Popular and Traditional Scandinavian Folktales for Kids

Take an armchair trip to the land of the midnight sun with these splendidly entertaining Scandinavian folktales and folklore! These traditional stories from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and yes, even Greenland, will tickle your funny bone, make you gasp, and teach you how to outwit a troll.

Folktales have proved their worth by being passed down over the decades and centuries, making them truly timeless tales that children and adults will enjoy. A note on age recommendations–there is no upper limit, these tales will be enjoyed by grown-ups, too.

Note: this post contains affiliate links that may earn commission. However, several of these Scandinavian folktale picture books are out of print, but should still be available at your library.

Swedish Folktales

NAIL SOUP by Eric Maddern, illustrated by Paul Hess

Find it: Amazon | Your Library

Nail Soup is the Swedish version of the well-known folktale "Stone Soup." In this story, a weary traveller stops for a rest at the house of a woman. She is reluctant to offer him a place to sleep but his conversational skills win her over and she finds herself supplying the ingredients for soup made from a nail. I absolutely loved the twist at the end when the traveller leaves, thinking he has tricked a foolish woman into believing he made soup out of a nail, but her final declaration indicates that she knew what was happening all along. Instead, she realized was the value of friendship–a great lesson for our kids. Ages 4 and up.

THE TOMTEN by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Harald Wiberg

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This book should be required reading for every child, especially at Christmas! The Tomten takes care of the farm animals at night in the winter, wishing them goodnight and making sure that they are fed. I wouldn't call Lindgren's story a folktale, but a tomten is a Scandinavian mythological creature and if your kids are put off by all the vulgar trolls in most of these books, read them this gentle tale. Ages 3 and up.

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MORE: Children's books featuring tomten

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THE QUEEN'S NECKLACE by Jane Langton, illustrated by Ilse Plume

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An evil king marries, Blanzeflor, a beautiful and kind peasant girl. He gives her a pearl necklace and warns her never to take it off, on pain of her life. But Blanzeflor gives the pearls away, one by one, to the desperate peasants, bringing down the king's wrath. Her kindness moves the birds who descend from the skies to save her. Ages 5 and up.

SWEDISH FOLK AND FAIRY TALES illustrated by John Bauer, translated by Holger Lundburgh

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This is a collection of folk tales written by various Swedish authors, including Elsa Beskow and Anna Wahlenberg. John Bauer's magnificent illustrations make this collection extremely appealing. They are truly magical, in the style of great fairy tale artists like Arthur Rackham. The stories are of varying lengths and there are some nice short ones when you want a quick dose of troll. Ages 7 and up.

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MORE: Swedish holiday books (in English) for children

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Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales

THE CAT ON THE DOVREFELL by Tomie dePaola

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Tomie dePaola has taken a traditional Norwegian story and turned it into a delightful and funny picture book with his signature illustrative style. Every Christmas Eve a family flees their home when a group of trolls invade to eat the Christmas feast. One year, a traveller asks for shelter from the family for himself and his polar bear. He's willing to risk the trolls. As it turns out, the man's very large, white "cat" is the Christmas hero. Ages 3 and up.

EAST O' THE SUN WEST O' THE MOON by Naomi Lewis, illustrated by P.J. Lynch

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There are several illustrated versions of this tale and most anthologies will also include it. I like this version with illustrations by P.J. Lynch. A girl saves her family by going to the North to live with a polar bear who is really a bewitched prince. When she accidentally triggers a spell that binds him to the trolls she must set out to rescue him from the land that is east of the sun and west of the moon. Ages 5 and up.

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MORE: Best Classic European Fairy Tale Books

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SISTER BEAR by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Linda Graves

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The traditional version of this tale boasts a male protagonist, but Yolen has adapted it with a girl hero. Halva finds a polar bear cub and naming it Sister Bear, brings it home to her family. Sister Bear brings food back to the family and also likes to dance to Halva's flute. One evening Halva and Sister Bear request shelter in a house on their journey to Denmark. Their host, however, fears the trolls which come and ransack the place. Halva and Sister Bear are not frightened and trick the trolls into leaving the place alone. Read this book alonside dePaola's The Cat on the Dovrefell. Lina Graves' illustrations are lovely. Ages 4 and up.

THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF (various author/illustrators)

Find it: Galdone version | Brown version

There are a plethora of picture books based on The Three Billy Goats Gruff about three goats who outwit the troll who wants to eat them up. Trolls, of course, are a frequent feature in Scandinavian lore. These are my two favorites versions of the tale. The first is illustrated by the great Marcia Brown, whose version of Cinderella I also adore. The Galdone version is the one you will most likely find at your library. It was the star book of the week at my son's kindergarten and he was obsessed with the story for weeks. Ages 3 and up.

THE TERRIBLE TROLL-BIRD by Ingri d'Aulaire and Edgar d'Aulaire

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At first my younger son liked this story and requested it several times, but then he decided it was scary. I must say that troll-bird does look a bit menacing but I do like the story and a menacing chicken does have a high silliness factor. (Remember the book, The Hoboken Chicken Emergency?) When a troll-bird threatens the village, Ola shoots it with his blunderbuss and after some wrangling manages to bring it back to the village where its roasted carcass feeds the whole valley at a merry feast. Unfortunately, two overgrown trolls are not happy about these events and storm the village. Not to worry, the sun comes out to ensure a happy ending. Ages 4 and up.

