Showing results for "Real Life" in Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths

The ghost of a weeping woman dressed in white, La Llorona, is often spotted beside bodies of water. People in Mexico and in the southwestern United States have claimed to hear her wailing in the night, crying out for her drowned children. This centuries-old legend says that if the wailing woman gets too close, she will drag you to a watery grave.

When Jacqueline trades the cow at the market for a few worthless beans, her mom tosses them out the window in a fit of anger. When Jacqueline discovers the beans are magic, she climbs the giant beanstalk and learns that her family is not the only one suffering from hunger. In an effort to help the family of giants not be hungry, Jacqueline learns the real magic of the beans, which not only helps them, but her own family as well.

This classic story by Margery Williams, published in 1922, imparts the timeless message that toys need not be expensive or modern to be appreciated and loved. Through giving and receiving love, even a commonplace stuffed animal can become real in the eyes of a child, and millions of them do every day. Love is the magic ingredient of course, and it works on all of us.