Greed & Consequences
Stories in which the desire for wealth, status or more than a fair share changes what characters do. Follow the moment when a wish becomes harmful, and examine the consequences for bystanders as well as the person seeking the reward. A spectacular punishment can itself raise questions about fairness.
Indian Folk Tales
The Wonderful Ring
A spendthrift uses his wife's last jewel to buy four animals. A serpent's ring brings a palace and a new marriage, but recovering the abducted princess requires the animals' help.
Indian Folk Tales
The Son of Seven Mothers
After a king blinds and imprisons his seven queens, the one surviving son sustains them. A princess who can read the deadly messages he carries helps him recover their sight and confront the hidden past.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Three Deaf Men
A deaf husband, his deaf wife and a deaf shepherd talk at cross purposes over cabbage and a lost cow, until a sharp stranger walks off with the calf.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Lambikin
Tiny Lambikin promises hungry beasts he will fatten at Granny’s, rides home inside a drumikin, then meets a Jackal who knows his voice.
Indian Folk Tales
The Prince and the Fakir
A childless king is promised two sons by a wandering fakir, on one condition: when the boys are born, the fakir will come back and take one of them away.
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.
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
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.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Prince Half-a-Son
A prince mocked for his unusual body uses magic and careful listening to survive his brothers' attacks, while the tale exposes their envy and the court's prejudice.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Kupti and Imani
A princess who vows to make her own fortune is sent to live with a poor old fakir, and a misheard word brings her a magic fan and a royal friend.
Indian Folk Tales
Little Anklebone
A little shepherd boy is given up to a hungry wolf by his own aunt, yet his tiny anklebone goes on to scare off robbers and make a pond of milk.
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.