All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
Indian Folk Tales
How Raja Rasalu Became a Jogi
Disguised as a begging holy man, Rasalu sings at the gate of the famously beautiful Queen Sundran, wins her heart and then walks away without a backward glance.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Jackal, the Barber and the Brahmin Who Had Seven Daughters
A deceitful jackal becomes a Brahmin's son-in-law and offers magical gifts that others seize. The youngest daughter twice discovers what appearances conceal.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Baby Krishna and the Demoness Putana
Sent by Kansa to kill members of the Yadu family, Putana disguises herself as a cowherd woman and approaches baby Krishna with a poisoned offer of care.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Mr. Mighty-of-His-Mouth
Mr. Mighty-of-his-Mouth uses nothing but quick words to scare off a whole tribe of goblins, proving to his strong friend that wit beats muscle.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Mr. Won’t-Give and Mr. Won’t-Leave
A miserly beggar-Brahmin tries to starve out a clinging guest; both husband and wife playact until the guest drops from the loft for dinner.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Girl Who Married a Snake
A woman raises her snake son with care. A bride accepts her father's marriage arrangement and later sees the snake take human form, in a tale that questions fate and recognition.
Indian Folk Tales
Retaliation
Two sacrificed goats are reborn as a king and his minister who come to sacrifice a holy priest—until the goddess shows him how to escape a second death.
Indian Folk Tales
Ekalavya and Drona
A forest prince turned away by the great archery teacher Drona trains alone before a clay statue of him, until his skill outshines even Arjuna’s.
Indian Folk Tales
The Faithless Wife and the Ungrateful Blind Man
Abandoned in a forest, a blind man is rescued by a kind merchant and his wife, then repays them with a wicked lie that could cost them their lives.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
Sun, Moon, and Wind Go Out to Dinner
Sun and Wind feast without saving food for their mother Star, but Moon hides a share; gifts explain heat, gale, and soft moonlight.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 3-5
The Tale of Two Frogs
Two travelling frogs meet on a mountain and try to inspect their destinations, but each mistakes a view of home for the unfamiliar town ahead.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Bowman and the Lion
An archer wounds a lion with an arrow; when a fox urges fight, the lion flees the man whose messenger already hurts from afar.