Patience & Perseverance
Waiting, repeated attempts and long journeys test the characters in these stories. Compare persistence with preparation, support and the willingness to change a plan. Notice when another attempt helps and when it repeats a harmful mistake; an ending worth discussing may involve stopping, seeking help or choosing a different goal.
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.
Russian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Snow Maiden (Snegurochka)
A childless old couple build a snow girl who comes to life, but when they cheat the fox who saved her, she hears that a hen matters more and melts away.
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
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.
Arabian Nights
The Tale of the Merchant and the Genie
A genie accuses a merchant of killing his son with a thrown date-stone; three travellers’ stories gradually win the merchant’s release.
Arabian Nights
Ages 6-8
Sinbad the Sailor: The First Voyage
Sinbad lands on a green "island" that is a whale's back, survives alone, and later reclaims his cargo from a captain who thought him drowned.
Arabian Nights
Ages 9-12
The Fisherman and the Genie
A poor fisherman tricks a furious genie back into his jar, and the four coloured fish he wins lead a curious Sultan to a palace of black marble.
Korean Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Sneezing Colossus
Sent out by his wife to find food for the family, lazy Mr. Kim spots a giant pear growing from the head of a huge stone Buddha high on the mountain.
Korean Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Old Man Who Became a Fish
A guest bursts into tears at the sight of skate soup and explains how his feverish father, nearly a hundred years old, begged to be carried to the river.
African Folk Tales
Why the Lizard Continually Moves His Head Up and Down
Anansi learns three princesses’ secret names with honeyed fruit, but when Lizard wins the brides, the spider plots a cruel revenge with the king’s cock.
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Thunder and Anansi
Starving Anansi dives into the sea and wins a magic food-pot from Thunder, but his secret greed earns him a very different gift the second time.
Indian Folk Tales
The Story of Appayya
A timid Brahman is hailed as a mighty hero after a string of lucky accidents, from a hundred robbers to a lioness and a runaway horse.