Children's literature is a crucial part in fostering children's development. The stories, along with fairy tales, in this type of literature have an impact on how children perceive their world. Fairy tales such as "Shrek", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Cinderella" and "The Little Mermaid" increase this impact. Furthermore, “increasing the impact is the fact that children often listen to the same story over and over again, internalizing the message more and more with each listen”. (Girls will be girls… and so on.) Numerous commonly known themes are written in the pages of these books. Gender roles are a widely used theme in this type of literature. Gender roles are recognized early in a child's life when they begin to be exposed to literature. In children's literature, gender roles are present as men are given dominant roles, possess strong leadership skills, and display tenacity. Men who represent these qualities are seen in fairy tales commonly known today. “These fairy tales began to be written for children during the first half of the eighteenth century for two main reasons: to entertain children and to teach them their sexual roles.” (Contemporary Gender Roles in Children's Literature) In most cases, men in these fairy tales are given dominant roles. These dominant roles include: Heroic characters and are described as “exercising strong leadership skills and exhibiting the need for persistence and the need to suppress emotions. This comes from the stereotype that men need to be strong.” (Contemporary Gender Roles in Children's Literature) The ideal man in fairy tales portrays these qualities as well as showing no flaws. An example of this type of gender role where the dominant male character is st...... in the center of the card.. ....light stories from literature play a significant role in a child's life, they also influence misconceptions about gender stereotypes. Fairy tales play a role in this because they open up a new world for children to explore by exposing them to a plethora of commonly known themes; gender roles are one of them. If a child sees his favorite princess let a man decide her fate, he acquires those same characteristics and applies them to everyday life. These children believe that fairy tales are reality while they are the ideas furthest from reality. Fairy tales are meant to relieve the stress of reality, so they “should not be forgotten, but rather modified and modernized” (Gender roles indoctrinated through fairy tales in Western civilization) to fit the standards of today's society. This will help children grow in the belief that gender stereotypes can be overcome.