Wisdom & Cleverness
Resourceful escapes, sharp observations, advice and ingenious tricks shape these tales. Look beyond who wins: what information did a character use, whose help mattered and who was harmed? Comparing an effective trick with a well-judged decision makes room for different readings of cleverness and wisdom.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The White Hare and the Crocodiles
A little hare tricks a line of crocodiles into bridging the sea, pays dearly for his mockery, and is healed by a kind stranger who wins a princess.
Japanese Folk Tales
The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab
A greedy monkey cheats a crab out of his persimmons, and the crab’s son, helped by a mortar, a bee and a chestnut, sets a trap at a memorial feast.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower
A kind old man’s faithful dog leads him to buried gold, and even after a jealous neighbor’s cruelty, the dog’s gifts make dead trees burst into bloom.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher
After losing his brother’s precious fish-hook, a prince travels to the Dragon King’s palace beneath the sea and comes home with jewels that rule the tides.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar
An old performing monkey about to be sold to the butcher asks a wise boar for help, and the two stage a baby-snatching so the monkey can be the hero.
Japanese Folk Tales
The Goblin of Adachigahara
A lost pilgrim shelters with a kind old woman on a haunted plain, peeks into the room she told him never to open, and runs for his life until dawn.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Child
An old man finds a shining girl inside a bamboo stem; she sets five suitors impossible tasks, refuses an emperor, and is carried back to the moon.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad
A kind fisherman rescues a tortoise, marries the Sea King’s daughter, and returns home after three days to find that three hundred years have passed.
Indian Folk Tales
The King Who Would Be Stronger Than Fate
A hermit tells a proud king that his baby daughter will marry the son of a slave, and the king sets out to prove that he is stronger than fate.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Beggar and the Five Muffins
A poor beggar and his wife make five muffins and cannot agree who gets the extra one, so they agree that whoever speaks first will get only two.
The Goat Who Laughed and Wept
A goat being made ready for a feast laughs out loud and then weeps, and when the teacher asks why, the goat’s answer changes the way he thinks.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Brahmarakshas and the Hair
A greedy landlord calls up a giant demon servant who must always have work, and when the work runs out, only his wife knows how to keep it busy.