Children’s Stories That Weren’t Always for Kids

Fairy tales are magical stories that have delighted children for generations but not all the classic ones were written with kids in mind. In fact, many of the fairy tales we know today were originally much darker and more sinister. So on International Children’s Book Day on April 2, when you’re reading your kids’ favorite stories, take a moment to reflect on how some of these tales have evolved over time. 

Who doesn’t love the story of “Cinderella?” The version we’re most familiar with—thanks to Disney—is a tale of kindness, a magical transformation, and a happily ever after. But in the original Brothers Grimm version, things were a lot more, well, grim. It involved the stepsisters cutting off parts of their feet to fit into the glass slipper; one sister cut off her toes and the other cut off her heel. And the birds that helped Cinderella at the end? They peck out the stepsisters’ eyes as punishment. 

Then there’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” which was first written by Charles Perrault in 1697. While modern adaptations focus on the young girl and the big bad wolf’s encounter in the woods, the original story was far more chilling. In Perrault’s version, Little Red Riding Hood doesn’t make it out alive—she’s eaten by the wolf. There’s no heroic woodcutter to save the day, and no lesson learned about the importance of listening to your parents. It’s a stark warning about the dangers lurking in the woods and the consequences of straying from the path.

Even “The Little Mermaid”—a tale of love, sacrifice, and transformation—has a much darker twist in Hans Christian Andersen’s original version. In the Disney version we know and love, Ariel and Eric get married and live happily ever after. However, in Andersen’s story, Ariel sacrifices her voice to the sea witch, exchanging her tail for legs, but is left heartbroken when the prince marries someone else. Instead of killing the prince and becoming a mermaid again, she throws herself into the sea and dissolves into sea foam. 

These dark twists are part of a long tradition in fairy tales. While modern versions have softened the edges and made them more suitable for children, in the past, they served as cautionary tales that warned about the dangers of the world.