The Silver on the Hearth (Afghanistan)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
An honest farmer digs up a jar full of silver coins and finds that the coins aren't easily left behind.

The Magic Ball (Argentina)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
A wicked witch lures a young girl into a terrible trap with an enchanting magic ball.

The Girl and the Puma (Argentina)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6 to 10 minutes
In this legend from Argentina, 15-year-old Maldonado escapes from her tyrannical Spanish settlement and forges a powerful relationship with a puma that she meets in a cave while the creature is in the throes of childbirth.

Anait (Armenia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
King Vatchagan is kidnapped and his only hope for rescue lies with his skill in weaving and the cleverness of his beloved wife, Queen Anait.

The Talking Fish (Armenia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
A fisherman's helper who throws a talking fish back into the water is fired from his job; in despair, he accepts help from an evil traveler.

Blond Carrie and Brunette Carrie (Belgium)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Two sisters, one beautiful and the other ugly, love one another though the world tries to tear them apart.

After the Great Fire (The Yuracare Peoples: Bolivia)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
After a great fire wipes out all peoples on earth except two, the survivors face an even greater challenge.

Susu and the Magic Mirror (Bolivia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Susu discovers that her step-mother is a witch who has placed a fatal spell on her unsuspecting father.

Princess Amaradevi (Cambodia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Her husband exiled, Princess Amaradevi uses an ingenious scheme to clear her husband's name and to win his return back home.

To Sell a Donkey (Cambodia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A father and son are scolded by one and all as they take their donkey to market.

The Native American Cinderella (The First Nation Peoples: Canada)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A version of Cinderella from Canadian Native America. The scar-faced youngest of three daughters, bullied by two older sisters, wins the heart of Strong Wind, a famous warrior who is seeking an honest maiden.

The Long Winter (The First Nation Peoples: Canada)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
In the long-ago years before there were people, the sun became dark forthree years and the animals resolved to find the lost heat.

The Young Head of the Family (China)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
Three brides of three sons must find these items to please their father-in-law or never return home: fire wrapped in paper, wind wrapped in paper, and music wrapped in wind.

Weighing the Elephant (China)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3 minutes
A riddle story from ancient China. All the royal court is abuzz with the new gift sent by a foreign dignitary - an elephant! A fantastically huge creature to be sure, but how to weigh it? No scales are big enough to hold the creature! As the emperor pu

The Jade Treasure (China)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
An envoy from a weaker state must deliver a priceless jade treasure to a stronger state in exchange for 15 cities. But the stronger state plans to steal the gem and has no intention of delivering the 15 cities. The envoy knows this - what can he do?

The Three Riddles (China)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 30+ minutes
A young Tartar prince, far away from home, falls in love with a beautiful Chinese princess but must answer three riddles correctly to win her, or lose his life.

The Willow Leaf Eyebrow (China)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6 to 10 minutes
A love story set in China. On their wedding day, a bride and groom realize they had already met years ago, with dire consequences.

The Royal Bridegroom (China)	Ages: 12-14	Read Time: 12-15 minutes
After her wedding, a princess' new husband amuses her with a tale of a girl who had been raised as a boy and ends up married to a princess - amusing, that is, until her new husband reveals that he is, in fact, the character in the story.

The Empty Pot (China)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 8-10 minutes
The next emperor of China will be the boy who can grow the finest plant within six months. But try as he might, young Jun's seed will not grow. A surprise ending.

Outwitting the Imp (Congo)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
The challenge is to guess how a little boy can rescue his mother from a mischievous and dangerous imp.

Greyfoot (Denmark)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
A rude princess is thrown into a life of poverty when she is forced to marry a beggar, who is actually the Prince of Denmark in disguise.

In Search of the Magic Lake (The Inca Peoples: Ecuador)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 15-20 minutes
Only water from the Magic Lake at the end of the earth can save the Incan prince, dying of a mysterious illness. When Ampata's two older brothers fail to retrieve the magic water, she journeys to the end of the earth.

The Prince and His Three Fates (Egypt)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
A prince is born under a spell that he must die as a young man by a serpent, a dog, or a crocodile. When he marries, his wife refuses to accept his fate.

