Timeless stories from around the world in basic, fun and rhyme versions to read or listen to. Provided for free, with no advertising.
The slow and steady tortoise wins a race against the boastful and overconfident hare.
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.
An old pear tree, about to be cut down, persuades a gardener to spare it with the help of nightingales and bees.
Two fish ignore frog's warning of danger from fishermen and get caught, while the frog moves to a safer place.
Three little pigs build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks, but only the strongest brick house withstands the wolf's huffs and puffs.
A wolf considers a dog's proposition of a comfortable life with humans but chooses freedom over bondage.
A lion spared a mouse's life, later, the mouse rescued the lion from a trap.
A sad grasshopper leaves home to find peace but realizes that happiness comes from seeing the good around him.
A bull accidentally steps on a mouse's tail, prompting the mouse to seek revenge, but it fails, realizing arguing is pointless.
A shepherd boy repeatedly cries wolf to trick villagers, but when a real wolf comes, no one believes him.
A proud man's boastful claims about his strong Ox backfire, but after showing kindness and humility, the Ox proves its strength.
A poor farmer discovers a goose that lays golden eggs, but greed leads him to kill it, losing his fortune.
Donkey lightens salt sacks by falling into the river, tricking the trader, but learns honesty when given heavier cotton sacks instead.
Four scholars, lacking practical wisdom, bring a lion back to life but are killed by it, except the cautious fourth scholar.
Clever fox tricks stork with flat stone dish, but stork gets revenge by serving food in jar, leaving fox hungry.
An ant works hard and saves food for the winter while the grasshopper plays and starves.
A holy man transforms a mouse into a girl, raises her, but she chooses to marry a mouse and becomes one again.
A woodcutter saved a fox, but revealed its hiding spot; ungrateful fox ran off, feeling tricked.
A thirsty crow cleverly drops pebbles into a pitcher, raising the water level to drink and quench its thirst.
A stonecutter repeatedly wishes for more, until realizing true happiness comes from being content with himself.
A king's elephant and a dog form a friendship, are suddenly separated, but they are reunited by the king and live happily.
The Town Mouse visits the Country Mouse, who then visits the city but fears the danger and prefers his peaceful life.
A milkmaid dreams of future wealth, but spills her pail of milk and loses her imagined fortune.
A mighty lion in a jungle tries to catch a clever jackal in a cave but fails due to the jackal's trickery.
Geese help tortoise move to new lake, but he dies after opening his mouth trying to respond to children's insults.
A wise owl warned birds about seeds that could grow into hawk trees, but they ignored her, leading to their own downfall.
Mice ask elephants to avoid trampling their homes, and later rescue them from the hunters' trap.
The North Wind and the Sun compete to remove a traveler's cloak, but the Sun wins with warmth.
A man and his boy tried to please everyone's opinions on how to transport their donkey but ended up losing their donkey.
A clever monkey outsmarts a crocodile, who tries to betray their friendship to please his wife, and they part ways.
A man becomes angry when another boat collides with his, but realizes his anger is misplaced when the boat is empty.
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 happy frog in a small well meets a sea turtle and learns about the vast, wonderful world beyond his home.
The cunning fox uses flattering words to trick a proud crow into dropping its cheese, which the fox then steals.
A Brahmin frees a trapped tiger who breaks its promise but outsmarts it with the help of a clever jackal.
A greedy dog loses its bone, barking at its reflection, mistaking it for a dog with a larger bone.
A farmer teaches his quarreling sons the strength of unity using a bundle of sticks.
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 clever monkey outwits a deceitful tiger who had previously tricked a goat during a journey to a friend's house.
A young rooster ignores his mother's warning and investigates a dangerous well, getting himself into trouble.
A dog and cat retrieve their owner's lucky ring, but the cat takes all the credit, making them lifelong enemies.
A woodcutter wrongly accuses his neighbor's son of stealing his ax, only to find it himself and realize his mistake.
A boy learns to be content by taking fewer nuts, allowing him to easily free his hand from a jar.
Animals plot to trap clever Rabbit, who outsmarts them by pretending to throw a sandal and escapes safely.
An ugly duckling, bullied for his appearance, transforms into a beautiful swan and finds acceptance and happiness.
A man collects seemingly useless items on his journey, which later help him survive by a river.
A curious rat explores beyond his home, misinterprets his discoveries, and gets trapped by an oyster while exploring.
A proud peacock faces envy and criticism from other birds but teaches them to appreciate beauty instead of focusing on flaws.
