Reading : Reading by 9 : Twice-Told Tales : Discovering that some of today’s young readers find many fairy tales hopelessly dated, experts are generating new interest in these ‘timeless’ stories by adding some modern twists.

The magical story moves through enchanted Harlem streets, where 12 brothers who love to dance learn lessons of trust, honesty and family love. But “Brothers of the Knight” is hardly a new tale.

Instead, it is an updated version of the Grimm fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”

The book is among a growing list of age-old fairy tales being reinvented in hip--and sometimes twisted--ways.

Teachers and librarians are using the humorous, madcap, updated versions of the classics to engage youngsters.

“It’s almost achieved the level of a genre,” said Susan Patron, senior librarian in children’s services at the Los Angeles Public Library.

The revised versions of fairy tales often are more appealing to children, who can see themselves in the stories, experts say.

“They can really identify with the characters, especially if it’s in an urban setting or a modern time,” said Marilyn Robertson, a staff librarian with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“Brothers of the Knight” is one of the latest releases. The book, due out this month, was written by actress Debbie Allen and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

It is a story of the Rev. Knight, a stern but loving father of 12 sons. Unbeknownst to him, his sons sneak out of their room each night to go dancing.

The Rev. Knight is at a loss to understand why the boys’ shoes show such wear and tear. Enter the family’s housekeeper, who unravels the mystery and brings the family closer together.

The boys are afraid to tell their father of their love for dancing, then discover that they can become closer through open and honest communication.

Allen said she hopes the story will teach valuable family lessons and encourage children to read.

“As the mother of two children . . . I often would not find stories that were colorful enough, that responded to the sensibilities of kids today,” she said.

“I hope [children] will get a sense of the relationship that can be had with family, and adults as well,” Allen added. “It’s a mutual trust that has to happen, if you can share yourself and be who you really are with them, your life will be better.”

Award-winning children’s author Jon Scieszka’s first children’s book, “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs,” tells the traditional story from the wolf’s point of view. Published in 1989, there will be a 10th anniversary edition published this year.

“It just went crazy. Teachers loved it, kids spontaneously started writing their own stories, and they would send them to me in their own style,” he said.

Scieszka also has written “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” a collection of stories that turn Mother Goose tales on their heads, described by Patron as the most famous example of the humorously retold tales.

Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith create a zany collage of words and pictures that race across the pages, drawing the reader into the stories.

“That’s always been first in my mind, to grab the reader . . . to grab kids and start them reading. I always found humor as my entry into that,” Scieszka said.

There is an upside-down dedication page and a table of contents page that has “fallen” and squashed story characters. The collection includes such tales as “The Really Ugly Duckling,” “Little Red Running Shorts,” “Cinderumpelstiltskin” and, of course, “The Stinky Cheese Man.”

Scieszka and Smith met with some resistance in trying to have the book published, however.

“People were dumbfounded. They didn’t think that kids would get it. That was the most depressing reaction--people underestimated the kids. I knew [the children] understood the stories, but it was a real fight to get adults to understand how smart kids were,” said Scieszka, who also taught elementary and middle school for 10 years.

The collections of retold fairy tales are growing, experts say, giving young readers more options to choose from.

“I’ve read them to students. They’re great ways to launch discussions because they’re relevant to their own lives. [Students] relate to them better than to traditional stories,” said Brad Rumble at Rosemont Elementary School in Echo Park.

The books are definitely not just sitting on the shelf, said one librarian. At Children’s Book World in West Los Angeles, fairy tales of all kinds are one of the biggest sections in the store, said co-manager Linda Dimitroff.

Including the unsnazzy classics. Weep not for the original versions of Grimm or Mother Goose; they’re being put to good use teaching immigrant students about their adopted homeland.

“Kids learning English [even at the high school level] are often sent to read the old fairy tales because they don’t know the cultural literacy. They’re missing a body of knowledge that English-speaking people assume,” said L.A. Unified’s Robertson.

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