The Thirsty Crow

One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for
water. For a long time, she could not find any. She felt very weak,
almost giving up hope.
Suddenly, she saw a water jug below her. She flew straight down
to see if there was any water inside. Yes, she could see some
water inside the jug!
The crow tried to push her head into the jug. Sadly, she found that
the neck of the jug was too narrow. Then she tried to push the jug
down for the water to flow out. She found that the jug was too
heavy.
The crow thought hard for a while. Then looking around her, she
saw some pebbles. She suddenly had a good idea. She started
picking up the pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug. As
more and more pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising.
Soon it was high enough for the crow to drink. Her plan had
worked!
The Three Billy Goat Gruff

There once were there billy goats named Gruff who always stayed together. There eldest
of the brothers was the biggest, while the youngest of them was the smallest. One day, the three
billy goats decided to go up a hill to eat the sweet, long grass that grew there.
They set off on their journey just as the sun came up. The goats had almost reached the
hill when they discovered that they had to cross a wide stream. Luckily there was a wooden
bridge, but it was so old and narrow the goats had to cross it one at a time, what the goats didnt
know was that under this bridge there lived a great, ugly troll. He had huge eyes, a big nose and
he was always bad tempered and hungry.
The youngest billy goat Gruff was the first one to start out across the bridge. A trip trap
sound came as the goats hooves over the bridge. The billy goat was halfway across when he
heard the trolls loud voice growling under the bridge and ask who cross the bridge. The little
billy goat was frightened and replied to the troll that it was him. The troll was angry said that no
one across the bridge without his permission. And he was going to eat the little billy goat. But the
billy goat Gruff said that Mr. Troll had to wait his brother because it is bigger and tasier meal. Of
course the greedy troll wanted a bigger meal. So he wait for the second. Soon there was a much
louder trip trap sound, the second billy goat gruff came. The troll roared to the second goat and
shouted that no one crosses the bridge without his permission so hes going to eat the second
billy goat gruff. But the second goat begged the troll not to eat him and wait for the third billy
goat gruff. It was so large and it would be the biggest and tastiest meal the troll could have. So
the greedy troll wanted it. So he let the second billy goat to cross the bridge and wait for the third
to come. Soon he heard the loudest trip trap sound of all. The third billy goat came. The troll
roared and rushed towards the big goat wanted to eat it. But the third billy goat gruff wasnt a bit
afraid. He lowered his great big horns and rushed straight at the troll and hit the troll so hard. He
flew off the bridge into the stream. There was a huge splash and he was carried away in the icy
water. from that day on, no one ever bothered by the ugly troll again.

Three Little Pigs

Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One pig built a
house of straw while the second pig built his house with sticks.
They built their houses very quickly and then sang and danced all
day because they were lazy. The third little pig worked hard all
day and built his house with bricks.
A big bad wolf saw the two little pigs while they danced and
played and thought, What juicy tender meals they will make! He
chased the two pigs and they ran and hid in their houses. The big
bad wolf went to the first house and huffed and puffed and blew
the house down in minutes. The frightened little pig ran to the
second pigs house that was made of sticks. The big bad wolf now
came to this house and huffed and puffed and blew the house
down in hardly any time. Now, the two little pigs were terrified
and ran to the third pigs house that was made of bricks.
The big bad wolf tried to huff and puff and blow the house down,
but he could not. He kept trying for hours but the house was very
strong and the little pigs were safe inside. He tried to enter
through the chimney but the third little pig boiled a big pot of
water and kept it below the chimney. The wolf fell into it and
died.
The two little pigs now felt sorry for having been so lazy. They too
built their houses with bricks and lived happily ever after.

