Fantasy and Fairytales for Easy Readers

Enjoy this list of easy fiction and nonfiction books that follow the theme for our SweetBean Reading Challenge in June!

Updated May 29, 2024
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Buttercup the bigfoot
Rees, Douglas
Paper Book
A fiercely funny picture book from author Douglas Rees and illustrator Isabel Muñoz about the fantastic friendship between a little girl and a creature out of legend. When Willa Cathcart Wilmerding, the bravest girl in the world, is told she must stop her nightly tradition of...
Chicken in the kitchen
Okorafor, Nnedi
Paper Book
What would you do if you woke up one night to find the shadow of a giant chicken passing your bedroom door? Go and investigate, of course! When Anyaugo follows a giant chicken into her kitchen one warm night in Nigeria, she embarks on a fun-filled adventure where nothing is quite as it...
The Evil Princess vs. the Brave Knight
Holm, Jennifer L.
Paper Book
For every parent tired of telling their kids to PLEASE JUST GET ALONG, this hilarious and imaginative new picture book--from the beloved creators of Babymouse--is here to help. Sort of. Meet the Evil Princess and the Brave Knight. She casts terrible spells, while he fights...
Instructions : [everything you'll need to know on your journey]
Gaiman, Neil.
Paper Book
Share Neil Gaiman's beautifully illustrated Instructions with creative, artful graduates and other travelers of all ages. "A perfect reminder to always be on the lookout for magic and wonder. Sometimes, we need those two things the most."* In this breathtaking jacketed...
Issun B©þshi : the one-inch boy
Icinori (Publishing studio)
Paper Book
This classic Japanese fairy tale tells the story of Issun Boshi, the tiny son of an old, long childless couple. Tiny and brave--these are the two most striking characteristics of Issun Boshi. His mother had longed to have a child for so many years that she finally added "even if it is a very small...
Jo Bright and the seven bots
Underwood, Deborah
Paper Book
A bot-building princess engineers her own happy ending in this futuristic fairytale, a follow-up to the acclaimed Interstellar Cinderella. Once upon a planetoid surrounded by her friends, a girl, Jo Bright, loved building bots ...
Julia's house for lost creatures
Hatke, Ben
Paper Book
When Julia and her walking house come to town, she likes everything about her new neighborhood except how quiet it is! So Julia puts a sign up: "Julia's House for Lost Creatures." Soon she's hosting goblins, mermaids, fairies, and even a dragon. Quiet isn't a problem anymore for Julia...but...
Knight Owl
Denise, Christopher
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * CALDECOTT HONOR AWARD WINNER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER A determined Owl builds strength and confidence in this medieval picture book about the real mettle of a hero: wits, humor, and heart. ...
Little Red and the very hungry lion
Smith, Alex T.
Paper Book
  A classic fairy tale with a twist by the bestselling Alex T. Smith Little Red sets off to visit her auntie who is poorly. She walks under the giraffes, over the sleepy crocodiles, past the enormous elephants and the chattering monkeys. Then a Very Hungry Lion...
The mermaid princesses
Cameron-Gordon, Maya
Paper Book
A magical story starring three Black mermaid sisters who each wish to wear the underwater crown! Perfect for fans of Little Mermaid and Oona. Anaya, Shante, and Kianna are sisters. And these mermaid princesses couldn't be more different! One day, when...
Mulan : a story in English and Chinese
Li, Jian (Art teacher)
Paper Book
The legend of Mulan and her bravery is captured in this beautifully illustrated Chinese children's book. Mulan is a folk story from China's Northern Dynasty (439-589) about the unusual tale of an ordinary girl named Fa Mulan. This book is illustrated based on the original...
Nobody likes a goblin
Hatke, Ben
Paper Book
Goblin, a cheerful little homebody, lives in a cosy, rat-infested dungeon, with his only friend, Skeleton. Every day, Goblin and Skeleton play with the treasure in their dungeon. But one day, a gang of "heroic" adventurers bursts in. These marauders trash the place, steal all the treasure, and...
Once upon a dragon's fire
Blue, Beatrice
Paper Book
This heartwarming story of how dragons got their fire is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Once Upon a Unicorn Horn.
The princess and the pony
Beaton, Kate
Paper Book
Introducing Kate Beaton, a major new picture book talent, and author/illustrator of #1 New York Times bestseller Hark! A Vagrant!Princess Pinecone knows exactly what she wants for her birthday this year. A BIG horse. A STRONG horse. A horse fit for a WARRIOR PRINCESS! But when the day...
The princess and the warrior : a tale of two volcanoes
Tonatiuh, Duncan
Paper Book
In the picture book Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes, award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh brings a cherished Mexican legend to life. A Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book * ALA/ALSC Notable Children's Book!...
Rapunzel
Woollvin, Bethan
Paper Book
Golden-haired princess Rapunzel is kept trapped in her lofty tower by a wicked witch, who lops off locks of her beautiful hair and sells them for her own profit. Can Rapunzel ever figure out a way to escape? From creator of Little Red, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book 2016, comes...
The three billy goats gruff
Barnett, Mac
Paper Book
Instant New York Times bestseller! The MOMENTOUS debut of a groundbreaking Fairy Tale series -- a brilliantly crafted, hilarious twist on this beloved classic, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, from renowned, award-winning, and New York Times bestselling duo and...
Very little Cinderella
Heapy, Teresa
Paper Book
Very Little Cinderella is adorably recast as a very little precocious toddler in this modern retelling of the classic tale.  Very Little Cinderella is upset when her ugly Sisters are off to a party without her. But her Fairy Godmother (the...

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