Ages 6-8
Stories suggested for ages 6–8, including short adventures and trickster encounters. They can be read together or independently according to reading confidence. Check the individual guidance, and leave room to discuss whether a clever character’s actions were also fair.
Hitopadesha
Ages 6-8
The Story of the Cat Who Served the Lion
A lion hires a cat to keep a pesky mouse away from his mane, but once the cat catches the mouse he discovers his fine dinners have come to an end.
Hitopadesha
Ages 6-8
The Story of the Tortoise and the Geese
Two kind geese carry their friend the tortoise through the sky on a stick, but he must keep his mouth shut tight the whole way, and that is very hard.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Lion and the Donkey Go Hunting
A lion hides a loud donkey in the woods to bray and scare the animals into his trap, and the donkey decides that he is the mighty hunter.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
The Gray Hair
When his barber finds a single gray hair on his head, a king who still has thousands of years to live gives up his throne to become a hermit.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
The Happy Monk
A hermit who was once a king lies at ease before a visiting king, crying “Oh, happiness!”, and his teacher explains why the holy life brings such joy.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
How the Turtle Saved His Own Life
Frightened princes mistake a turtle for a demon, and when the court debates how to destroy it, the clever turtle begs not to be thrown into the lake.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
Meeting a New Friend
A crow flies his friend the mouse to meet an old tortoise, and while the mouse tells how he lost his treasure, a frightened deer comes running out of the trees.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Rescue of a Deer
When their friend the deer is caught in a hunter's noose, a crow, a mouse and a slow old tortoise all hurry to save him, and then the tortoise needs saving.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Crow-Rat Discourse
A crow watches a mouse gnaw a whole flock of pigeons free from a fowler's net, and decides that this is the one friend he must have.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Hermit and the Mouse
A kind hermit turns a little mouse into a cat, then a dog, then a tiger to keep it safe, but the proud tiger cannot bear to be reminded where it came from.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Story of the Bug and the Flea
A little bug who has lived safely in a king's bed for years lets a flea move in, if he promises to bite gently, and the flea does not keep his word.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Story of the Tittibha Birds and the Sea
A boastful little shore bird tells his wife the sea would never dare wash away their eggs, and when it does, he calls on the king of birds for help.