy tales were invented. Were Fairy Tales Invented?
This is were where things get interesting. Did you know there isn’t one single story that everyone agrees was the very first fairy tale. Fairy-tale traditions are much older than the books we have today.
Stories were passed from person to person and generation to generation long before somebody sat down and wrote them into a book. One of the earliest European collections containing stories we would recognize as fairy-tale material is Giovan Francesco Straparola’s The Pleasant Nights, published in the 1550s.
There is something you should know about this book which I wouldn’t hand a child that original collection and say, “Here’s our first children’s fairy-tale book!” Instead, for our family reading challenge, we’re going to look at the fairy-tale tradition through Charles Perrault and his 1697 collection of stories, which became associated with Mother Goose Tales.
That collection includes stories such as:
- Sleeping Beauty
- Little Red Riding Hood
- Cinderella
- Puss in Boots
- Bluebeard
- Little Tom Thumb
And that brings us to our first reading choice. Being a Monday morning : I thought we would begin the week with Puss in Boots because I wanted this week to have some humor. Plus, I thought this would be a book Charlie and David would enjoy.
After spending last week with mysteries, I thought we needed a story with a little trickery, a little silliness, and an animal who is definitely not just sitting around waiting for somebody else to solve the problem.
Puss in Boots is clever. He’s funny. He’s sneaky. He’s a cat and we all know I want a cat. And he reminds us that fairy tales aren’t always about princesses. Sometimes the hero has four paws.
On Tuesday morning we will be examining Robin Hood. And before somebody tells me, “Robin Hood isn’t technically a fairy tale,” I know! Robin Hood is more accurately considered a legend and part of the folklore tradition. But that’s exactly why I want him included.
If we tell boys that fairy tales are only princesses, castles, and magic wands, we may lose some readers before they ever get started. Robin Hood gives us adventure, heroes, villains, forests, courage, friendship, justice, and plenty of action.
So if Robin Hood is the story that gets somebody to sit down and read for 30 minutes, I’m counting it! And that’s part of this week’s lesson, too: Not every story fits perfectly into one little genre box.
I thought on Wednesday: we would check out The Funny Animals of Fairy Tales so let’s find a children’s collection of traditional fairy tales and look for stories featuring animals. Think about stories like The Bremen Town Musicians or other animal-centered fairy tales and folktales.
Animals are one of the things that make fairy tales so much fun. They can talk. They can be clever. They can trick people. They can become heroes. And sometimes they’re the funniest character in the entire story.
That makes this a great day to ask: “Why do you think animals appear in so many fairy tales?” There isn’t just one answer. Animals allow storytellers to talk about human behavior in a funny and memorable way. A clever fox, a foolish donkey, a loyal horse, or a talking cat can teach us something about people without having to make the story feel like a lesson.
Thursday: let’s meet Hans Christian Andersen and choose a child-friendly collection and read one of his stories. You could choose: The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea or The Little Mermaid.
I plan on reading The Emperor’s New Clothes for this challenge because I’m trying to keep some humor in our week. And it gives us another wonderful conversation: “What can a fairy tale teach us without sounding like a lesson?” Sometimes the best lessons are hidden inside the story.
I picked a unusual book for us to read on Friday: Aladdin because I’ve always wondered about myself. Is Aladdin a fairy tale? I believe it belongs in our fairy-tale conversation, even though its history is more complicated than many people realize.
The story became associated with One Thousand and One Nights, but Aladdin was not part of the oldest surviving Arabic manuscripts of that collection. It was added to Antoine Galland’s French version after he heard the story from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab.
And look at everything we recognize in the story today: Magic. A lamp. A genie. A princess. A palace. Adventure. Transformation. And, depending on the version you’re reading or watching, a very funny monkey. That gives us another question:
“Can a story become a fairy tale even when its history is complicated?” I believe that is absolutely worth discussing! What do you think and why?
For Saturday: I thought we could read Shrek? Before I share why I picked out Shrek for us to read I wanted to share a fun fact about this story that comes from Charlie when he was little.
He saw the commercial for the movie Skrek on tv. I was cooking and all of a sudden Charlie yells at me and say’s momma daddy’s on tv. I have no, clue what Charlie is talking about. I go into the living room and Charlie points at the Donkey is shrek and says daddy from then on David has been daddy donkey.
And now we’re going to have a little fun. Is Shrek a fairy tale? Well… technically, Shrek is a modern fairy-tale parody. It takes familiar fairy-tale ingredients and turns them upside down.
There’s an ogre. There’s a princess. There’s a castle. There’s a dragon. There’s a donkey. There are knights. There is magic. But the story doesn’t behave exactly the way we expect a traditional fairy tale to behave.
And that’s what makes Shrek such a fun addition to this week’s challenge. So here’s your Saturday question: “Does a story have to be old to be a fairy tale?” Tell us what you think! And if you think Shrek counts, tell us why.
