When I first read the prompt, my first thoughts went to the Disney princess fairy tales. However, on further inspection, I realize I did not really like any of them. Sleeping Beauty sleeps until the prince wakes her up (not to mention her dress is not that pretty), Snow White cleans for little men then takes an apple from a stranger, and Cinderella, though probably the most interesting due to the fairy godmother and the cute mice, cleans until someone realizes she is kind hearted and drop dead gorgeous and marries her (of course he's a prince).
My favorite children's stories are probably the short tales from those Japanese collections like The Sticky Pine, Momotaro, and the Jizou Statues. I suppose I like them because I love my Japanese culture, learning about it, being a part of it, etc. Plus, the stories have morals, the good guys win, and the bad guys lose, but with better reasons and rewards than Disney. However, it was probably the culture that got me into it; I was not that deep of a six year old. I also like Soup From a Stone because it was funny, and the soup actually sounded really good. My mother was also a very comical and realistic storyteller.
As I think about it, the one Disney fairy tale if it even counts, is Anastasia. I like the music, the plot, and the touch of magic. Bartok, the bat was hilarious, Anastasia is a strong heroine which I tend toward even now, and of course, it ends happily ever after.
I realize that even as a little kid, I like those three things: magic, music, and, in a way, history. After I outgrew Disney and the like, I went on to those Royal Diary books which were semi-fictional diaries of princesses throughout history from all sorts of different cultures.
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