Timeless stories from around the world in basic, fun and rhyme versions to read or listen to. Provided for free, with no advertising.
An ant works hard and saves food for the winter while the grasshopper plays and starves.
A Brahmin frees a trapped tiger who breaks its promise but outsmarts it with the help of a clever jackal.
A farmer teaches his quarreling sons the strength of unity using a bundle of sticks.
A dog in the manger growls at the ox despite having no interest in the hay, until its owner scolds it for its selfishness.
A sad grasshopper leaves home to find peace but realizes that happiness comes from seeing the good around him.
A happy frog in a small well meets a sea turtle and learns about the vast, wonderful world beyond his home.
Donkey lightens salt sacks by falling into the river, tricking the trader, but learns honesty when given heavier cotton sacks instead.
A king's elephant and a dog form a friendship, are suddenly separated, but they are reunited by the king and live happily.
A holy man transforms a mouse into a girl, raises her, but she chooses to marry a mouse and becomes one again.
An old pear tree, about to be cut down, persuades a gardener to spare it with the help of nightingales and bees.
A Dog planned to build a house for winter, but changed his mind when summer arrived, leaving him regretful and unprotected when winter returned.
A man and his boy tried to please everyone's opinions on how to transport their donkey but ended up losing their donkey.
Three little pigs build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks, but only the strongest brick house withstands the wolf's huffs and puffs.
Clever fox tricks stork with flat stone dish, but stork gets revenge by serving food in jar, leaving fox hungry.
A woodcutter saved a fox, but revealed its hiding spot; ungrateful fox ran off, feeling tricked.
The North Wind and the Sun compete to remove a traveler's cloak, but the Sun wins with warmth.
A lion spared a mouse's life, later, the mouse rescued the lion from a trap.
A poor farmer discovers a goose that lays golden eggs, but greed leads him to kill it, losing his fortune.
Mice ask elephants to avoid trampling their homes, and later rescue them from the hunters' trap.
A mighty lion in a jungle tries to catch a clever jackal in a cave but fails due to the jackal's trickery.
A clever monkey outsmarts a crocodile, who tries to betray their friendship to please his wife, and they part ways.
Geese help tortoise move to new lake, but he dies after opening his mouth trying to respond to children's insults.
Four scholars, lacking practical wisdom, bring a lion back to life but are killed by it, except the cautious fourth scholar.
A bull accidentally steps on a mouse's tail, prompting the mouse to seek revenge, but it fails, realizing arguing is pointless.
In a debate on strength, a man confidently shows a statue of a man overpowering a lion, but the lion questions the perspective of the story.
A shepherd boy repeatedly cries wolf to trick villagers, but when a real wolf comes, no one believes him.
The slow and steady tortoise wins a race against the boastful and overconfident hare.
A wolf considers a dog's proposition of a comfortable life with humans but chooses freedom over bondage.
The cunning fox uses flattering words to trick a proud crow into dropping its cheese, which the fox then steals.
A thirsty crow cleverly drops pebbles into a pitcher, raising the water level to drink and quench its thirst.
A wise owl warned birds about seeds that could grow into hawk trees, but they ignored her, leading to their own downfall.
A milkmaid dreams of future wealth, but spills her pail of milk and loses her imagined fortune.
The Town Mouse visits the Country Mouse, who then visits the city but fears the danger and prefers his peaceful life.
A proud man's boastful claims about his strong Ox backfire, but after showing kindness and humility, the Ox proves its strength.
Two fish ignore frog's warning of danger from fishermen and get caught, while the frog moves to a safer place.
A greedy dog loses its bone, barking at its reflection, mistaking it for a dog with a larger bone.
An ant works hard and saves food for the winter while the grasshopper plays and starves.
A thirsty crow cleverly drops pebbles into a pitcher, raising the water level to drink and quench its thirst.
A king's elephant and a dog form a friendship, are suddenly separated, but they are reunited by the king and live happily.
A lion spared a mouse's life, later, the mouse rescued the lion from a trap.
The North Wind and the Sun compete to remove a traveler's cloak, but the Sun wins with warmth.
The slow and steady tortoise wins a race against the boastful and overconfident hare.
A farmer teaches his quarreling sons the strength of unity using a bundle of sticks.
A shepherd boy repeatedly cries wolf to trick villagers, but when a real wolf comes, no one believes him.
A Brahmin frees a trapped tiger who breaks its promise but outsmarts it with the help of a clever jackal.
A wolf considers a dog's proposition of a comfortable life with humans but chooses freedom over bondage.
A Dog planned to build a house for winter, but changed his mind when summer arrived, leaving him regretful and unprotected when winter returned.
A dog in the manger growls at the ox despite having no interest in the hay, until its owner scolds it for its selfishness.
A girl has a pail of milk. She carries the milk to the market. The pail is on her head.
She walks and thinks, "I will sell this milk. I will get money. I will buy eggs. The eggs will be chicks. The chicks will be chickens. The chickens will give more eggs. I will have many chickens."
She thinks, "I will sell the chickens. I will buy a dress. The dress will be beautiful. I will buy shoes. The shoes will be shiny. The boys will look at me. Maybe, the mayor's son will marry me."
She moves her head. The pail falls. The milk spills. The girl looks at the milk. She is sad.
She thinks, "I lose the milk. I lose my dreams. I must be careful."
Once upon a time, there was a young girl with a pail of milk on her head. She was going to the market and thought about what she would do with the money from selling the milk.
