Deception & Trickery
Read 69 folk tales about deception and trickery — stories where clever characters use cunning, disguise, and wit to achieve their goals. While some tricksters are heroes, others are cautionary examples. These tales explore the fine line between cleverness and dishonesty, teaching children to think critically about the difference between smart strategy and harmful manipulation.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Crane Wife (Tsuru no Ongaeshi)
The Crane Wife (Tsuru no Ongaeshi): In a small mountain village, where winter snow fell like blessings from heaven and spring brought cascades of pink
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow: A Japanese Folktale
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow: A Japanese Folktale: In a village set among the gentle mountains of old Japan, there lived a kind-hearted old man named Takehiro and
Russian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Sadko the Rich Merchant: Echoes from the Deep
Sadko the Rich Merchant: Echoes from the Deep: In the ancient city of Novgorod, where the Volkhov River flowed like a ribbon of silver through the land, there
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Death of Baldur
The Death of Baldur: In the golden halls of Asgard, there lived a god so beautiful, so pure, so beloved by all beings in the Nine Worlds that his very presence
Norse Folk Tales
All Ages
Freya’s Necklace: The Brisingamen
Freya's Necklace: The Brisingamen: In the golden halls of Asgard, where gods walked and the fates of worlds were woven, there existed a beauty so transcendent
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Binding of Fenrir
The Binding of Fenrir: In the halls of Asgard, a darkness grew in the hearts of the gods, a fear that ate at them like rot eats at wood. It began with a
Bengal Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Tiger King’s Daughter
The Tiger King's Daughter: The Sundarbans - that great delta of the Ganges where land and water intertwine like lovers’ fingers - were a realm unto themselves
Arabian Nights
Ages 9-12
The Fisherman and the Genie
A poor old fisherman draws a sealed copper jar from the sea and frees a furious ifrit who vows to kill him - then must use his wits alone to survive. A classic tale of the Thousand and One Nights, retold with full scholarly attribution.
Arabian Nights
Ages 9-12
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
A scholarly retelling of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, the famous orphan tale of the Arabian Nights told to Antoine Galland in 1709 by Hanna Diyab of Aleppo, and the story of how a poor, idle boy grows worthy of the power he finds.
Celtic Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Field Of Boliauns
The Field Of Boliauns: One fine day in harvest it was indeed Lady-day in harvest, that everybody knows to be one of the greatest holidays in the year Tom
Celtic Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
King O’Toole And His Goose
King O'Toole And His Goose: Och, I thought all the world, far and near, had heerd o’ King O’Toole well, well, but the darkness of mankind is untellible! The
Celtic Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Hudden And Dudden
Hudden and Dudden and Donald O'Neary: An Irish Tale of Wit Over Greed In Ireland long ago, in a time when magic still seemed possible and cleverness was often