Contact info
If you need help, please contact Adena Brons, Education Librarian at 778 782 7419 or abrons@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.
Doing research off campus? Use the browser extension Libkey Nomad to get instant links to the SFU Library's full-text content for articles and e-books as you do research on the web.
Where to start your research
Generally, it’s best to start broad with sources that provide a summary or overview of the topic.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedia articles summarize the issues, perspectives and history related to a topic, giving you the “big picture.”
Find encyclopedia articles in the Library Catalogue, filtering by resource type: Reference Entries.
Example encyclopedias or reference works relevant to fairy tales and children's literature:
- The Greenwood Encyclopedia of folktales and fairy tales
- The annotated Brothers Grimm
- The classic fairy tales (Norton Critical Editions)
- The Oxford encyclopedia of children's literature
- Folklore: an encyclopedia of beliefs, customs, tales, music, and art
Books
Use Catalogue Search to find books on your subject. Here are some example searches:
- snow white and criticism
- disney and body image
- fairy tale and film
- fairy tale and feminis*
Advanced tip: When you find a book which appears interesting, look at the formal subject headings. For example, many books about fairy tales may have the subject heading Fairy Tales in Literature. When you click on a subject heading, you'll reach a list of the books with that subject heading.
Here are more subject headings to search by:
- Fairy Tale -- Adaptations
For revisionist tales and retellings. - Fairy Tales -- Film Adaptations
For books and media on adaptations in film. - Fairy Tales -- Adaptations -- History and Criticism
Analysis and perspective on adapted tales. - Fairy Tales -- History and Criticism
Analysis, context, and criticism of fairy tales. - Fairy Tales in Literature
Literary elements in myth and mythic elements in literature. - Fairy Tales Psychological Aspects
Psyche and symbolism in fairy tales.
Note: Most of the children's literature is located in the Curriculum Collection on the 2nd floor of Bennett Library (Burnaby).
Journal articles
Search by database
Project MUSE Search
Humanities and Social Science journals.
JSTOR
Provides full-text access to a larger archival collection of core scholarly journals mainly in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
Humanities and Social Sciences Abstracts
Covers basic periodicals on all social sciences and humanities topics.
Education Source
Large collection of full-text education journals, periodicals, monographs, and more.
ERIC
Articles in education journals. The full text of many articles is linked from the citation. Also indexes documents, which are not usually peer-reviewed, so it may be advisable to use the "Refine Search" tab which gives the option of including only journal articles in the search results.
Browse key journals
The Lion and the Unicorn
"Theme- and genre-centered journal of international scope committed to a serious, ongoing discussion of literature for children."
Marvels & Tales
This journal publishes scholarly work dealing with the fairy tale in any of its diverse manifestations and contexts.
The Looking Glass
"As our name suggests, we combine an interest in the traditional with an eye to the modern. Our readers and contributors are academics, librarians, teachers, parents and anyone else fascinated by the world of children's literature."
Children's Literature
Annual publication of the Children's Literature Association and the Modern Language Association Division on Children's Literature; inclues "theoretically based articles that demonstrate an awareness of key issues and criticism in children’s literature."
Children's Literature Association Quarterly
"First-rate scholarship in Children's Literature Studies."
The Horn Book Magazine
Reviews of children's books, articles and interviews of authors and illustrators.
International Research in Children's Literature Journal
Covers "applications of cultural and literary theories, comparative literatures, and the production and reception of children’s literature as a world literature."
Websites
SurLaLune's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Annotated fairy tales with listings and links to adaptations in print and film.
D.L. Ashliman's Snow White page
Folktext library from the University of Pittsburgh.
CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials
Online reviews of children's and young adult material written, illustrated, or published by Canadians from the Manitoba Library Association.
Snow White Adaptations on Wikipedia
List of adaptations in various media.
The Cinderella Bibliography
Bibliography of texts, images, analysis, and modern versions from the University of Rochester.
Related research guides
Children's Literature Information Resources
Click the blue 'Additional Resources' tab for more on fairy tales.
Education Research Resources
General guide for education related research.