The Lion and the Mouse

A small mouse crept up to a sleeping lion. The mouse admired the lion's ears, his
long whiskers and his great mane.
"Since he's sleeping," thought the mouse, "he'll never suspect I'm here!"
With that, the little mouse climbed up onto the lion's tail, ran across its back, slid
down its leg and jumped off of its paw. The lion awoke and quickly caught the
mouse between its claws.
"Please," said the mouse, "let me go and I'll come back and help you someday."
The lion laughed, "You are so small! How could ever help me?"
The lion laughed so hard he had to hold his belly! The mouse jumped to freedom
and ran until she was far, far away.
The next day, two hunters came to the jungle. They went to the lion's lair. They set
a huge rope snare. When the lion came home that night, he stepped into the trap.

He roared! He wept! But he couldn't pull himself free.

The mouse heard the lion's pitiful roar and came back to help him.
The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that held it together. She
began nibbling and nibbling until the rope broke. The lion was able to shake off the
other ropes that held him tight. He stood up free again!
The lion turned to the mouse and said, "Dear friend, I was foolish to ridicule you
for being small. You helped me by saving my life after all!"

The Dog and His Bone

A hound dog found a bone and held it tightly in his mouth. He growled
and scowled at anyone who attempted to take it away. Off into the
woods he went to bury his prize.
When he came to a stream, he trotted over the footbridge and happened
to glance into the water. He saw his own reflection. Thinking it was

another dog with a bigger bone, he growled and scowled at it. The
reflection growled and scowled back.
"I'll get THAT bone too," thought the greedy dog, and he snapped his
sharp teeth at the image in the water.
Alas, his own big bone fell with a splash, out of sight, the moment he
opened his mouth to bite!

The North Wind and The Sun

The North Wind boasted of great strength. The Sun argued that there was great
power in gentleness.
"We shall have a contest," said the Sun.
Far below, a man traveled a winding road. He was wearing a warm winter coat.
"As a test of strength," said the Sun, "Let us see which of us can take the coat off
of that man."
"It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat," bragged the Wind.

The Wind blew so hard, the birds clung to the trees. The world was filled with dust
and leaves. But the harder the wind blew down the road, the tighter the shivering
man clung to his coat.
Then, the Sun came out from behind a cloud. Sun warmed the air and the frosty
ground. The man on the road unbuttoned his coat.
The sun grew slowly brighter and brighter.
Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in a shady spot.
"How did you do that?" said the Wind.
"It was easy," said the Sun, "I lit the day. Through gentleness I got my way."

The Ox and The Frog

A young frog set out on his first adventure. As he came out of the pond he saw a
large ox grazing in a field. Having never before seen such a creature, he hopped
excitedly to his father, the bullfrog, and said, "I have just seen the biggest frog in
the world!
"Humph!" said the bullfrog, "Was he as big as me?" and he puffed himself up.
"Oh, much bigger than that!" said the little frog.
"Was he THIS big," said the bullfrog, puffing himself up even larger.
"Much, much bigger than you!" said the little frog.
"Ridiculous!" said the bullfrog, who fancied himself much more important than he
was. "He couldn't be bigger than me! I'm the oldest frog in the pond. I was here
first! Was he bigger than THIS?"
He puffed and puffed himself up so much...he burst!

The Boy who cried wolf

There once was a shepherd

boy who was bored as he sat
on the hillside watching the
village sheep. To amuse
himself he took a great
breath and sang out, "Wolf!
Wolf! The Wolf is chasing
the sheep!"
The villagers came running
up the hill to help the boy
drive the wolf away. But
when they arrived at the top
of the hill, they found no
wolf. The boy laughed at the
sight of their angry faces.
"Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's no wolf!" They
went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the boy sang out again, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" To his
naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf
away.
When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your frightened song for
when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!"
But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.
Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet
and sang out as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!"
But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.
At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned to the village
with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.
"There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, "Wolf!" Why
didn't you come?"
An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.
"We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm

The Hare and The Tortoise

There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of
hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the
animals in the forest gathered to watch.
Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He looked back at
Slow and Steady and cried out, "How do you expect to win this race when you are
walking along at your slow, slow pace?"
Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, "There is
plenty of time to relax."
Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the
finish line.
The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke up Hare.
Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise was
over the line.
After that, Hare always reminded himself, "Don't brag about your lightning pace, for
Slow and Steady won the race!"

