11 Spanish Fairy Tales: Free Reading Materials for Every Age
Spanish fairy tales are a magical way to teach your little ones a second language.
Spanish fairy tales give children confidence, as they listen to the story many times. They become familiar with the characters, settings, and plot. Also, they associate language learning with fun moments. Grammatical understanding and vocabulary expansion are by-products of this experience.
Fairy tales are narratives about fictional and magical places and characters. They normally have a moral and some of them are famous worldwide. These stories were born as folk tales. Artists have transformed them into the ones we see today in movies and plays.
The Spanish fairy tales on this curated list are not exclusively from Spain, but rather are in Spanish. Each story on the list includes a link to a free downloadable version.
Let’s read Spanish fairy tales online!
Table of Contents:
Spanish Fairy Tales
I linked to some bilingual websites in case you want to read the fairy tale in English, too.
1. Puss in Boots – El gato con botas
Where to get it:
This Spanish fairy tale is about a poor miller who dies and leaves his mill to his oldest son, a donkey to the middle one, and a cat to his youngest. The last one decides to keep the cat, and the feline asks his new master for a hat and boots, saying that he could get them both out of poverty and misery.
The puss started to give tributes to the king, saying they were from his master, the Lord Marquis of Carabas. He did that for many months until one day he took his master to the side of the road and took his clothes. When the king’s coach came riding in, the cat jumped in front of it and asked for help saying they had been robbed. The inventiveness of the Puss in Boots is what turns his poor master into a noble and the king’s son-in-law, no less.
See also: 6 Bilingual Spanish English Learning Tablets for Kids
2. The Brave Little Tailor – El sastrecillo valiente
Where to get it:
In this book, a brave little tailor kills seven flies with one stroke. After telling this story, people started to believe that he meant seven men.
The king was impressed and expected him to end those that threaten his kingdom. The tailor wasn’t a warrior, but his cleverness turned him into one. Spanish fairy tales like this show how anyone can succeed if they are brave, creative, and confident.
3. The Beauty and the Beast – La bella y la bestia
Where to get it:
Learning that not all things are what they seem to be is a valuable lesson of this Spanish fairy tale. Bella is an energetic young adventure-seeker who wants to live life to its fullest.
Her wishes come true when she ends up as a fearsome beast’s prisoner in her attempt to save her father’s life. But the castle is not what she thinks. What seems scary quickly becomes warm and endearing.
Hand-picked for you: 10 Easy Tips to Teach Your Children Spanish
4. Little Red Riding hood – Caperucita roja
Where to get it:
Little Red Riding Hood is one of the most important Spanish fairy tales. This little girl goes to her grandma’s house to deliver the delicious food her mom cooked. But everything changes when she encounters the mischievous big bad wolf.
5. Sleeping Beauty – La bella durmiente
Where to get it:
Teach your kids that love can overcome everything through this Spanish fairy tale. An evil witch condemned a newborn princess to fall asleep forever on her 16th birthday.
The only way to wake her up is with true love’s kiss. But the prince encounters all kinds of obstacles to find her. Thank goodness the fairy Godmothers chime in to help!
Recommended reading: 10 Spanish Chapter Books for Novice Readers
6. The Princess and the Pea – La princesa y el guisante
Where to get it:
A prince is desperate to marry a true princess, but none seem to live up to the ideas of the royal family.
One day, a girl that claims to be a princess appears on the door. The queen decides to put her to a test that involves a pea.
Check out: 9 Bilingual Toys to Get Your Kids This Christmas
7. The Ugly Duck – El patito feo
Where to get it:
This Spanish fairy tale is perfect to encourage kids to be brave and to see greatness in the differences between us.
The ugly duck is the klutzy, weird-looking sibling of cute bully ducks. But the twist at the end of this classic is the perfect example of divine justice.
8. The Gingerbread Man – El hombre de jengibre
Where to get it:
The gingerbread man is about a Christmas cookie that comes to life. And even though this story sounds cute, the by-product of this miracle is that everyone is trying to eat it!
This Spanish fairy tale is perfect for the winter season. The link will take you to a printable for your kids to color.
9. Cinderella – La cenicienta
Where to get it:
Bullies are the perfect villains in Spanish fairy tales. And in the Cinderella story there are plenty.
A stepmother and two stepsisters are enough to ruin a poor girl’s life, but a fairy Godmother shows up and promises Cinderella a life she deserves, only if she can make it to the royal ball on time.
See also: 10 Spanish Christmas Story Books for Kids
10. Peter Pan
Where to get it:
Wouldn’t you love to live in a place where the ravages of time don’t exist? Peter Pan found it and needs to protect it from Captain Hook, who has an eternal battle with him to the point of obsession. But the captain has an Achilles heel: time itself.
11. The Frog Prince – El príncipe rana
Where to get it:
An entitled princess loses a golden ball that the king gave her. A frog appears and promises to recover it, only if the girl agrees to let him live with her in the castle. But as soon as she has her ball back, she dismisses the frog, who has no option but to tell the king.
He forces the princess to keep the promise. Imagine her surprise when she discovers that the frog is actually a prince under the spell of an evil witch.
Make Spanish Fairy Tales a Reality for Your Children
Igniting your child’s imagination with Spanish fairy tales is a fun way to fluency, but how do you get your child to speak Spanish and not simply understand it? By getting them to talk, of course!
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Spanish fairy tales are especially excellent for teaching children how to listen, read, and talk in Spanish. The poetic cadence and descriptive language of fairy tales make them enjoyable to listen to and follow if they are spoken orally. Thank you for this amazing blog!
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