Children's literature
Also called juvenile literature, a genre of writing intended for children.
Examples include:
Lon Po Po by 
Politically correct bedtime stories by Reference Books
Telling Children's Stories by 
Children's Literature by Search Tips:
To find children's literature, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
("children's stories" OR "children's literature" OR "juvenile fiction")
On the results screen, add this second line for an even narrower list of options.
fable
a story, often with animals as major characters, that incorporates elements of myth and legend and includes a moral.
Examples include:
Reference Books
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Seventeenth Edition by Search Tips:
To find resources focused on fables, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
("children's stories" OR "children's literature") AND fables
fairy tale
a children's story featuring imaginary beings and lands, magical elements, fairies and other mythical creatures.
Examples include:
Reference Books
Fairy Tale: a Very Short Introduction by 
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales by Search Tips:
To find resources on fairy tales, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
("children's stories" OR "children's literature") AND "fairy tales"
folklore
traditional tale of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth, often including supernatural elements, occasionally explaining how specific things, traditions, or communities came to be. Sometimes includes animal characters or deities, and sometimes includes transformations.
Examples include:
The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story
Reference Books
Folklore by 
The Annotated African American Folktales by Search Tips:
To find resources focused on folktales, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
("children's stories" OR "children's literature") AND (folklore OR folk tales)
On the results screen, add this second line for an even narrower list of options.
legend
a traditional story or epic about people/cities, sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.
Examples include:
Reference Books
Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore by 
Encyclopedia of Giants and Humanoids in Myth, Legend and Folklore by Search Tips:
To find resources more focused on legends and epics, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
(tale OR story) AND (legend* OR epic*)
myth
ancient stories concerning the early history of a people, typically involving supernatural beings such as deities or events.
Examples include:
Prometheus and the Theft of Fire
The Myth of Oisín and the Land of Eternal Youth
Reference Books
Classical Mythology by 
Decoding Andean Mythology by 
Black Cultural Mythology by Search Tip:
To find resources more focused on mythology, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
(tale OR story) AND mythology
parable
A short story or prose work that is true to life, fictional, specifically features human characters, not fantastic or supernatural, and is intended to impart a truth or answer a question. Often included in religious or morality texts.
Examples include:
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Theravada Buddhism)
Reference Books
Overcoming Dichotomies by 
Dickens, His Parables, and His Reader by Search Tip:
To find resources more focused on parables, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
parable AND story
urban legend
a humorous or horrific story or piece of information circulated as though true, especially one purporting to involve someone vaguely related or known to the teller. Often containing superstitious or supernatural elements.
Examples include:
The Ring (Ringu), see also origins of Ringu
Reference Books
Too Good to Be True by Search Tip:
To find resources more focused on urban legends, try these keywords in the Onesearch:
("urban legends" OR "urban folklore") AND myth
