All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
African Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Ungrateful Man
The Ungrateful Man: A hunter, who was terribly poor, was one day walking through the forest in search of food. Coming to a deep hole, he found there a leopard
African Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
Thing To Do
A young person learns that the most important accomplishments are the small, caring things we do.
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Thunder And Anansi
Thunder And Anansi: There had been a long and severe famine in the land where Anansi lived. He had been quite unable to obtain food for his poor wife and
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Tit For Tat
Tit For Tat: There had been a great famine in the land for many months. Meat had become so scarce that only the rich chiefs had money enough to buy it. A
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Why Spiders Are Always Found In The Corners Of Ceilings
Why Spiders Are Always Found In The Corners Of Ceilings: Egya Anansi was a very skilful farmer. He, with his wife and son, set to work one year to prepare a
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Why The Lizard Continually Moves His Head Up And Down
Why The Lizard Continually Moves His Head Up And Down: In a town not very far from Anansi’s home lived a great king. This king had three beautiful daughters
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Why The Moon And The Stars Receive Their Light From The Sun
Why The Moon And The Stars Receive Their Light From The Sun: Once upon a time there was great scarcity of food in the land. Father Anansi and his son, Kweku
African Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
Why Tigers Never Attack Men Unless They Are Provoked
An Akan pourquoi tale from West African Folk-Tales (Barker & Sinclair, 1917): a hunter and a leopard become friends, and a feigned death tests whether the friendship is true — explaining why the great cats leave men in peace unless provoked.
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Why We See Ants Carrying Bundles As Big As Themselves
An Akan pourquoi tale from West African Folk-Tales (Barker & Sinclair, 1917): the trickster Anansi, condemned to carry an enchanted box for ever, deceives the honest Ant into bearing his punishment - which is why we see ants carrying bundles as big as themselves.
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Why White Ants Always Harm Man’S Property
A West African (Akan) pourquoi tale from the Anansesem spider-story tradition: how Spider's greed, a broken promise, and one hasty mistake turned the white ant into the eternal enemy of every home.
African Folk Tales
All Ages
Crocodile’s Treason
A scholarly retelling of “Crocodile’s Treason,” a South African veldt folk tale from James A. Honeÿ’s South-African Folk-Tales (1910) — the story of the weeping crocodile and the origin of the phrase “crocodile tears.”
African Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
Elephant and Tortoise
A southern African Bushman tale: proud Elephant quarrels with Rain, claims the last water of a drought-stricken plain, and is undone by the patient wit of Tortoise.