Sir Gawain & the Lady Ragnell (England)	Ages: 8-14	Read Time: 11 to 15 minutes
A story of a knight from King Arthur's Round Table. To save the life of King Arthur, Sir Gawain must help him find the answer to this puzzling question - what is it that women want most, above all else?

The Goblin's Market (England)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
Sarah succumbs to the fruits peddled by evil goblins and will waste away unless her sister Lizzie can find a way to save her. Poem.

The Apple Dumpling (England)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
An old woman's search for a tasty apple dumpling leads her to make odd trades, meet new friends, and have adventures.

Kate Crackernuts (England)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
Princess Kate escapes with her beautiful sister to try to free her from an evil spell.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (England)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 30 minutes
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a classic tale from the chivalrous Middle Ages. Sir Gawain, nephew of King Arthur, is bound by honor to seek the creature who will strike off his head in one fatal blow.

A Saam's Tale (Finland)	Ages: 12-14	Read Time: 6 minutes
A gentle folk tale from Finland about the power of listening. This is a sophisticated story for youngsters of middle school age.

The Enormous Nose (France)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
A prince refuses to listen to people who tease him about his gigantic nose until he can ignore the truth no longer.

Prince Derek and the Ring (France)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
Prince Derek acts more and more like a monster, and so his guardian fairy turns him into one.

The Queen and the Mouse (France)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6 to 10 minutes
A queen, locked in a tall tower with her infant daughter, is befriended by a magical and mysterious mouse.

Contest of the Fairies (France)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A prince and a princess are caught between a contest of two fairies, each one vying to become Queen of Fairyland.

Beauty and the Beast (France)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20+ minutes
'Beauty and the Beast,' one of the most beloved fairytales of all time, in perhaps the best version you've seen yet. Entire sections harken to original versions told over a hundred years ago, while the pacing and action is finessed by Whootie Owl.

Roland and Oliver (France)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 12 to 15 minutes
To break an impasse, King Charlemagne charges his nephew Roland to fight the opponent's champion, Oliver, but as the two men fight, they surprisingly solve the conflict another way. A legend from medieval France.

The Prince and the Maiden (Germany)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
A prince grew up in a peasant's house because his father, the king, had switched him for the peasant's daughter when he was a baby to fulfill an evil pledge. Now grown, the prince determines to find the peasant girl stolen in his place from the royal cri

The Golden Goose (Germany)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
A classic folk tale from the Brothers Grimm. Simpleton leads an unwitting parade of greedy villagers, and insodoing wins the heart of a princess.

The Castle of the Faithful Wives (Germany)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Trapped inside the Duke's castle and surrounded by a hostile king's army, the women of the Castle Weinsberger present a risky and desperate plan.

The Girl Who Changed Her Fate (Greece)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
Alena, poor thing, is cursed with an ill-fate. No matter what she tries, no matter where she goes, all ends in disaster. One day a friendly queen points her toward the far mountains and gives Alenda advice on what she must do to change her fate.

Androcles and the Lion (Greece)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
A classic fable from Aesops, retold by Joseph Jacobs. A Greek slave named Androcles runs away and meets a lion in the woods who is in even greater trouble.

The Magic Tree Trunks (Iceland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
A prince and princess are exiled from the castle by their wicked stepmother and seek refuge in two magic tree trunks.

Audun & the Bear (Iceland)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 20 minutes +
A legend from Iceland. Audun travels throughout Europe with an "enormous treasure of a bear" - a polar bear- that he purchased in Greenland, befriending one king while enraging another.

Stefan & Geirard (Iceland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20-30 minutes
Stéfan, the son of a poor knight, agrees to let all the glory fall to his friend Geirard, who is a son of a wealthy merchant, if Geirard lets him come along on travels to foreign countries. This promise becomes more and difficult to keep.

Wali Dad (India)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
Wali D‰d tries to give away his valuables, yet greater and still greater gifts keep coming back to him in return.