The d'Aulaires also wrote and illustrated several other single Norwegian folk tales, as well as an anthology, d'Aulaires' Book of Norwegian Folktales.

SEVEN WAYS TO TRICK A TROLL by Lise Lunge-Larsen

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This picture book-style collection of seven troll stories is a delight! Read one tale every night before bed and in a week, your family will be well-equipped to take on any troll in any circumstance. For example, did you know trolls hate loud noises and that they burst when angry? This kind of information, as well as good skiing skills, will come in handy! Ages 5 and up.

THE TROLL WITH NO HEART IN HIS BODY ed. by Lise Lunge-Larsen, illustrated by Betsy Bowen

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Although this list has probably supplied you with enough trolls to last you a lifetime, I want to draw your attention to one more selection which I think is worth searching out because of its wonderful illustrations designed from woodcut prints. It also has a nice introduction explaining common motifs in Norse mythology and what we can learn from reading these ancient tales. Ages 7 and up.

NORWEGIAN FOLKTALES by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe

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Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe were sort of a Norwegian version of the Brothers Grimm, gleaned tales from their neighbors in villages across the country. This version includes informative notes by the authors on the meaning and significance of the tales, as well as insight into how they collected the tales. The forward by Neil Gaiman is worth reading. Expect lots and lots of trolls (duh). Ages 7 and up.

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Icelandic Folktales

THE PROBLEM WITH CHICKENS by Bruce McMillan, illustrated by Gunnella

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This is an original story, rather than a traditional folktale, but it reads very much like one. A group of ladies buy a flock of chickens but notice that the chickens start to act like the ladies! They also stop laying eggs. So the ladies come up with a plan to make the chickens act like chickens again, with some amusing results. I really love Gunnella's illustrations. They have a lovely folk art flair. Ages 3 and up.

HALF A KINGDOM by Ann McGovern, illustrated by Nola Langner

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One of the things I like best about traditional stories is that they often include strong women. In this old tale, a prince is captured by trolls but and it is up to a peasant girl to save him with her own brand of practicality and cleverness. Ages 5 and up.

ELFWYN'S SAGA by David Wisniewski

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Caldecott Medal reciepient, Wisniewski, crafted this original tale based on Icelandic lore about the origins of the Northern Lights. The heroine is Elfwyn, a daughter of a Viking warrior, and blind from birth. When the villagers are put under a spell by a troll's crystal, only Elfwyn is immune. Wisniewski's narrative and illustrative styles are informed by his work as a puppeteer, which adds a wonderful performative layer to the story. Ages 5 and up.

Folktales from Greenland

THE MAN OF THE MOON AND OTHER STORIES FROM GREENLAND by Gunvor Bjerre, illustrated by Miki Jacobsen

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The stories in this anthology are based on oral tales collected by anthropologist Knud Rasmussen. Gunvor Bjerre has adapted these stories and focused on those about children and young people. There is action and humor, but also the kind of darker elements we often see in folktales and myths from around the world. I found many of the stories were very different from the kinds of folktales I was familiar with. I don't know of any other Greenlandic folktale books aimed at a young audience and this one is well worth picking up. Ages 7 and up.

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Finnish Folktales

THE PRINCESS MOUSE by Aaron Shepard, illustrated by Leonid Gore

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When it is time to marry, two brothers each cut down a tree. The way the tree lies determines the direction of their future bride's house. The younger brother's tree points to the forest. He walks into the forest, but all he finds is a mouse. Of course his older brother mocks him for bringing home a mouse for a bride but what happens next is magical. Ages 4 and up.

THE MAIDEN TALE OF NORTHLAND by Aaron Shepard, illustrated by Carol Schwartz

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This is a picture book retelling of Finland's epic saga, The Kalevala. Gorgeous illustrations and readable free verse make this story of the hero Vainamoinen and his quest to marry the Northern Maiden accessible to kids and a terrific read aloud. Ages 7 and up.

Danish Folktales

FAT CAT by Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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Honestly, I found this to be one of the weirdest stories ever, but my then-5 year old loved it! A mouse lives with a very hungry cat. The hungry cat goes about eating everyone–a woman, soldiers, an elephant... declaring he's "meow, meow FAT!" and a "HUNGRY HUNGRY CAT!" until he is enormous. The mouse (now inside the cat's tummy) snips open his stomach, lets everyone out and sews the cat up. He is now "meow meow FLAT!" and an "EMPTY EMPTY CAT!" Kids will love chiming in with the cat during this fun read aloud. Ages 4 and up.

THE UGLY DUCKLING by H.C. Andersson, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

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Hans Christian Andersson fairy tales are original, rather than ancient stories and there are lots of illustrated version of his tales so you won't have trouble finding any at your library. Caldecott award recipient, Pickney's illustrations of an ugly ducking who grows up to be a beautiful swan are gorgeous. Some might be disturbed by the killing of the ducks but most folklore is a bit gruesome, isn't it? Ages 4 and up.

More folktale book lists:

• Native American Folktales
• Chinese Folktales
• Folktales from India