Justice & Fairness
Judgments, rewards, punishments and abuses of authority shape these stories. Some endings repair a wrong; others leave losses unresolved or impose a punishment readers may question. Follow whose testimony is heard, whose choices are respected and whether the powerful are held to the same standard as everyone else.
Norse Folk Tales
How Sif Lost Her Hair
Loki cuts off all of Sif's golden hair as a prank, and to escape Thor's anger he must get the dwarfs to make her new hair out of real gold.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
King Shibi and the Dove
A frightened dove flies into King Shibi's robe, and when the eagle chasing it demands its prey, the king offers his own flesh instead.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Oak and the Reed
After a gale uproots an oak, it asks the reeds how their frail stems survived. Their answer contrasts bending with resisting the wind.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
A country mouse visits his cousin in town and tastes rich food, but every opening door sends them fleeing, so he goes home to simple peace.
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Cinderella (Aschenputtel)
Ashputtel’s hazel tree and bird allies dress her for three balls; a golden slipper fits only her—while false sisters pay a bitter price.
Celtic Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Cuchulain and the Hound of Culain
Late for a feast at the smith Culain’s house, the boy Setanta must face a savage watchdog armed only with a hurley stick and a ball.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 6-8
The Goose That Laid Golden Eggs
A couple's goose lays one golden egg each day. They kill it hoping to find gold inside, but find ordinary flesh and lose the daily eggs.
Celtic Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Children of Lir
Their jealous stepmother turns Lir’s four children into swans, doomed to wander the lakes and seas of Ireland for nine hundred years.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
The Dog and His Reflection
A dog carrying meat across a stream snaps at his water-reflection and loses the piece he was already holding in his jaws.
Korean Folk Tales
The Story of Chunhyang
A governor’s son climbs a mountain to admire the spring view and glimpses a girl flying up on a swing among the peach blossoms in a garden below.
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Clever Tortoise and the Elephant
Tortoise wins two strength bets by secretly anchoring the rope to a rock and a palm, then lets Elephant and Hippopotamus believe he pulled it himself.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Apples of Idun
When a giant in eagle form traps Loki, the price of his freedom is Idun and her golden apples, and without them the gods of Asgard start to grow old.