The Goat and The Wolf

A wolf saw a goat grazing at the edge of a high cliff. The wolf smacked his lips at
the thought of a fine goat dinner.
"My dear friend," said the wolf in his sweetest voice, "aren't you afraid you will
fall down from that cliff? Come down here and graze on this fine grass beside me
on safe, level ground."
"No, thank you," said the goat.
"Well then," said the wolf, "aren't you cold up there in the wind? You would be
warmer grazing down here beside me in this sheltered area."
"No, thank you," said the goat.
"But the grass tastes better down here!" said the exasperated wolf, "Why dine
alone?"
"My dear wolf," the goat finally said, "are you quite sure that it is MY dinner you
are worrying about and not your own?

Ant and Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing
to its heart's content. A group of ants walked by, grunting as they struggled to
carry plump kernels of corn.

"Where are you going with

those heavy things?" asked the
grasshopper.
Without stopping, the first ant
replied, "To our ant hill. This is
the third kernel I've delivered
today."
"Why not come and sing with
me," teased the grasshopper,
"instead of working so hard?"
"We are helping to store food
for the winter," said the ant,
"and think you should do the
same."
"Winter is far away and it is a
glorious day to play," sang the grasshopper.
But the ants went on their way and continued their hard work.
The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field was covered with a
thick white blanket of snow that even the grasshopper could not dig through. Soon
the grasshopper found itself dying of hunger.
He staggered to the ants' hill and saw them handing out corn from the stores they
had collected in the summer. He begged them for something to eat.
"What!" cried the ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the
winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
"I didn't have time to store any food," complained the grasshopper; "I was so busy
playing music that before I knew it the summer was gone."
The ants shook their heads in disgust, turned their backs on the grasshopper and
went on with their work.

The Goose with the Golden Eggs

One day a countryman going to the nest of his goose

found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he
picked it up it was very heavy and he was going to throw it
away, because he thought a trick had been played on him.
But he decided to take it home and soon discovered that it
was an egg of pure gold.
Every morning the same thing occurred, and he grew rich
by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and
thinking to get all the gold the goose could give, he killed it
and opened it only to find nothing.

The Two Pots

It was a cyclonic season. There was flood everywhere.

Many houses drowned in the flood. There was a copper pot and
an earthen pot in a house. Both these were washed away in the
flood to a river.
The copper pot called the earthen pot and said, "My friend, you
are made of mud. You are so weak. Please, come near me. I'll
save you".
The earthen pot replied, "Thank you for your kindness, my friend.
But, let me swim to the bank by myself'. The earthen pot began
to swim towards the bank of the river.
As the copper pot tried to swim, water got filled into the pot and
the copper pot drowned. But earthen pot reached the bank.

The Five Chinese Brother

Once upon a time there were Five Chinese Brothers and they looked exactly
alike. They lived with their mother in a small house not far from the sea. The
First Chinese Brother could swallow the sea. The Second Chinese Brother had
an iron neck. The Third Chinese Brother could stretch and stretch and stretch
his legs. The Fourth Chinese Brother could not be burned. And, The Fifth
Chinese Brother could hold his breath indefinitely. Every morning the First
Chinese Brother would go fishing, and whatever the weather, he would come
back to the village with beautiful and rare fish which he had caught and
could sell at the market for a very good price.

