English literature has a rich tradition of fairy tales and folklore. Here are some popular fairy tales that have been enjoyed by generations of readers:
Cinderella: The story of a young girl who overcomes adversity with the help of a fairy godmother to attend a royal ball and win the love of a prince.
Snow White: The tale of a beautiful princess who is threatened by her evil stepmother, the queen, and is taken in by seven dwarfs in the forest.
Beauty and the Beast: A story about a young woman who falls in love with a beast, who is actually a prince under a curse. Her love breaks the curse and transforms the beast back into a prince.
Little Red Riding Hood: The story of a young girl who encounters a wolf while visiting her grandmother's house, with a lesson about the dangers of talking to strangers.
Sleeping Beauty: A princess is cursed to sleep for a hundred years until she is awakened by true love's kiss.
Hansel and Gretel: Two siblings are left in the woods by their parents and stumble upon a witch's gingerbread house.
Rumpelstiltskin: A tale of a miller's daughter who must spin straw into gold with the help of a mysterious little man named Rumpelstiltskin.
The Three Little Pigs: A story of three pigs who build houses of different materials (straw, sticks, and bricks) to protect themselves from a wolf.
Jack and the Beanstalk: The adventures of a young boy named Jack, who climbs a magical beanstalk to a giant's castle.
The Frog Prince: A princess reluctantly befriends a frog, who turns out to be a prince under a spell.
The Little Mermaid: The story of a mermaid princess who falls in love with a human prince and makes a pact with a sea witch to become human.
The Ugly Duckling: A story of a duckling who is shunned for being different but grows into a beautiful swan.
Puss in Boots: The tale of a clever cat who helps his master, a poor miller's son, achieve wealth and success.
The Emperor's New Clothes: A story about an emperor who is fooled by two swindlers into believing he's wearing magnificent clothes that can only be seen by wise people.
These fairy tales have been adapted into various forms of media, including books, films, and cartoons, and they continue to enchant readers and audiences of all ages. They often contain moral lessons or themes and have become an integral part of literary and cultural heritage in English-speaking countries and beyond.