Courage & Bravery
Stories in which characters face fear, danger or pressure. Their choices invite discussion of preparation, help and responsibility as well as bold action. Ask what each character risks, who else bears the consequences, and whether a dramatic victory resolves the original problem. Consult the story’s audience guidance before choosing.
European Fairy Tales
Ages 9-12
The Three Golden Hairs of Grandfather Knowitall
A king tries everything to stop a charcoal-burner’s son from marrying his daughter, even sending him to fetch three golden hairs from the Sun himself.
Arabian Nights
The Enchanted Horse
A flying wooden horse carries a Persian prince to the Princess of Bengal, and when its vengeful owner steals her away, a clever trick wins her back.
Chinese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Mulan, the Maiden Chief
Mulan rides her father's horse to the northern wars, wins glory and refuses a reward, then returns home, where removing her helmet reveals her identity.
Chinese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Ape Sun Wu Kung
A stone ape learns magic, steals Heaven’s peaches and pills of life and defeats whole armies of gods, until he makes a bet with Buddha he cannot win.
The Firebird, the Horse of Power, and Princess Vasilisa
A young archer ignores his wise horse and picks up a firebird's feather, and his greedy Tzar sends him on ever deadlier errands to the edge of the world.
Russian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Morozko
Abandoned in the freezing fields, a stepdaughter receives gifts from Morozko; her stepmother sends her own daughter after riches, with a fatal result.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Odin’s Quest for Wisdom
Father Odin longs to be the wisest being in the world, but the old giant who guards the well of wisdom asks for a terrible price in return for one drink.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Death of Baldur
When everything in the world swears never to harm Baldur, jealous Loki goes hunting for the one small plant that was never asked to make that promise.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Thor and the Giant’s Kettle
Thor and Tyr travel to the giant Hymir’s hall to bring back a kettle a mile deep, and on the way Thor goes fishing for the Midgard serpent.
Russian Folk Tales
Vasilisa the Beautiful
Sent to Baba Yaga's hut for a light, Vasilisa survives the witch's chores with help from her mother's magic doll and carries home a glowing skull.
Russian Folk Tales
Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf
Carried by a gray wolf, Ivan Tsarevich twice gives in to temptation on the Firebird quest, then wins a horse, a bird and a princess before his brothers strike.
Russian Folk Tales
The Three Kingdoms: Gold, Silver, and Copper
Searching for his stolen mother, Ivan climbs into Whirlwind's kingdoms of copper, silver and gold, only to be stranded there by his jealous brothers.