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.
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Ages 9-12
The Twelve Huntsmen
A princess and eleven look-alike friends disguise themselves as huntsmen to win back the young king who promised to marry someone else.
Grimm's Fairy Tales
The Juniper-Tree
After a child is murdered, his sister gathers his bones beneath a juniper tree; a singing bird returns with gifts and a deadly millstone.
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Ages 9-12
Iron Hans
A wild man of iron is caged in the courtyard; a prince frees him, gets golden hair, and wins war and bride with Iron Hans's help.
Chinese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Yang Gui Fe
After the emperor’s beloved Yang Gui Fe is killed in a mutiny, a magician searches the Underworld, the heavens and fairyland to bring him word of her.
Chinese Folk Tales
The Reward of a Benevolent Life
A fairy monk warns kind-hearted Chung of a coming flood, and the animals he rescues prove far more grateful than the drowning man he saves.
Chinese Folk Tales
The Mysterious Buddhist Robe
Two shabby strangers bring a fairy robe for the priest who will lead an emperor’s service for the dead, and the priest is sent west with a fiery monkey guide.
Chinese Folk Tales
The Dangerous Reward
Hu-Wu-Bau carries a mountain god’s letter to the river court, wins green shoes that never tire, then learns why living and dead must stay apart.
Chinese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Retribution
A boy witnesses old Wang causing a death and concealing it; years later, a fatal stone throw is presented as supernatural repayment.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Thanksgiving of the Wazir
A wise old wazir gives thanks when his king cuts off a fingertip, and is thrown in prison—until that missing fingertip saves the king from sacrifice.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Legend of Gwashbrari, the Glacier-Hearted Queen
Proud Westarwan, king of the Kashmir mountains, never looks down at the world, until icy Gwashbrari vows to make him bow to her before sunrise.
Indian Folk Tales
The Ivory City and Its Fairy Princess
An exiled prince and his devoted friend reach Gulizar's Ivory City through secret signs and dangerous escapes, but poisoning and a fabricated accusation complicate their royal happy ending.
Indian Folk Tales
The Jogi’s Punishment
A holy man who is not as holy as he seems convinces a king that his own daughter is an evil spirit, but a floating chest brings a surprising rescue.