She said to herself, "When I sell this milk, I will buy some eggs. The eggs will hatch into chickens. The chickens will lay more eggs. Soon, I will have many chickens. Then, I can sell the chickens and buy a pretty dress and nice shoes. I will look so nice that all the boys in the village will notice me. Maybe, even the mayor's son will want to marry me!"
While she was dreaming about her future, she moved her head back, pretending she was wearing a beautiful dress. But oh no! The pail fell off her head, and all the milk spilled out.
She looked at the milk on the ground and realized her dreams were gone. She lost everything because she was too busy dreaming and did not focus on what she was doing.
Once upon a time, there was a milkmaid carrying a pail of milk on her head. She was on her way to the market, contemplating what she would do with the money she would earn from selling the milk.
She thought to herself, "When I sell this milk, I will buy some eggs. These eggs will hatch into chickens. The chickens will lay even more eggs. Soon, I will have a large flock of chickens. Then, I can sell the chickens and buy a beautiful dress and stylish shoes. I will look so wonderful that all the boys in the village will notice me. Perhaps, even the mayor's son will want to marry me!"
While she was imagining her future, she tossed her head as if she were already wearing a magnificent dress. But alas! The pail fell off her head, and all the milk spilled onto the ground.
She gazed at the milk pooling at her feet and realized that all her dreams had vanished. She lost everything because she was too busy dreaming and did not concentrate on what she was doing.
Once upon a time, a milkmaid was strutting down the road like she was on a fashion runway, a pail of milk balanced oh-so-gracefully on her noggin. She was already mentally spending the moolah she'd get from selling this liquid gold.
"Right," she thought, "sell the milk, buy some eggs. Simple. Those eggs will grow up to be like, 'Cluck, cluck! Here's breakfast, love!' And then, chickens galore! Like a chicken party, but without the disco ball."
She started to chuckle, her imagination running wild. "Oh, sell the chickens, buy the dress. Not just any dress—a red carpet knockout! Add some killer shoes, and BAM! I'm the Beyoncé of the barnyard!"
Just imagining it made her feel like a million bucks, or at least a couple hundred eggs. "All the village lads will be like, 'Who's that girl?' Even the mayor's son might give me the eye! Marriage? Why, yes, I accept your proposal, sir, you can thank me later!"
In her daydreaming bliss, she tossed her head back like she was in a shampoo commercial, picturing herself twirling in her glam wedding gown. But—OOPS!—down went the pail! Crash, splash, and farewell to her dairy dreams.
"Aw, biscuits!" She gawked at her spilled future, now just a puddle of wasted opportunities. "That's it. No chickens, no dress, no killer shoes. It's back to Cow's Got Talent for me."
Standing there, she got the memo. Her dreams got a reality check, bounced, and were marked 'Insufficient Funds.' All because she'd been on cloud nine instead of keeping both feet—and her pail—firmly on the ground.
Moral of the story? Don't count your chickens—or your wedding bells—before they hatch. Or, you know, before you've even got the eggs.
Upon a sunny pathway wide,
A milkmaid strolled, with pride inside.
A pail of milk, so fresh and cool,
Balanced atop her head, her tool.
As she walked, her mind did stray,
To dreams of wealth and a brighter day.
"With coins I earn from milk so fine,
I'll buy eggs, in a twisting line.
Those eggs will crack, and chicks emerge,
They'll cluck and peck, and then converge.
A flock of hens, all gold and brown,
I'll sell them off, in the nearby town.
With that money, oh what delight!
A new dress, shoes, all shining bright.
I'll be the belle, all will see,
Maybe the mayor's son will fancy me!"
She swayed, imagining a dance so grand,
Forgetting the pail in this dreamy land.
Tilting her head, she felt a splash,
Her milk was gone, dreams crushed in a flash.
There she stood, amidst the spill,
Dreams faded, time became still.
Though dreams are sweet, it's clear to see,
It's wise to live in reality.
A container to hold things like milk.
A place where people buy and sell things.
Baby chickens just hatched from eggs.
Birds that lay eggs and can be farm animals.
Clothes that girls or women wear.
Bright and reflects light.
Leader of a town or city.
When liquid falls out of a container.
Hopes or wishes for the future.
Being cautious and avoiding mistakes.
A container for carrying liquids.
A place where people buy things.
To come out of an egg.
Very attractive or nice to look at.
A small group of houses in the countryside.
The leader of a town or city.
To see or become aware of something.
Acting as if something is true when it isn’t.
To let liquid fall out of a container.
To understand or become aware of something.
A girl who carries and sells milk.
Thinking deeply about something.
Get money for work or services.
Eggs opening to produce young birds.
Very fashionable and attractive.
Very beautiful and impressive.
An expression of sorrow or regret.
Liquid gathering in one place.
Disappeared suddenly or completely.
Focus all attention on something.
A woman who milks cows or sells milk. Strutting: Walking in a proud way, trying to look important. Noggin: Head (a playful or informal word). Moolah: Money (slang). Galore: A lot of something. Chuckling: Laughing quietly. Knockout: Something very attractive or impressive. Gawked: Stared openly in surprise. Memo: A short message or reminder. Insufficient: Not enough.
A road or track made for walking.
A girl or woman who milks cows.
Kept steady or in position.
To move away from the correct place or path.
To come together from different directions.
A group of birds or animals.
The most beautiful girl or woman at an event.
Moved slowly back and forth.
Leaning or sloping to one side.
In the middle of; surrounded by.
What does the girl carry to the market?
Where does the girl carry the pail of milk?
What does the girl want to buy first with the money from selling the milk?
What happens when the girl moves her head?
Why is the girl sad at the end of the story?
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