Books like Swan lake by Lisbeth Zwerger

A prince finds the strength to break an evil sorcerer’s spell and save a swan queen, blending the classic ballet Swan Lake into a magical, child‑friendly fairy tale.

A modern take on Rumpelstiltskin, focusing on a girl's journey to save her family from poverty and the power of words.

Seven Chinese brothers use their special talents to escape a death sentence.

Virginia Hamilton gathers a lively mix of folktales, animal stories, fairy tales, and true "herstories," offering readers a vibrant exploration of African‑American folklore and the lives of remarkable women.

On a Southern plantation, Candace struggles against her two ruthless sisters and her father's disdain. After being banished, she discovers a true love who helps her win her father's respect and find her place in life.

A collection of adult fairy tales by A.S. Byatt includes a novella about a middle‑aged English writer who, while attending a conference in Turkey, encounters a djinn in an antique bottle that offers her three wishes.

Hob, a friendly spirit, settles in a family’s home, tidying up trouble and caring for the occupants. When relocation brings witches, goblins, and an ogre, he uses wit, love, and invisibility to protect his new family.

When the Sea Turned to Silver follows Pinmei, a village girl who must journey with her friend Yishan to recover her kidnapped grandmother and reclaim the legendary Luminous Stone that once illuminated the night.

A fresh retelling of the Swan Lake legend, where Prince Siegfried breaks a magician's spell and frees the Swan Queen, Odette, offering a new perspective on the familiar fairy tale.

A collection of dark, fantastical short stories by Russian author Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, translated into English and praised by the New York Times. The tales blend eerie folklore with sharp humor, offering a haunting glimpse into Russian imagination.

A prince's love for a swan queen triumphs over an evil sorcerer's enchantment in this retelling of the classic ballet for young readers.

Mark Helprin’s italicized adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, published as part of the incomplete trilogy A Kingdom Far and Clear, blends children’s fantasy with ballet culture.

A retelling of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, focusing on her hurried escape from the palace and the iconic glass slipper left behind. The story blends folklore traditions with the familiar charm of a beloved folk legend.

A pair of mandarin ducks discovers love and courage in the midst of a cruel lord’s greed, teaching young readers a valuable lesson about compassion and the power of unexpected friendship and sacrifice.

Every night, Dinah Price falls asleep to a new fairy‑tale friend, turning bedtime into a whimsical adventure of friendship and storytelling.

Marina Warner has loved fairy tales over her long writing career, and she explores here a multitude of tales through the ages, their different manifestations on the page, the stage, and the screen. From the phenomenal rise of Victorian and Edwardian literature to contemporary children's stories, Warner unfolds a glittering array of examples, from classics such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty, the Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, and Hans Andersen's The Little Mermaid, to modern-day realizations including Walt Disney's Snow White and gothic interpretations such as Pan's Labyrinth. In ten succinct chapters, Marina Warner digs into a rich collection of fairy tales in their brilliant and fantastical variations, in order to define a genre and evaluate a literary form that keeps shifting through time and history. She makes a persuasive case for fairy tale as a crucial repository of human understanding and culture.

A reworked prose version of Marie de France’s 12th‑century narrative poems, exploring courtly love, chivalric quests, and the battle between good and evil.

A prince falls in love with a swan queen and must outwit an evil sorcerer whose spell threatens her, bringing a whimsical fairy‑tale twist to the classic ballet tale.

Three adopted sisters in London train in ballet and on stage, each discovering a unique talent.