A clever fox tricks a fierce tiger into thinking people fear him, when they’re really afraid of the tiger.
A hungry cat learns to get food by being friendly to his master, following his fat brother's advice.
A stonecutter repeatedly wishes for more, until realizing true happiness comes from being content with himself.
A boy sets traps and releases caught animals and a man, who later betrays him, but the animals return to help.
A merchant ignores a missing nail in his horse's shoe, leading to trouble and a long, tiring journey home.
A street seller buys a parasol with a painted sky, helping him find peace and contentment with his wife.
A proud wax candle and a humble tallow candle find happiness in their different, yet meaningful, lives.
A young puppy learns to listen and respect the experience of older dogs before becoming a true hunter.
A hardworking sparrow helps a peacock become king but ultimately gets caught by a hunter's trap despite the peacock's reassurance.
A dishonest bird hides food from his flock, eats alone, and faces the consequences of his greed.
A messy child learns the value of tidiness through encounters with animals, including a pig who claims to be his brother.
A cunning spider steals a squirrel's farm by building a road and claiming ownership, but loses everything to a clever crow.
A toad tricks a buzzard into taking him to a sky party but ends up bruised and regretful.
A stag and a tiger accidentally build a house together, misunderstand each other, and run away in fear.
A young horse questions serving humans, but an older horse explains they benefit each other, calming the young horse.
Mice plan to outsmart the Cat by tying a bell around its neck, but none dared to volunteer for the task.
Three fish lived in a lake, but when fishermen planned to catch them, the two left while the laid-back one stayed and was caught.
A Jackdaw, envious of an Eagle's hunting prowess, unsuccessfully attempts to mimic it and is captured by a Shepherd.
Four aging animals escape their fate, scare off robbers, and happily settle in a house as self-made town musicians.
A thirsty fox tricks a goat into jumping into a well and escapes, leaving the goat trapped.
A farmer teaches his quarreling sons the strength of unity using a bundle of sticks.
A spider named Anansi gathered all the wisdom in a large pot, but a child's simple suggestion shattered it, spreading wisdom everywhere.
Hawk family befriends Kingfisher, Turtle, and Lion; together they save the hawks from hunters, learning the importance of friendship.
A farmer saves a dying snake, but the snake repays kindness with a fatal bite.
A mouse, a bird, and a sausage live happily together until they switch roles, leading to disastrous outcomes.
A wise owl warned birds about seeds that could grow into hawk trees, but they ignored her, leading to their own downfall.
A deer admired his antlers and disliked his legs, but legs saved him while antlers trapped him, leading to his demise.
There is a fisherman. He is poor. Every day, he puts his net in the sea. He wants to catch fish.
One day, he catches a small fish. The fisherman feels sad because the fish is so tiny.
The little fish is scared. It talks to the fisherman. It says, "Please let me go. I will grow big. Then, you can catch me again. I will be useful to you."
The fisherman thinks. Then he says, "No, little fish. You are in my net now. I will not let you go. It is better to have you now than to wait."
The fisherman takes the little fish home in his basket.
Once upon a time, in a small village by the sea, there lived a fisherman who didn't have much money. Every day, he would go to the sea and throw his net into the water to catch fish. One day, when he was pulling his net back, he saw a very tiny fish caught in it. This fish was really small, almost like a baby fish, and the fisherman felt a bit sad looking at it.
The tiny fish was scared and started to speak to the fisherman, "Please, kind fisherman, let me go back into the sea! I am too small now, but I promise if you let me go, I will grow big and strong. Then, you can catch me again, and I will be worth a lot more to you."
The fisherman looked at the small fish in his hand and thought about what it said. But then, he shook his head and said, "No, little fish. I have you right now, and I can't let you go. It's better to have something small now than to wait for something bigger that might not happen."
So, the fisherman put the tiny fish in his basket and took it home.
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, by the edge of a large, quiet sea, there lived a fisherman. Every day, he would cast his net into the ocean, hoping to catch enough fish to live on. One ordinary day, as he pulled in his net, he found a small fish caught among the threads. The fish was hardly bigger than a minnow, and the fisherman felt disappointed as he looked at his catch.
The small fish, trembling with fear, spoke to the fisherman, "Please, kind sir, let me go! If you release me back into the sea, I promise that one day I will come back much bigger and be more valuable to you."
