Robin Hood
14 min read ages 7 and up
Fairy tales for ages 6–8
140 tales
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
15 min read ages 7 and up
Cinderella
9 min read ages 6 and up
Rapunzel
5 min read ages 6 and up
Snow White
11 min read ages 7 and up
The Story of Saint Nicholas
8 min read ages 7 and up
Rumpelstiltskin
4 min read ages 6 and up
Beauty and the Beast
16 min read ages 6 and up
Pinocchio
15 min read ages 6 and up
Bluebeard
10 min read ages 8 and up
Rip Van Winkle
15 min read ages 6 and up
Alice in Wonderland
16 min read ages 6 and up
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
15 min read ages 8 and up
Baba Yaga
7 min read ages 6 and up
The Red Shoes
8 min read ages 8 and up
The Little Mermaid
16 min read ages 6 and up
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
5 min read ages 7 and up
Sinbad the Sailor
11 min read ages 7 and up
The Snow Queen
16 min read ages 6 and up
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
15 min read ages 6 and up
Odysseus and the Cyclops
14 min read ages 7 and up
Bambi
15 min read ages 8 and up
Donkey Skin
12 min read ages 6 and up
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
16 min read ages 7 and up
The Golem of Prague
10 min read ages 6 and up
The Happy Prince
15 min read ages 6 and up
The Six Swans
6 min read ages 6 and up
The Juniper Tree
11 min read ages 8 and up
The Nightingale
12 min read ages 6 and up
Urashima Taro
13 min read ages 6 and up
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
6 min read ages 6 and up
The Wild Swans
16 min read ages 7 and up
Brother and Sister
8 min read ages 6 and up
East of the Sun and West of the Moon
15 min read ages 7 and up
The White Cat
15 min read ages 6 and up
Vasilisa the Beautiful
10 min read ages 7 and up
The Little Match Girl
3 min read ages 6 and up
Iron Hans
11 min read ages 6 and up
Hans My Hedgehog
7 min read ages 6 and up
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
15 min read ages 7 and up
Hop-o’-My-Thumb
12 min read ages 6 and up
The Nightingale and the Rose
8 min read ages 7 and up
The Seven Ravens
6 min read ages 6 and up
The Golden Bird
10 min read ages 6 and up
Momotaro, the Peach Boy
15 min read ages 6 and up
The Fir Tree
9 min read ages 6 and up
The Tinderbox
9 min read ages 6 and up
Cat and Mouse in Partnership
6 min read ages 6 and up
The Devoted Friend
15 min read ages 7 and up
Jorinda and Joringel
6 min read ages 6 and up
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
15 min read ages 6 and up
The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs
9 min read ages 6 and up
The Young King
14 min read ages 8 and up
The Fisherman and the Jinni
10 min read ages 6 and up
The Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
12 min read ages 7 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
The Ugly Duckling
12 min read ages 5 and up
Thumbelina
14 min read ages 5 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 Twelve Dancing Princesses
9 min read ages 5 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 Wawel Dragon
3 min read ages 5 and up
The Brave Little Tailor
12 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
King Thrushbeard
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Hare and the Hedgehog
7 min read ages 5 and up
The Three Spinners
5 min read ages 5 and up
The Swineherd
9 min read ages 5 and up
The Wishing Table
11 min read ages 5 and up
The Three Little Pigs
7 min read ages 4 and up
Little Red Riding Hood
5 min read ages 4 and up
Sleeping Beauty
5 min read ages 4 and up
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
3 min read ages 4 and up
Puss in Boots
6 min read ages 4 and up
Stone Soup
9 min read ages 4 and up
The Princess and the Pea
3 min read ages 4 and up
The Velveteen Rabbit
13 min read ages 4 and up
The Frog Prince
5 min read ages 4 and up
The Bremen Town Musicians
7 min read ages 4 and up
The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats
4 min read ages 4 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
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
8 min read ages 4 and up
Star Money
3 min read ages 4 and up
The Gingerbread Man
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Little Red Hen
7 min read ages 3 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 Elves and the Shoemaker
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
7 min read ages 3 and up
Kolobok
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Magic Porridge Pot
2 min read ages 3 and up
The Tale of Tom Kitten
4 min read ages 3 and up
David and Goliath
8 min read ages 6 and up
Moses
15 min read ages 6 and up
Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors
15 min read ages 6 and up
The Boy Samuel
8 min read ages 6 and up
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
5 min read ages 6 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 Christmas Story
4 min read ages 3 and up
The Story of Creation
5 min read ages 3 and up
Androcles and the Lion
2 min read ages 5 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
The Farmer and the Viper
1 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 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 Dog and the Wolf
2 min read ages 4 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 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 Oak and the Reeds
2 min read ages 4 and up
The Wolf and the Crane
1 min read ages 4 and up
The Ant and the Grasshopper
1 min read ages 3 and up
The Fox and the Grapes
1 min read ages 3 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 Its Reflection
2 min read ages 3 and up
The Milkmaid and Her Pail
2 min read ages 3 and up
When children start reading along
Between six and eight, many children begin to read for themselves and can follow a longer plot with a few turns and a little real danger. The tales here run from a couple of minutes to about a quarter of an hour.
Try taking turns: you read a page, then your child reads the next. Rumpelstiltskin is short enough for this, and the queen has three days to guess a name. Puss in Boots gives you a cat clever enough to talk an ogre into turning into a mouse.
Children this age care a great deal about what is fair. The Brave Little Tailor wins by his wits rather than his strength, and they enjoy watching a giant who sneers at him get fooled again and again. Ask them whether the ending was fair, and why.
The fables at the end of the list take only a few minutes. The Lion and the Mouse finishes with its moral on a line of its own, and a child who has just started reading can often manage the whole fable without help.