One day, as he was leaving the market place, a little boy stopped him
and asked him if he could go fishing with him."No, it could not be done," said
the First Chinese Brother. But the little boy begged and begged and finally
the First Chinese
Brother consented. "Under one condition," said he, "and that is that you shall
obey me promptly. "Yes, yes," the little boy promised. Early next morning, the
First Chinese Brother and the little bo ywent down to the beach.
"Remember," said the First Chinese Brother, "you must obey me
promptly. When I make a sign for you to come back, you must come at
once." "Yes, yes," the little boy promised. Then the First Chinese Brother
swallowed the sea.
And all the fish were left high and dry at the bottom of the sea. And
all the treasures of the sea lay uncovered.The little boy was delighted.
He ran here and there stuffing his pockets with strange pebbles,
extraordinary shells and fantastic algae. Near the shore the First Chinese
Brother gathered some fish while he kept holding the sea in his mouth.
Presently he grew tired. It is very hard to hold the sea. So he made a sign
with his hand for the little
boy to come back. The little boy saw him but paid no attention. The First
Chinese Brother made great movements with his arms and that meant
"Come back!" But did the little boy care? Not a bit and he ran further away.
Then the First Chinese Brother felt the sea swelling inside him and he made
desperate gestures to call the little boy back. But the little boy made faces at
him and fled as fast as he could. The First Chinese Brother held the sea until
he thought he was going to burst. All of a sudden the sea forced its way out
of his mouth, went back it its bed ... and the little boy disappeared. When the
First Chinese Brother returned to the village, alone, he was arrested, put in
prison and condemned to have his head cut off. On the morning of the
execution he said to the judge: "Your Honour, will you allow me to go and bid
my mother good-bye?"
"It is only fair," said the judge. So the First Chinese Brother went home ....
and the Second Chinese Brother came back in his place. All the people

were assembled on the village square to witness the execution.

The executioner took his sword and struck a mighty blow. But the
Second Chinese Brother got up and smiled. He was the one with
the iron neck and they simply could not cut his head off.
Everybody was angry and they decided that he should be
drowned. On the morning of the execution, the Second Chinese
Brother said to the judge: "Your honour, will you allow me to go
and bid my mother
good-bye?"
"It is only fair," said the judge. So the Second Chinese Brother
went home.... and the Third Chinese Brother came back in his
place.
He was pushed on a boat which made for the open sea. When
they
were far out on the ocean the Third Chinese Brother was thrown
overboard.
But he began to stretch and stretch and stretch his legs, way
down to
the bottom of the sea.

And all the time his smiling face was bobbing up and down on the
crest of the waves.
He simply could not be drowned. Everybody was very angry, and
they all
decided that he should be burned. On the morning of the
execution, the
Third Chinese Brother said to the judge:"Your Honour, will you
allow me to go and bid my mother good-bye?""It is only fair," said
the judge.
So the Third Chinese Brother went home .... and the Fourth
Chinese
Brother came back in his place. He was tied up to a stake. Fire
was set to it and all the people stood around watching it. In the
midst of all the flames they heard him say: "This is quite
pleasant." "Bring some more wood!" the people cried. The fire
roared higher.
"Now it is quite comfortable," said the Fourth Chinese Brother, for
he
was the one who could not be burned. Everybody was getting
more and more angry every minute and they all decided to
smother him. They were not going to be tricked again! So they
stayed there all night and even a little after dawn, just to make
sure. Then they opened the door and pulled him out. And he
shook himself and said, "My! That was a good sleep!"
Everybody stared open-mouthed and round eyed. But the judge
stepped forward and said, "We have tried to get rid of you in
every
possible way and somehow it cannot be done. It must be that you
are innocent." "Yes, yes," shouted all the people. So they let him
go and he went home. And the Five Chinese Brothers and their
mother all lived together happily for many years.

Once upon a time there was an emperor whose only interest in

life was to dress up in fashionable clothes. He kept changing his
clothes so that people could admire him.
Once, two thieves decided to teach him a lesson.
They told the emperor that they were very fine tailors and could
sew a lovely new suit for him. It would be so light and fine that it
would seem invisible. Only those who were stupid could not see
it. The emperor was very excited and ordered the new tailors to
begin their work.
One day, the king asked the prime minister to go and see how
much work the two tailors had done. He saw the two men moving
scissors in the air but he could see no cloth! He kept quiet for fear
of being called stupid and ignorant. Instead, he praised the fabric
and said it was marvellous.
Finally, the emperors new dress was ready. He could see nothing
but he too did not want to appear stupid. He admired the dress
and thanked the tailors. He was asked to parade down the street
for all to see the new clothes. The emperor paraded down the

main street. The people could only see a naked emperor but no
one admitted it for fear of being thought stupid.
They foolishly praised the invisible fabric and the colours. The
emperor was very happy.
At last, a child cried out, The emperor is naked!
Soon everyone began to murmur the same thing and very soon
all shouted, The emperor is not wearing anything!
The emperor realised the truth but preferred to believe that his
people were stupid.

