Whether humorous or religious, sinister or gentle, since ancient times children have been among the recipients of orally transmitted stories embodying the values a community considers important; when their turn comes, they pass them on to the generations that follow. Some of these values change as society itself changes, while others remain intact or disappear altogether. Yet with the decline of traditional societies and the breakdown of transmission between generations, legends and folktales have increasingly become confined to the realm of childhood, even though many were never originally intended for children.

In this category you will find tales for children to enjoy, as well as stories from a time when the very idea of childhood was quite different from our own and whose scenes may therefore unsettle adults today. But beware: while some things change, offering us a fascinating dialogue between past and present, others remain much as they have always been.