People told folktales long before there were books, newspapers or televisions. Folktales were a way to bring news from one village to the next. Parents used folktales to teach lessons to their children. These stories helped people learn and understand the customs of their village. Folktales also explained the wonders of nature, like thunderstorms.
Many cultures have one clever character who is always getting into trouble.
For example, Native American Indians have Trickster, Cape Verdians have Los Nobos the wolf, and Africans have Anansi the Spider. Folktales are told over and over and they change with each retelling. Each storyteller breathes a different life into a story. Read a variety of folktales to your class, and have them discuss the meanings. Far Away by Nigel Gray, and The Fortune-Tellers by Lloyd Alexander.