The Ugly Duckling

A little duckling was very sad because he thought he was the

ugliest amongst all his brothers and sisters. They would not play
with him and teased the poor ugly duckling. One day, he saw his

reflection in the water and cried, Nobody likes me. I am so ugly.

He decided to leave home and went far away into the woods.
Deep in the forest, he saw a cottage in which there lived an old
woman, her hen, and her cat. The duckling stayed with them for
some time but he was unhappy there and soon left. When winter
set in the poor duckling almost froze to death. A peasant took
him home to his wife and children. The poor duckling was terrified
of the children and escaped. The ugly duckling spent the winter in
a marshy pond.
Finally, spring arrived. One day, the duckling saw a beautiful swan
swimming in the pond and fell in love with her. But then he
remembered how everyone made fun of him and he bent his
head down in shame. When he saw his own reflection in the
water he was astonished. He was not an ugly duckling anymore,
but a handsome young swan! Now, he knew why he had looked
so different from his brothers and sisters. They were ducklings
but I was a baby swan! he said to himself.
He married the beautiful swan and lived happily ever after.

Little Red Riding Hood

One day, Little Red Riding Hoods mother said to her, Take this
basket of goodies to your grandmas cottage, but dont talk to
strangers on the way! Promising not to, Little Red Riding Hood
skipped off. On her way she met the Big Bad Wolf who asked,
Where are you going, little girl? To my grandmas, Mr. Wolf!
she answered.
The Big Bad Wolf then ran to her grandmothers cottage much
before Little Red Riding Hood, and knocked on the door. When
Grandma opened the door, he locked her up in the cupboard. The
wicked wolf then wore Grandmas clothes and lay on her bed,
waiting for Little Red Riding Hood.
When Little Red Riding Hood reached the cottage, she entered
and went to Grandmas bedside. My! What big eyes you have,
Grandma! she said in surprise. All the better to see you with,
my dear! replied the wolf. My! What big ears you have,
Grandma! said Little Red Riding Hood. All the better to hear you
with, my dear! said the wolf. What big teeth you have,
Grandma! said Little Red Riding Hood. All the better to eat you
with! growled the wolf pouncing on her. Little Red Riding Hood
screamed and the woodcutters in the forest came running to the
cottage. They beat the Big Bad Wolf and rescued Grandma from
the cupboard. Grandma hugged Little Red Riding Hood with joy.
The Big Bad Wolf ran away never to be seen again. Little Red
Riding Hood had learnt her lesson and never spoke to strangers
ever again.
The Princess and the Pea

A prince who was searching for the perfect wife wanted to marry
a beautiful princess of good upbringing. One night, there was a
storm. There was a knock on the door and the queen found a girl
standing outside. She was wet and shivering. She said, I am a
princess but I got caught in this storm. Please may I stay here
tonight? The queen wanted to test if she really was a princess or
not. So, while the servants made the bed, the queen placed a tiny
pea on it and added many layers of mattresses and quilts on top.
The princess slept on this bed.
The next day, the queen asked if she had slept well. She replied,
The bed was soft, but I could not sleep. I dont know what there
was on it but my back has turned all blue! Seeing how delicate
she was, the queen realized that she was indeed a real princess
of delicate upbringing. The prince was very pleased and married
the princess and they lived happily ever after.

