All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
Pride Goes Before a Fall
Three proud robbers strip ten cloth merchants and make them dance, but the merchants' leader sings a secret trade-code song telling his friends how to strike.
Indian Folk Tales
Prince Lionheart and His Three Friends
Prince Lionheart frees two haunted cities and wins kingdoms for his three friends, and when a witch's trick kills him, their skills bring him back to life.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Grain of Corn
A crow drops a stolen grain into a crack in a tree and must return it to an angry farmer's wife, so he begs a woodman, a king, a queen and others for help.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
The Lion and the Crane
A white crane pulls a stuck bone out of a lion's throat, propping his jaws open with a stick, then asks what thanks he will get for saving the king of beasts.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Wrestlers: A Story of Heroes
A giant wrestler sets out to fight India's strongest man, but meets a girl who sweeps away an elephant and an old woman who lets them wrestle on her palm.
Jataka Tales
All Ages
The Timid Hare and the Flight of the Beasts
A falling coconut convinces a nervous hare that the earth is breaking up, and soon every animal is fleeing, until the lion asks who actually saw it.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Potter Who Became a Warrior
A potter’s scar from a drunken fall is taken for a battle wound, until he honestly tells the king the truth and loses his place at court.
Hitopadesha
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Tiger and the Traveller
An old tiger offers a golden bangle and a story of repentance, persuading a traveller to approach a danger he initially recognizes.
Hitopadesha
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Jackal, Deer, and Crow
A sly jackal pretends to be a deer’s loyal friend while secretly hoping to eat him, and only a wise old crow sees through his sweet talk.
Hitopadesha
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Vulture, the Cat, and the Birds
A hungry cat talks his way into the home of a blind old vulture by pretending to be holy, and the little birds of the fig tree pay the price.
Hitopadesha
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Washerman’s Donkey
When a thief creeps into the washerman’s house, the guard dog refuses to bark, so the donkey decides to raise the alarm himself, with painful results.
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.