In order to explore that sturdier mythology the child needs a foundation of story on which to build future understanding. These levels of thinking about folklore are sequential. One must approach the material on the first level before one can see the patterns and archetypes of the second level. And it is only after much study and immersion in the material that the underlying wisdom appears. Given the opportunity, even young children are able to see and predict the patterns in literature.
Children gain power and confidence from understanding literature on an abstract level.
These stories are hundreds of years old and what is in them has meaning often far beyond what you see. Don't mess with something you may not understand. Far more scary than the original tale. Besides, kids know that cookies are supposed to get eaten. The Disney company is guilty of sweetening old stories to the point of destroying the folkloric pattern and eviscerating the story.