All for a Pansa (India)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
A father challenges his lazy son to figure out how to buy with one pansa something to eat, something to drink, something to chew on, something to plant in the garden, and something to provide food for the cow. Despondent, he turns to the daughter of an ironsmith.

The Merchant, the Tiger and the Six Judges (India)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6 - 12 minutes
A merchant unwisely releases a tiger from its cage and the tiger promptly announces its intention to eat him. Question: How to contain an evil once it's been released?

The Four Friends (India)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
The happy life of four close friends - a crow, a rat, a turtle and a deer - is endangered when along comes a hunter.

The Pearlshooter (India)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20-30 minutes
A rich man's wife, alarmed by his amusement of shooting an arrow through her nose-ring every morning, sends him on a quest and he discovers something very different from what he sought.

The Two Princesses (India)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20-25 minutes
Two princesses escape a troubled home into the woods, where they live happily until one sister is suddenly whisked away, leaving scant clues, and her remaining sister sets off to find her.

The Wanderings of Vicram Maharajah (India)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20 to 25 minutes
A king, or rajah, discovers how to transform his sense and soul into another creature's body, and leaves his kingdom to set off on adventures.

The Magic Horse (Iran)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
A prince jumps on a magic horse that leads him to new romance & adventures, as well as to making up for past transgressions.

The Wizard Khizr (Iran)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6 minutes
A Persian king longs for the mysterious Wizard Khizr to appear and save his troubled land. He offers a reward to anyone who can produce Khizr, and a poor man steps up to the plate, knowing he cannot - but on the 40th day surprises them all, and himself

Ali Cogia and the Merchant of Baghdad (Iraq)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
A village boy solves a puzzling court case that has stumped even the king.

Two Grains of Sand (Iraq)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Two young people meet by chance in a sandstorm. After they are suddenly parted, it will take more than chance for them to find one another again.

Guleesh (Ireland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20-25 minutes
Guleesh, who participated with a band of evil fairies in kidnapping the Princess of France, tries to make amends.

Two Brothers (The Jewish Peoples: Israel)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3 to 5 minutes
'Two Brothers' is a rare middle-eastern folk tale with both Hebrew and Arab derivation. Its theme: love between brothers.

Rags and Tatters (Italy)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6 - 12 minutes
A princess must marry a lame old beggar, and go live with him in his miserable hut with his old crone of a mother.

The Traveler's Secret (Italy)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20-25 minutes
A traveler, who carries a terrible secret, suddenly appears at the home of an old couple and their adopted son.

The Ogre's Feather (Italy)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20-30 minutes
The king is ill and only a magical feather from the Ogre can cure him, but since the Ogre will eat all humans who cross his path, no one is willing to take on the task of securing one of the feathers. Except one court attendant.

Yuuki and the Tsunami (Japan)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
In this legend from over a hundred years ago, the boy Yuuki saves 400 villagers from a sudden tsunami with a courageous act.

Haku's Power (Japan)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
Haku is tired of being a poor stonecutter and yearns to be Emperor instead.

A Caterpillar's Voice (The Masai Peoples: Kenya)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A host of animals try to evict an intruder who is occupying a hare's house in this story from the Masai tribe.

Fur & Feathers (The Masai Peoples: Kenya)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
When Mama Lion kidnaps two chicks from Mama Ostrich and calls them her very own cubs, who will dare tell her that they are not?

The White Tiger (Korea)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11 - 15 minutes
A boy practices marksmanship for years so that one day he can defeat the terrible White Tiger who terrorized his village and, years before, had captured and carried away his own father.

The Tiger's Whisker (Korea)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 12-15 minutes
To restore her troubled husband's happiness, a young wife must seek a rare and dangerous ingredient - a whisker from a live tiger.

The Pebble-Shooter (Laos)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 8-10 minutes
A 10-year old orphan who cannot walk perfects the art of shooting pebbles, a skill that delights his friends and ushers an unusual offer from the King.

The Sons of Sultan Bey (Libya)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16 - 20 minutes
The youngest son of Sultan Bey goes in search of true love and finds disaster instead.