Sunday: Today is your day to choose your own Fairy Tale as we wrap up Fairy Tale week and prepare to move onto a new series next week. Join us today and find your favorite fairy tale and spend 30 minutes reading it.
It can be an old classic fairy tale or it can be a modern retelling. It can be a picture book. It can be a chapter book. It can even be a story you aren’t completely sure belongs in the fairy-tale category. Then tell us:
What is your favorite fairy tale? Why do you believe it is a fairy tale? That’s the part I really want to hear. Don’t just tell us the title. Leave me a comment below and let us know why you feel that wa.
Here is another fun fact about Fairy Tales there isn’t one age limit. Young children can enjoy beautifully illustrated picture-book versions. Beginning readers can enjoy simplified retellings. Elementary-age children can read longer collections.
Older children can compare different versions of the same story. Teenagers can explore the original stories, symbolism, history, culture, and how stories have changed over time and compare it to today.
And adults can discover that a story they remember from childhood can mean something completely different when they read it again years later. That’s part of what happened in our family.
Charlie may be older now, but there are still fairy tales and fairy-tale characters that connect him to stories he knew when he was younger. You don’t always outgrow a story. Sometimes you grow into it.
I also wanted to share why you would You find Fairy Tales in a Homeschool Lesson? They are fantastic for homeschool families because one story can turn into an entire day’s worth of learning.
You can read Cinderella and compare versions from different countries. You can research where a story originated. You can study vocabulary. You can write a new ending. You can draw the characters.
You can act out the story. You can discuss character traits. You can study geography. You can learn about the historical period in which a written version appeared. You can compare a book to a movie.
You can even write your own fairy tale. That’s why I love the idea of fairy tales in a 30-Minute Reading Challenge. The learning doesn’t have to stop when the 30 minutes are over. The story can become the lesson.
Fairy-tale books can make thoughtful teacher gifts because they’re something a teacher can actually use. Which is why you will find this book inside our Back-to-School Gift Guide because the fairy-tale collection can become part of a classroom library.
A reading basket could include a fairy-tale book, bookmark, activity, journal, or art supplies. A teacher could use fairy tales for reading groups, writing prompts, vocabulary, character discussions, creative writing, and classroom storytelling. And because children can encounter the same story at different ages, a good fairy-tale collection can stay useful for years.
Librarians help children find stories. What better gift than a story that has already survived generations? A fairy-tale collection gives young readers familiar characters while also introducing them to different storytelling traditions. It can become a book children return to again and again. And librarians can use fairy tales to help children discover that there isn’t always just one version of a story. Sometimes there are many.
This is where our 30-Minute Reading Challenge connects with everything else we’re doing. A fairy-tale book isn’t just a book. It can become part of a family activity, a homeschool lesson, a classroom gift, a library gift, a reading basket, a Halloween activity, or a seasonal gift.
That’s why you’ll see fairy-tale ideas appearing in our:
☀️ Summer End-of-Summer Gift Guide
🎒 Back-to-School Gift Guide
🍂 Fall Gift Guide
🎃 Halloween Gift Guide
🎄 Christmas Gift Guide
A fairy-tale-themed gift could be a book, activity, craft, costume, stuffed animal, bookmark, reading journal, movie-night idea, game, or something completely unexpected. And some of these ideas may even work for more than one guide.
Remember, our family is also participating in the Halloween Interactive Gift Guide 2026 Challenge. So we’re looking for ways to connect our reading challenge with our Halloween challenge.
Read a fairy tale? That’s part of the challenge. Create a fairy-tale craft? That can become part of the fun. Have a fairy-tale movie night? That’s another possibility. Find a fairy-tale-inspired Halloween gift idea?
Now we’re connecting the challenges! We’re going to be looking for ways participants can earn extra tickets by taking part in activities like these. Because why keep our challenges in separate little boxes when they can work together?
This is probably the most important part of the entire challenge. Our family participates, too. We don’t tell you to read for 30 minutes while we sit around doing something else. We don’t tell you to try a homeschool activity we’ve never tried. We don’t ask you to participate in our Halloween Interactive Challenge without participating ourselves.
We are learning, reading, trying things, laughing at the silly parts, discussing the stories, and discovering new things right alongside you. Because that’s what family challenges are supposed to be. They’re not about being perfect. They’re about doing something together.
So here’s your challenge for this week: Read for 30 minutes every day. Explore fairy tales. Try a story you’ve never read before. Read an old favorite. Read one with animals. Read one with a hero. Read one with a princess. Read one that makes you laugh. And then come back and tell us:
What is YOUR favorite fairy tale? Why do YOU believe it is a fairy tale? We can’t wait to hear your answers. And don’t forget… On Sunday, we’ll announce next week’s 30-Minute Reading Challenge!
After mystery week and fairy-tale week, we’re ready to take a completely different turn. Could it be anime? You’ll have to come back Sunday to find out! Thirty minutes. One story. One family. One week at a time.
Grateful, Thankful, and
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates