All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Close Alliance
A farmer's wife tricks a tiger to save the household's animals, then turns its suspicion against the jackal who persuades it to return with their tails tied.
Indian Folk Tales
The Death and Burial of Poor Hen-Sparrow
A cock-sparrow's new young bride dies; grief spreads in cumulative verses until king, queen, and court dance a frantic mourning song.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Donkey and His Shadow
A traveller and a donkey owner start a hot-day quarrel over who may rest in the animal’s shadow, and while they argue, the donkey simply trots away.
Indian Folk Tales
The Five Wise Words of the Guru
Ram Singh leaves a scolding stepmother with five guru rules; obeying them through court dangers proves his honesty to the rajah.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Gardener’s Cunning Wife
A gardener steals the goddess’s mangoes and fish, his greedy wife eats every bite, and then she pretends to be possessed by Kali to escape his anger.
Indian Folk Tales
The Goldsmith’s Fortune
After his wife's murder, a goldsmith extorts a stranger and deceives a greedy village with claims about selling bodies and finding cattle underwater. His wealth ends in isolation.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Good Husband and the Bad Wife
A kind Brahmin invites a guest to dinner, but his bad-tempered wife tells a wild lie about a wooden pestle, and the poor visitor runs for his life.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Hermit’s Daughter
A hermit’s daughter who talks with forest animals marries a king, until a jealous lady and a scheming barber convince him she is a poisoning witch.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Jackal and the Pea-Hen
A pea-hen plants plum stones and teases a hungry jackal about his buried bones until he ends their friendship in one snap.
Turkish Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Kettle Who Gave Birth
Nasreddin Hodja borrows a big cooking pot and returns it with a tiny saucepan inside, telling the owner that his pot has had a baby.
Indian Folk Tales
The King of Crocodiles
Crocodiles ruin a farmer's wheat until he promises his daughter; underwater she finds a gold-clad king, and her parents later join them.
Indian Folk Tales
The King Who Was Fried
King Karan is fried daily by a faqir for charity gold; after caging praise-singing swans he learns Bikramajit is more generous.