Children's literature is a crucial element in helping children's development. The stories, as well as fairy tales, in this type of literature impact the way children perceive their world. Fairy tales such as “Shrek,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Cinderella” and “The Little Mermaid” all enhance this impact. Additionally, “the fact that children often listen to the same story over and over again, internalizing the message more with each listening, adds to the impact.” (Girls will be girls…and so on.) The pages of these books contain a multitude of commonly known themes. Gender roles are a widely used theme in this type of literature. Gender roles are recognized early in a child's life, as they begin to be exposed to literature. In children's literature, gender roles are present to the extent that men are assigned dominant roles, possess strong leadership abilities and demonstrate tenacity. Men portraying these qualities are seen in fairy tales commonly known today. “These fairy tales began to be written for children in the first half of the 18th century for two main reasons: to amuse children and to teach them their gender roles. » (Contemporary Gender Roles in Children's Literature) In most cases, men in these fairy tales are given the dominant roles. These dominant roles include: hero characters and are described as "exercising strong leadership abilities and displaying the need for tenacity and the need to suppress emotions." This comes from the stereotype that men must be strong. (Contemporary Gender Roles in Children's Literature) The ideal man in fairy tales portrays these qualities while showing no flaws. An example of this type of gender role where the dominant male character is in the middle of the paper. ....air tales in literature play an important role in a child's life, they also impact misconceptions about gender stereotypes. Fairy tales play a role in this as they open up a new world for children to explore whilst exposing them to a plethora of commonly known themes; gender roles are part of it. If a child sees his favorite princess letting a man decide her destiny, he acquires these same characteristics and applies them to his daily life. These children believe that fairy tales are reality when they are the ideas furthest from reality. Fairy tales are meant to relieve the stress of reality and so they should "not be forgotten, but rather modified and modernized" (Gender Roles Indoctrinated by Fairy Tales in Western Civilization) to fit the norms of today's society. This will help children grow up believing that gender stereotypes can be broken..