All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Issun-boshi, the One-Inch Boy
A boy no bigger than a finger paddles to Kyoto in a soup bowl, fights off two oni with his needle sword, and uses their lucky mallet to grow tall.
The Story of Princess Hase
A gifted young princess survives her jealous stepmother’s poisoned wine and secret order to kill her, until her father finds her hidden in the mountains.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
A Long-Bow Story
A greedy banker bets a farmer a hundred rupees on a tall-tale contest, but the farmer’s story of wheat growing on a mare’s back springs a neat trap.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 9-12
The Donkey and the Mule
On a steep hill a tired donkey begs the mule to share his load, but the mule refuses and soon has to carry far more than he bargained for.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 9-12
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
A shepherd boy shouts wolf for fun until villagers stop coming; when a real wolf arrives, no one believes his cries for help.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Crow and the Fox
A fox flatters a crow into singing so the cheese in her beak falls; wit, he says, would have served her better than praise.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Hare and the Tortoise
A mocking hare naps mid-race while a tortoise keeps walking; the slow runner reaches the goal before the sleeper wakes up.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Ant and the Dove
A dove drops a leaf to save a drowning ant, and before long the little ant finds a brave way to save the dove from a bird-catcher.
The Dog and the Wolf
A skinny farm dog bargains with a wolf for time to grow fat on feast scraps, then greets him later from a stable roof out of reach.
Ages 9-12
Echo and Narcissus
The nymph Echo can only repeat others’ words, and proud Narcissus, who scorns her, falls in love with his own reflection in a spring.
Indian Folk Tales
Good Luck to the Lucky One
A desperate beggar moves into a haunted mansion and answers the voice crying “Shall I fall down?”—but the owner sees the result very differently.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Grasp All, Lose All
A poor oil-seller finds four rubies on a magic shore, and a moneylender, a minister and a rajah all want more, until greed carries them away for good.