Little Red Riding Hood
5 min read ages 4 and up
Short fairy tales for ages 3–5
81 tales
The Gingerbread Man
4 min read ages 3 and up
Sleeping Beauty
5 min read ages 4 and up
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
3 min read ages 4 and up
The Princess and the Pea
3 min read ages 4 and up
The Elves and the Shoemaker
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Frog Prince
5 min read ages 4 and up
The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats
4 min read ages 4 and up
Kolobok
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Enormous Turnip
2 min read ages 2 and up
The Wawel Dragon
3 min read ages 5 and up
Toads and Diamonds
5 min read ages 5 and up
The Queen Bee
5 min read ages 5 and up
The Magic Porridge Pot
2 min read ages 3 and up
The Three Spinners
5 min read ages 5 and up
Star Money
3 min read ages 4 and up
The Tale of Tom Kitten
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Three Little Pigs
7 min read ages 4 and up
Jack and the Beanstalk
12 min read ages 5 and up
Hansel and Gretel
10 min read ages 5 and up
The Golden Goose
10 min read ages 5 and up
Puss in Boots
6 min read ages 4 and up
Stone Soup
9 min read ages 4 and up
The Ugly Duckling
12 min read ages 5 and up
The Little Red Hen
7 min read ages 3 and up
Thumbelina
14 min read ages 5 and up
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
7 min read ages 3 and up
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
6 min read ages 3 and up
The Frog Princess
11 min read ages 5 and up
The Emperor’s New Clothes
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Velveteen Rabbit
13 min read ages 4 and up
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Bremen Town Musicians
7 min read ages 4 and up
Snow-White and Rose-Red
14 min read ages 5 and up
The Fisherman and His Wife
10 min read ages 5 and up
Tatterhood
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Selfish Giant
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
7 min read ages 3 and up
The Brave Little Tailor
12 min read ages 5 and up
Medio Pollito
8 min read ages 4 and up
Frau Holle
7 min read ages 4 and up
Hans in Luck
7 min read ages 4 and up
King Thrushbeard
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Hare and the Hedgehog
7 min read ages 5 and up
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
8 min read ages 4 and up
The Swineherd
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Wishing Table
11 min read ages 5 and up
The Christmas Story
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Story of Creation
5 min read ages 3 and up
Adam and Eve
6 min read ages 5 and up
Jonah and the Whale
7 min read ages 5 and up
Noah’s Ark
7 min read ages 5 and up
The Lion and the Mouse
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Tortoise and the Hare
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Ant and the Grasshopper
1 min read ages 3 and up
Androcles and the Lion
2 min read ages 5 and up
The Fox and the Grapes
1 min read ages 3 and up
The Fox and the Crow
1 min read ages 4 and up
The North Wind and the Sun
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs
1 min read ages 4 and up
The Crow and the Pitcher
2 min read ages 3 and up
The Ant and the Dove
2 min read ages 3 and up
The Dog and the Wolf
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Wolf and the Lamb
2 min read ages 5 and up
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
2 min read ages 5 and up
Belling the Cat
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Fox and the Goat
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Fox and the Stork
1 min read ages 4 and up
The Honest Woodcutter
3 min read ages 4 and up
The Bundle of Sticks
1 min read ages 4 and up
The Farmer and the Viper
1 min read ages 5 and up
The Dog and Its Reflection
2 min read ages 3 and up
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Peacock and the Crane
1 min read ages 4 and up
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Frog and the Ox
1 min read ages 4 and up
The Frogs Who Desired a King
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Gnat and the Bull
1 min read ages 4 and up
The Milkmaid and Her Pail
2 min read ages 3 and up
The Oak and the Reeds
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Wolf and the Crane
1 min read ages 4 and up
Short tales for small listeners
At three or four, a child listens well for a few minutes and then wants to move. That is why this page starts with the shortest tales, five minutes or less, so you can reach the end of one before attention runs out.
Small children love a line that comes back. The troll in The Three Billy Goats Gruff roars the same question at every goat, and the rhyme in The Gingerbread Man grows by a line each time, so after a reading or two your child can say it with you.
The Little Red Hen asks for help at every step, and the Pig, the Cat and the Rat answer “Not I” every time. Pause before they speak and let your child answer for them, or point at the painted picture and ask what is happening.
Expect to read the same tale many nights in a row. That is normal at this age, and it helps. The age on each card is our suggestion for the youngest listener, so trust what you know about your own child. Fables, most of them a minute or two long, come last.