Europe Homeschool Reading List: Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, and Living Books

One of the best ways to explore a new country is through its stories. Whether you’re studying Europe as part of a homeschool geography curriculum, planning a family read-aloud, or simply looking for wonderfully written books that introduce children to different cultures, our Europe reading list offers a great starting point for your journey.

The books below include selected folk tales, fairy tales, historical fiction, chapter books, biographies, and classic children’s literature from across the continent that are recommended to be used alongside our upcoming Europe unit studies.

Geography is about more than maps and landmarks. Stories help children connect with the people, traditions, history, and culture of a place. A fairy tale can help children learn about cultural values, a novel is able to bring the country’s history to life, and a picture book can easily introduce children to everyday life in another part of the world. That’s why literature plays such an important role in our curriculum.

The books listed below represent the primary literature selections I’ve chosen for our upcoming Europe studies this year. They aren’t intended to be exhaustive reading lists for each country.

If you’re looking for additional recommendations, be sure to browse our comprehensive Countries of the World Book List for Kids, which includes hundreds of books organized by country and region from around the world.

Each country study included in our curriculum has additional book suggestions, folk tales, picture books, documentaries, and other resources that families can use to further customize their learning experience. The titles included here are simply the books I’ve selected as the backbone of our literature studies as we travel across Europe.

The books are organized by region and country to make it easier to find titles that complement your geography studies.

Russia

• Favorite Russian Fairy Tales by Arthur Ransome
• The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene Yelchin

Ukraine

• Ukrainian Folk Tales by Marie Halun Block
• The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Hungary

• The Good Master by Kate Seredy

Poland

• The Glass Mountain: Tales From Poland by David Walser
• The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly

Finland

• Stories from Moominvalley by Alex Haridi and Cecilia Davidsson
• Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson

Sweden

• Elsa Beskow books (Children of the Forest, Pelle’s New Suit, etc.)
• Sven Nordqvist books (Findus and Pettson book series, The Tomtes’ Christmas Porridge)
• Astrid Lindgren books (The Children of Noisy Village, Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter, The Tomten, etc.)

Norway

• Mrs. Pepperpot Stories by Alf Proysen
• Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr

Denmark

• Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales
• When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
• Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo

Germany

• The Brothers Grimm fairy tales
• Erich Kästner books (e.g. The Parent Trap, Emil and the Detectives, The Flying Classroom, etc.)

Netherlands

• Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks by William Elliot Griffis
• The Wheel on the School by Meindert De Jong
• All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World by Lori Alexander

Switzerland

• Swiss Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri

France

• Charles Perrault fairy tales
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Spain

• Adventures of Don Quixote by Argentina Palacios

Portugal

• Portuguese fairy tales

Italy

• The Magical World of Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
• Telephone Tales by Gianni Rodari
• Red Sails to Capri by Ann Weil

Greece

• The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler
• Favorite Greek Myths by Bob Blaisdell
• Mikis and the Donkey by Bibi Dumon Tak

Ireland

• Irish Fairy Tales by Philip Smith
• Rónán and the Mermaid: A Tale of Old Ireland by Marianne Mcshane

Wales

• Welsh Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis
• King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
• A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

Scotland

• The Katie Morag Treasury by Mairi Hedderwick
• The Adventures of Hamish and Mirren by Moira Miller
• Wee Gillis by Munro Leaf

England

• English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
• Saving the Countryside: The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit
• Shirley Hughes books (Alfie, Dogger, etc.)
• Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier
• Michael Bond books and/or More than Marmalade: Michael Bond and the Story of Paddington the Bear by Rosanne Tolin
• The Usborne Complete Shakespeare Collection

• Don’t feel like you need to read every book.
• Choose books that fit your children’s ages, interests, and reading levels.
• Mix picture books, chapter books, and read-alouds to create a rich literary experience.
• Pair these stories with maps, notebooking, cooking, music, folk tales, and hands-on activities whenever possible.
• Take advantage of your local library. Many of these titles can be borrowed through your library system or requested through interlibrary loan.
• Remember that the goal isn’t to finish a book list. It’s to use stories as a gateway to exploring new places, cultures, and ideas.
• Looking for even more book suggestions? Browse our Countries of the World Book List for Kids for additional titles organized by country.

If these books have inspired you to explore Europe with your children, the Global Explorers Club can help you continue the journey.

Through literature, mapwork, notebooking, folk tales, hands-on projects, and cultural activities, families can explore the people, places, and traditions that make each European country unique.