Animal stories

4.34

This story is rather old but the lesson not to trust promises that seem too sweet is still valid. When the old heron can no longer hunt on its own, it comes up with a plan to get food with no effort. Many naïve pond residents pay for it with their lives. Only the careful crayfish uncovers the heron’s true intentions and saves its own life.

Ukrainian Tale

Mr Cat from Catville

4.33

Often things are not the way they seem to be. A funny story about an old cat who decides to leave his comfortable home and go into the woods among the wild animals. Along the way, without even knowing, he manages to gain respect even from much stronger animals.

Latvian Tale

The Wolf and the Ram

4.65

Being smart can help us defeat even the strongest foes. A lamb wanders into the woods. A hungry wolf wants to take advantage of him at once and have him for dinner. But the lamb’s wittiness easily tricked the wolf. He saves his own life not once, but twice - thanks to his agility and intelligence.

Indian Tale

The Crows and the Cobra

4.6

Even if it seems impossible, our wits can help us overcome the most difficult obstacles. The story teaches us that even the most powerful enemy can be defeated - one has to just think a bit. When a dangerous cobra moves in near the crow’s nest, they start to fear for their lives. They eventually learn how to get rid of the cobra from the wise old jackal.

Puerto Rican Legend

The Owl’s Story

4.53

This Puerto Rican legend explains why owls only come out at night. The reason lies in the fact that a long time ago, there was a great celebration, at which the other birds kindly helped the owl. However, she did not pay them back with the same coin at all, and on the contrary, abused their willingness to help.

African Tale

The Dragons and the Crows

4.52

One can fix mistakes and bad decisions with determination. The ruler of the crows makes a fateful decision, upending the lives of his subjects. All the crows have to leave their city, which is then occupied by dragons. Eventually, he comes up with a plan to return all the crows back home.

African Tale

The Turtle, the Hippo and the Elephant

4.7

This story is about a smart little turtle that tricks an elephant and a hippo in order to gain their friendship. This African fairy tale also explains how turtles and tortoises came to exist.

Ancient Mayan Legend

The Rabbit’s Ears

4.0

According to this Mayan story, the little rabbit was unhappy with his appearance, so he went to the wizard to turn him into a powerful beast. Instead, the wizard explained to him that real value did not lie in having a strong body. So that the rabbit would not leave without the promised spell, he instead received a pair of long dexterous ears as a gift.

Korean Tale

The Delicious Stone Tteok

4.58

This old folk tale reminds us that when we are smart, we can overcome the most difficult obstacles, even if we are at an obvious disadvantage.

African Tale

The Lion and the Cunning Jackal

4.7

In this African fairy tale, an old jackal gets into trouble. In the end, however, he overcomes fear and manages to trick the mighty lion.

Aesop

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

5.0

It’s better to live happily and peacefully than in abundance, but fearing about the future. When the country mouse visits her town mouse cousin, despite the abundance of things, she finds herself standing there in fear of her own life, too.

African Tale

How the Cheetah Got Her Marks

4.69

This fairy tale from Africa tells of a dishonest hunter who stole the young cheetah from its mother in order to make hunting game easier. The tale shows how important it is to act honestly in life.

African Legend

The Hare and the Hyena

4.42

The tale reveals why hyenas have back stripes on their backs, and teaches that real friends should be honest with each other.

Aesop

The Mouse Council

4.69

Even the best idea can be worthless when there is no one to carry it out. The mice have found their shelter on a big animal farm. They have been doing really well there. The farmer doesn’t like this, so he brings in a cat to help solve the problem. The mice have to come up with a plan to save themselves. How do they manage it?

Pavol Dobsinsky

The Enchanted Stag

4.72

A story based on Pavol Dobšinský’s tale. When two siblings manage to escape from an evil stepmother, she casts a curse on them, and the boy turns into a stag. However, as it usually goes in every good fairy tale, good eventually wins over evil.

Mexican Tale

The Cougar and the Cricket

4.33

This Mexican legend is about a strong cougar that mocked and scared all the other animals. However, a tiny cricket and his army of wasps decided to show the cougar that power is not everything.

Short stories

Australian Legend

Why Kangaroos Hop

4.07

This Australian legend explains why kangaroos move by jumping on their two hind legs. It is a consequence of their effort to escape unnoticed from a persistent hunter, and learning something new in the process.

Lenka Kulichova

The Owl They Called Stupid

4.83

It seems Pauline the owl is not as wise as the other owls, and this bothers her a lot. However, a doctor fixes this problem, and Pauline finds out she’s not stupid after all.