The Shoemaker and the Elves

Jo was a shoemaker who lived with his wife Margaret. They were
very poor. One day, there was no more leather left. Jo had no
more material to make shoes. Hungry and miserable, they went
to bed.
When they woke up the next day, Jo and Margaret found a
shining pair of beautiful shoes. They wondered where these shoes
had come from. A man, who was passing by, saw the shining

shoes and bought them at a good price. Jo was very happy.

Margaret and Jo had a hearty meal that night. The next morning,
when Jo went to his work shed, he saw another pair of new shiny
shoes. He told his wife the good news. Margaret was surprised
and happy but very puzzled. The two decided to keep a watch
that night to find out who was being so kind to them.
In the middle of the night, when everybody else was asleep, Jo
and Margaret waited secretly in the working shed. At midnight,
they saw two elves! The elves were deep in their work, making
shoes for them. By morning, they had made many new shoes. Jo
and Margaret were filled with gratitude. When they saw the elves
had nothing to wear they decided to make new, warm clothes for
them as winter was approaching. They kept their gift in the work
shed the next night and hid behind the door. At midnight, the
elves came again and saw the beautiful, tiny clothes. The elves
were so happy with their new clothes that they sang and danced
all night. They now knew that Jo the shoemaker and his wife no
longer needed their help, and went away to help someone else in
need.

Jack and the beanstalk

Once upon a time there lived a poor widow

and her son Jack. One day, Jacks mother
told him to sell their only cow. Jack went to
the market and on the way he met a man
who wanted to buy his cow. Jack asked,
What will you give me in return for my
cow? The man answered, I will give you
five magic beans! Jack took the magic
beans and gave the man the cow. But
when he reached home, Jacks mother was
very angry. She said, You fool! He took
away your cow and gave you some beans!
She threw the beans out of the window.
Jack was very sad and went to sleep
without dinner.
The next day, when Jack woke up in the
morning and looked out of the window, he
saw that a huge beanstalk had grown from
his magic beans! He climbed up the
beanstalk and reached a kingdom in the
sky. There lived a giant and his wife. Jack
went inside the house and found the giants
wife in the kitchen. Jack said, Could you
please give me something to eat? I am so
hungry! The kind wife gave him bread and
some milk.
While he was eating, the giant came home. The giant was very big and looked very
fearsome. Jack was terrified and went and hid inside. The giant cried, Fee-fifo-fum, I smell
the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, Ill grind his bones to make my
bread! The wife said, There is no boy in here! So, the giant ate his food and then went to
his room. He took out his sacks of gold coins, counted them and kept them aside. Then he
went to sleep. In the night, Jack crept out of his hiding place, took one sack of gold coins
and climbed down the beanstalk. At home, he gave the coins to his mother. His mother was
very happy and they lived well for sometime.
climbed the beanstalk and went to the giants house again. Once again, Jack asked the
giants wife for food, but while he was eating the giant returned. Jack leapt up in fright and
went and hid under the bed. The giant cried, Fee-fifo-fum, I smell the blood of an
Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, Ill grind his bones to make my bread! The wife
said, There is no boy in here! The giant ate his food and went to his room. There, he took
out a hen. He shouted, Lay! and the hen laid a golden egg. When the giant fell asleep,
Jack took the hen and climbed down the beanstalk. Jacks mother was very happy with him.
After some days, Jack once again climbed the beanstalk and went to the giants castle. For
the third time, Jack met the giants wife and asked for some food. Once again, the giants
wife gave him bread and milk. But while Jack was eating, the giant came home. Fee-fi-fofum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, Ill grind his bones to
make my bread! cried the giant. Dont be silly! There is no boy in here! said his wife.
The giant had a magical harp that could play beautiful songs. While the giant slept, Jack
took the harp and was about to leave. Suddenly, the magic harp cried, Help master! A boy
is stealing me! The giant woke up and saw Jack with the harp. Furious, he ran after Jack.
But Jack was too fast for him. He ran down the beanstalk and reached home. The giant
followed him down. Jack quickly ran inside his house and fetched an axe. He began to chop
the beanstalk. The giant fell and died.
Jack and his mother were now very rich and they lived happily ever after.