The fisherman thought about the fish's words. He looked into the eyes of the tiny, pleading creature in his hands. But despite the fish's sincere request, he slowly shook his head, making up his mind. "No, little friend," he said gently but firmly, "it's better to have something small for sure now than to hope for something bigger that might never come. It's wiser to be happy with what I have now, rather than to wish for something that might not happen."
With a heavy heart, the fisherman placed the small fish into his basket and went back to his home.
Once upon a time, in a big, big ocean that was like the world's biggest bathtub but without the rubber ducks, there was a fisherman. This guy was having a rough time. Seriously, if fishing was a game, he was still waiting to score his first point.
So, this one day, our fisherman throws his net into the water, thinking, "This is it! Tonight, we feast!" He pulls up his net and feels something heavy. "Yes! Dinner time!" he thinks. But what does he find? Not a big fish, not even a medium one, but this teeny-tiny little fish. I mean, this fish was so small, it could have been a goldfish’s baby cousin.
The little fish starts shaking like he’s dancing and says, "Hey, hey, hold up! You don't want to eat me. I'm like a tiny snack. Let me go, and I promise, I’ll get big and strong. Think of me as the superhero of fish. Catch me later, and it'll be worth the wait!"
The fisherman looks at the little fish and laughs. "Superhero of fish, you say? What’s next? Are you gonna wear a cape and save other fish from bad guys?"
The little fish tries to look serious, which is hard because, well, he’s a fish. "No capes, but I promise I’ll grow big enough to make a really good dinner!"
The fisherman chuckles. "You're funny, but you know what they say—a tiny fish today is better than maybe, possibly, perhaps a big fish tomorrow."
The Little Fish flaps his fins and rolls his eyes, "So, you’re Mr. Wise Fisherman now? What's next, are you gonna write a book about life lessons?"
"Nah," says the fisherman, "you’ll just have to be the star of today's dinner story."
And with that, the fisherman puts the little fish in his basket, singing a happy tune as he walks home. It's sorta like "Under the Sea," but without the singing lobsters and more just one man and his fish.
A fisherman, so humble, with nets wide and vast,
Searched the deep waters, hoping for a catch at last.
To his surprise, what could it be?
A tiny fish, as small as a pea!
The wee fish trembled, eyes glistening bright,
"Dear sir," it whispered, "I'm not a good bite.
Let me swim free, grow big in the sea,
Then catch me later, a treat I will be!"
Gazing at the fish, so tiny and sleek,
The fisherman pondered the promise it did speak.
"No, little one, I can't take that bet,
A bird in the hand is a sure safe bet."
Into the basket, the fish went with a sigh,
The fisherman walked home, looking at the sky.
A day like others, his catch was quite small,
But in that moment, he felt ten feet tall.
A man who catches fish.
Not having much money or things.
Thing used to catch fish.
Big water with fish and salt.
Very small in size.
Feeling afraid or worried.
To become bigger or larger.
Good for helping or doing something.
Uses the mind to decide.
Container to carry things.
A small group of houses in the countryside.
A person who catches fish for a living.
A device made of threads to catch fish.
Very small in size.
Trapped or captured by something.
To say you will do something in the future.
Having power or being physically powerful.
Having value or being important.
Considered or reflected in the mind.
A container used to carry or hold things.
A place that is very distant or remote.
A person who catches fish for living.
Something that is usual or not special.
Shaking because of fear, excitement, or cold.
To let something go or set it free.
Something that is worth a lot or important.
Honest and truthful in what you say.
Any living thing, especially an animal.
Begging or asking in a serious way.
Feeling sad because something did not happen.
A very large body of salt water, much bigger than a lake.
Someone who catches fish for a living or as a hobby.
A large meal, usually a celebration with lots of food.
Extremely small.
A character in stories that has special powers and helps people.
A piece of clothing that hangs from someone's back and does not have sleeves. Chuckles: Quiet, soft laughs.
Moves something, like wings or fins, back and forth.
Having knowledge and good judgement.
A series of musical notes that are pleasant to listen to.
A person who catches fish.
Not proud; simple.
Very big.
Shook slightly because of fear or cold.
Shiny, reflecting light.
Thought about something carefully.
Smooth and shiny.
A risk taken for a possible reward.
A container made of woven strands.
To breathe out slowly and deeply, often showing sadness or relief.
What does the fisherman do every day?
What does the fisherman catch one day?
How does the fisherman feel about the small fish?
What does the small fish ask the fisherman?
What does the fisherman decide to do with the small fish?
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