Short stories

4.71

Vanessa and Simon are twins who set out to camp in the woods with their family. However, they see a scary shadow which looks a lot like... a dinosaur! It gives them quite a fright. Where did it come from? You’ll find out in this fun and educational story.

Ancient Mayan Legend

Deer Fur

4.71

The legend explains how deer happen to have that discreetly camouflaged golden colour in their fur. Before, it was beautifully radiant and they were easy prey. But a chance encounter helped them lead much calmer lives.

Cuban Tale

The Beef Tongue

Even useful things can harm us when misused. A young helper named Orula is given the task of cooking the best and the worst meal on earth. He makes two of the same dish. How does he explain it? You’ll learn in this classic Cuban tale.

Polish Legend

The Wawel Dragon

This Polish legend tells about Wawel Hill, under which a terrible dragon settled and ravaged the whole countryside. However, the people eventually managed to defeat the dragon, thanks to the ingenuity of an ordinary shoemaker.

Tereza Sebesta

The Last Winter Icicle

Early in the morning, an icicle woke up on a waterspout and it was very happy to see a brand new day! But... What is this? It realised it had accidentally woken up too late. Winter was already over. What was it going to do now?

Tereza Sebesta

Roamer, Scoot, and the Ants

When Scoot, the big black dog, hears a roar in the yard, he comes to help at once. But he soon finds out it was just his friend, Roamer, who'd discovered an anthill for the first time. You can also learn about the life of ants in this fairy tale for the little ones.

Aesop

The North Wind and the Sun

4.67

This version of Aesop's fable teaches that peace and a smile can help you achieve more than anger and strength. The North wind and the sun couldn’t figure out who was stronger. In the end, they decide that the first one to take the coat off the traveller who was walking along the way would win.

Aesop

Hercules and the Potter

4.67

Before asking for help, make sure you have done all you could. One day, a potter’s wagon got stuck on the muddy road. Even though he kept whipping the horse, the wagon didn't even move from the mud. The potter lamented his bad fortune, and called to the mighty Hercules to come to help. But who eventually does help him?

Jana Kacmarova

The Fox, the Rabbit, and the Owl

4.67

Fiona the fox is annoyed that she can’t draw as nicely as her other forest friends, even though she tries very hard. But when Olive the owl has an accident, Fiona doesn’t hesitate to assist, dashing to Olive’s aid and helping her friend. As a result, Fiona realises that her particular skills lie elsewhere…

Beverley Sutton

Charlie and the Dark

4.66

In this story, the dark is actually afraid of the light. It’s up to young Charlie to reassure the dark that it has nothing to worry about. He achieves this by showing the dark that it has a magic of its own and that the light cannot hurt it. The dark could then relax, which made them both happy.

Tereza Sebesta

The River

4.65

Meet a friendly river, listen to its story and join it on its journey through the countryside. This peaceful story is a perfect bedtime read that teaches children about nature’s water cycles.

Celtic Tale

The Russet Dog

4.62

This Celtic tale brings you a merry story of a savvy fox. When her beautiful russet coat becomes a home for annoying fleas, the fox thinks of a clever way how to get rid of them.

Jana Kasparova

The Sad Scooter

Bedtime stories for toddlers

4.62

The new pink scooter is the best gift Becky could have wished for, but as the time goes by, she uses it less and less, until it spends most time left in a corner. With the help of her mother, Becky learns an important lesson: things we don’t use anymore can make other people happy and become useful once again.

Chilean Legend

The Origin of Fire

4.61

Based on a legend from South America, this story shows the lives of people back in the days when they didn’t know fire and tells of how it was eventually discovered.

Aesop

The Grasshopper and the Ants

4.6

This version of Aesop's fable teaches us that we always have to think about the future. When the young grasshopper saw the ants stocking up for the winter in the middle of the summer, it made her laugh. How could anyone work when there was such good weather outside? But the days passed, and soon the heat and sunlight were replaced by cold and snow. And while the ants had things ready, the grasshopper had to wait for anyone who’d feel sorry for it.

Jana Kasparova

Jake’s Big Ears

4.59

Jake’s classmates laugh at him because of his ears. They are too big, unlike the small ears of his friends. However, everything changes the moment Jake turns the mockery to his advantage. Find out what he can do, thanks to his ears, in this story about tolerance and diversity.

Tereza Sebesta

New Year’s Eve for the Birds!

4.59

The last day of the year is fast approaching, and while people always look forward to a spectacular fireworks display, the traditional celebrations distress the animals — the blasts terrify them and endanger their lives. Not wishing to face it any more, the local birds plan to escape the city en masse. But just as they fly off, they’re (happily) taken by surprise.

Storytime Magazine

The Clever Frog