Odeabank Adds Two New Titles to “Fair Tales” Collection​

Odeabank's Fair Tales project, which offers a gender equality-focused reinterpretation of world classics, grows with the addition of two new books. “The Frog Prince” and “Kindhearted Prince and the Seven Dwarfs,” the newest additions to the series, strive to promote an egalitarian perception of social roles among children and support the empowerment of girls.

Adults and children alike responded positively to the first three Fair Tales books, which present egalitarian versions of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. The series offers fresh reinterpretations of some of the most celebrated classics in world literature.

Odeabank, Türkiye’s young, innovative, and dynamic bank, has launched an egalitarian reinterpretation of the classic children’s tales “The Frog Prince” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The classics were presented to children with the titles “The Frog Prince” and “Kindhearted Prince and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Odeabank and Can Publishing collaborated with illustrators Mert Tugen and Sibel Açıkalın, as well as psychology professor Dr. Ayşe Bilge Selçuk, to provide content advice for two books reinterpreting classic tales through the lens of equality, crafted by contemporary writers Fadime Uslu and Hikmet Hükmenoğlu.

Mert Öncü: “We were encouraged by the reception of Fair Tales”

Odeabank CEO Mert Öncü commented on the latest releases in the Fair Tales project, which debuted last year to widespread acclaim: “The reimagined tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, presented through a gender equality lens, were met with great enthusiasm last year. The Fair Tales project received very positive and motivating feedback from children, their families, and educators. Equality is not only a fundamental human right but also essential for the sustainable development of societies. Sustainable social development can only be possible with the equal participation of women in social development. Our bank’s objective with this project was to effectively and positively embed the concept of equality in children’s minds from an early age and to raise awareness among parents. The enthusiastic reception we’ve received has demonstrated that our decision was correct and encouraged us to continue the project. Since the launch of the Fair Tales project in December 2020, we have distributed our books for free to 120,470 people. With the additions of The Frog Prince and Kindhearted Prince, we aim to reach even more children this year.”

What’s New in the Tales?

For the newest additions to the series, “Snow White” has been reimagined as “Kindhearted Prince.” Instead of a beautiful and kind-hearted princess, we now have a smart and kind-hearted prince. The story now features a vizier instead of the evil witch trying to take over the kingdom. This story dispels the myth that men do not participate in household chores. While the seven dwarfs venture into the forest, the prince stays behind to handle the household chores, even demonstrating impressive cooking skills. The astute prince sees through the vizier's trick with the apple. Thus, the vizier's plot is thwarted.

Unlike the traditional tale, The Frog Prince has multiple princesses. In the tale, each princess exemplifies a good ruler and embodies wisdom. In keeping with the original story, the Prince is punished for his arrogance and lack of respect for both people and nature. Replacing the selfish and arrogant princess, we now have a character who is smart, wise, and generous. The narrative underscores the empathy, respect, and heartfelt friendship that develops between the Princess and the Frog.

Building on the success of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel, which were widely admired by children and families last year, the new tales will be available for free at all Odeabank branches. You can now read and listen to the digital versions of The Frog Prince and Kindhearted Prince and the Seven Dwarfs, the latest additions to the Fair Tales series, on odeabank.com.tr.

Odeabank Continues to Champion Women's Empowerment

Building on the Fair Tales project to instill the concept of equality from a young age, Odeabank has undertaken numerous initiatives in the field of social equality to date. Last March, Odeabank furthered its commitment to social issues by signing the UN’s “Women’s Empowerment Principles,” a private sector initiative aimed at promoting equal participation of women in the workforce. By signing, Odeabank affirmed its women-friendly policies, committing to them under the auspices of the United Nations (UN).

Odeabank also organized a Gender Equality Seminar for its employees in collaboration with Equality Matters, an initiative by the Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV), to raise awareness of gender equality in Türkiye. Over 350 Odeabank employees attended the sessions. Last year, Odeabank conducted a survey titled “Saving Habits of Women Survey” to examine women’s saving tendencies and investment habits in Türkiye, comparing pre- and post-pandemic data.