Kone (Mali)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
A story about a magical old woman who can transform herself into a monster. When she feels the villagers are neglecting her, that's exactly what she does. A story with a theme of respect for the elderly.

The Old Alchemist, (Myanmar (Burma))	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A young man who is determined to turn dirt into gold finds a way to do just that, with the sly help of his father-in-law

The Man, the Hawk & the Dove (Nigeria)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
A man who is blind and lame is tempted by conflicting offers - a hawk will grant him eyesight if the man hands over a frightened dove he hides in his robe, while the dove will heal the man's legs if he save its life. What should the man do? A riddle st

The Magic Twigs (The Yoruba Peoples: Nigeria)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 12-15 minutes
Thrown out of his home village, a troubled boy discovers in the woods a secret Community of the Animals. [note to adults: early in the story the boy considers suicide]

Twelve Wild Ducks (Norway)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
To break an evil spell that was cast on her 12 older brothers, a princess must face frightening trials and dangers.

The Husband who Minded the House (Norway)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
A husband gleefully trades places with his wife, only to find out that her work is not as easy as it looks.

Boots & His Brothers (Norway)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Three brothers journey to the palace to chop down a magic tree and win half the kingdom. A story about searching for answers.

The Ram and the Pig (Norway)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
A ram, a pig, a rooster, a goose and a hare join forces to build theirvery own house in the woods.

The Epic of Siegfried (Norway)	Ages: 8-14	Read Time: 30-45 minutes
Three tales in one: "The Hoard of the Glittering Heath," "The Original Sleeping Beauty," and "How Siegfried Won the Land of Nibelungen."

The Loveliest Hair in the Land (Pakistan)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
Though she has the loveliest hair in the land, a prince sets out to discover why his lovely bride will not speak a word to him all day long, and why every night she returns to her old home.

The Frog andthe Condor (Peru)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 15 minutes
A young girl who is kept as a slave by a condor at its faraway moutain cave is offered hope of rescue by an unlikely creature.

The Pumpkin in the Jar (Philippines)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A king sends a maiden this challenge: Can she fit a full-sized pumpkin inside a tiny-necked jar?

The Spellbook in the Forbidden Room (Poland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20
The youngest of three daughters falls victim to the same evil enchanter as did her two missing older sisters. Only her knowledge of how to read can help her rescue them all from disaster.

Baba Yaga (Russia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
Natasha's evil stepmother sends her into the forest to fetch a needle from the witch Baba Yaga, knowing full well that no child who visits Baba Yaga ever returns home.

Altyn-Argh (The Altai Peoples: Russia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-6 minutes
A Tsar's daughter battles a dangerous monster to prove to her father that she's ready to rule.

The Three Princes (Saudi Arabia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
Whichever suitor can return after one year with the most wondrous item will win the hand of the princess. A surprise ending.

A Spider and Robert the Bruce (Scotland)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
A popular Scottish Legend. Robert the Bruce, the exiled and defeated leader of Scotland, flees into a cave where he becomes inspired by a spider. This is thestory of the resurrection that in 1314 established for centuries the sovereignty of Scotland.

Janet and Thomalyn (Scotland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Only Janet can save the young man Thomalyn, enchanted by fairies, from being sacrificed by them at their midnight ritual on Halloween.

The Fisherlad and the Mermaid's Ring (Scotland)	Ages: 12-14	Read Time: 20-30 minutes
A fisherlad wins a mermaid's ring that will catch the heart of his own true love. A tale of first love and the sometimes more true love that comes later.

The Lad & the Maiden in the Castle (Scotland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 20-30 minutes
A lad wakes from a dream of an enchanting maiden, and sets out to find her. After many years and several magical objects later he reaches his dream, but is it too late?

The Beekeeper and the Bewitched Hare (Scotland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 12-15 Minutes
Little does a beekeeper realize that a hare he has adopted as a pet is actually a lassie under an evil spell, and that the witch who bewitched her is planning to attack on All Hallow's Eve (Halloween).

The Stolen Bairn (Scotland)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
A Scottish folk tale of a mother's fierce love for her baby ("bairn").

