All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher
After losing his brother’s precious fish-hook, a prince travels to the Dragon King’s palace beneath the sea and comes home with jewels that rule the tides.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower
A kind old man’s faithful dog leads him to buried gold, and even after a jealous neighbor’s cruelty, the dog’s gifts make dead trees burst into bloom.
Japanese Folk Tales
The Jelly Fish and the Monkey
Sent to fetch a monkey’s liver to cure the Dragon Queen, a chatty jellyfish gives away the secret mid-sea, and the clever monkey tricks his way home.
Japanese Folk Tales
The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab
A greedy monkey cheats a crab out of his persimmons, and the crab’s son, helped by a mortar, a bee and a chestnut, sets a trap at a memorial feast.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The White Hare and the Crocodiles
A little hare tricks a line of crocodiles into bridging the sea, pays dearly for his mockery, and is healed by a kind stranger who wins a princess.
Japanese Folk Tales
The Story of Prince Yamato Take
A prince survives disguises, outlaws and a burning plain, but his sea voyage brings the loss of his wife.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Momotaro, or the Story of the Son of a Peach
A boy born from a giant peach sets out with a dog, a monkey and a pheasant to conquer the devils who have been raiding Japan from their island castle.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Ogre of Rashomon
A knight rides out on a stormy night to prove an ogre story false, cuts off the monster’s arm, and must guard it when a strange old visitor comes calling.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
How an Old Man Lost His Wen
An old man's dance wins favor at a demons' feast and removes his facial lump; a neighbor's attempt to repeat the success has a different result.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Grateful Crane
A young farmer frees a wounded crane, marries a gentle stranger whose secret weaving saves his family, and loses her when he peeks through the wall.
Japanese Folk Tales
All Ages
The Star Lovers
The Weaving Lady and the ox-herd love so much they neglect their work, so her father sets the Celestial River between them, letting them meet one night a year.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Snow Woman (Yuki-Onna)
Spared by a ghostly woman of the snow on the night his master freezes, a young woodcutter keeps her secret for years, until he tells his own wife.