Folk Tales...
- try to explain why things are (eg. How the Crane got its Crown)
- have a moral or a message (eg. Group work is better than working on your own (from Why Giraffe has a Long Neck).
- are set in a culture (eg. Africa with animals, Europe, Asia...)
- are passed down through generations (from grandparent to grandchild).
- are often spoken or performed (not necessarily written down).
- have characters that are often animals that can speak with human traits (like greediness, kindness, excitement, anger, confusion...)
- often have trickery or a magical element