The Wild Man and the Prince (Serbia)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20
A young prince releases a wild man that the king had captured and caged in the royal dungeon and as punishment, the prince is banished from the kingdom.

The Girl Fish (Spain)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
A girl, transformed into a fish, embarks on a mission to find the lost crown of a queen-fish.

The Magic Mirror (Spain)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 5-10 miinutes
The sole requirement set forth by the king of Granada for a bride is for a young woman to step up and gaze into a magic mirror that has the power to show blemishes of character.

The Lion's Enchantment (Spain)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 12 to 15 minutes
A maiden risks her life to save a beloved young man from an enchantment that forces him to turn into a lion each day, but to complete the cure she must promise his hand in marriage to another woman.

Fuente Ovejuna (Spain)	Ages: 10-14	Read Time: 20 minutes
An oppressive overlord goads the inhabitants of Fuente Ovejuna to open revolt. Based on a true tale of peasant rebellion from 15th century Spain.

The Three Golden Goats (Sweden)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 11-15 minutes
When three brothers catch three runaway golden goats, a grateful fairy lets them keep the golden goats, but gives them a warning.

The King's Choice (Sweden)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16-20 minutes
Which of the King's six councilors should he choose to be in charge of the country while he is away?

The Troll's Ride (Sweden)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 20-30 minutes
If Peder Lars doesn't get to Lisa's house by 6:00pm, he'll disappoint the proud and rich lady and she may give her hand to a suitor who's already waiting. It's foolishness for him to take time to help an ugly old troll, and he regrets it instantly. Ther

The Buried Treasure (Syria)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10 minutes
A man's lifelong fortune he secretly buried under a tree disappears without a trace! How can it be found? A riddle story from ancient Persia.

From the Elephant Pit (Tibet)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Four animals and a man are rescued together from an elephant pit, and each one repays the kindness of their rescuer in a very different way.

Sunlight and Moonlight (Tibet)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 12 minutes
Two young princes escape from danger at the palace only to find more danger waiting for them in the wilderness.

The Six Friends (Tibet)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 16- 20 minutes
Six close friends agree to seek adventure for one year and a day and then to meet again at the spot where they parted. When they rejoin, one friend is missing and the others, alarmed, go in search of him.

A Turkish Judge (Turkey)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A famous caliph (king) disguises himself as a peasant to find out how justice is meted out in his kingdom.

The Dustman & the Cadi (Turkey)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
A poor dustman (trash collector) leaves 500 silver coins entrusted to the care of a reputable cadi (judge), who proves to be not so deserving of his fine reputation. Fleeced of his money, what's a poor dustman to do?

The Blacksmith's Dilemma (Uganda)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6 - 10 minutes
The king summons the finest blacksmith of the land and commands him to create a live human being from an armful of iron. If he fails, he will lose his head.

Inviting the Bears (The Tlingit Peoples: United States)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 3-5 minutes
A lonely old man invites the grizzly bear chief and his many followers to a feast.

The Talking Eggs (United States)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Two sisters make very different choices when they come upon a magical old woman and her talking eggs.

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds (The Miwok, Native American Peoples: United States)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 15 minutes
A little boy and his sister rest on a large rock that, while they sleep, mysteriously rises till it's higher than the treetops. The parents and animals fret - how to get the children down?

The Girl Who Climbed to the Sky (The Arapaho, Native American Peoples: United States)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
Chasing a rogue porcupine up a tall cottonwood tree, Sapana is lured to her own capture.

The Girl and the Chenoo (The Passamaquoddy, Native American Peoples: United States)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
A girl faces the terrible Chenoo, the brutual cannibal monster from the north, in a way that surprises her brothers, the Chenoo, and even herself.

King Arthur and the Half-Man (Wales)	Ages: 6-14	Read Time: 6-10 minutes
Young King Arthur faces a mysterious and magical opponent who threatens to overpower the young King's strength.

Chief Five Heads (Zimbabwe)	Ages: 6-12	Read Time: 10-15 minutes
An African Cinderella story. Two sisters embark to become the bride of Chief 5 Heads, with very different results.