Classic Tales

An extremely vain Emperor loved nothing more than seeing himself dressed in very beautiful clothes. So when two crafty Swindlers arrive and tell him they can give him the finest clothes ever made, the Emperor is naturally delighted. The swindlers then produce a 'cloth' that they say is totally invisible to people who are stupid. Not wanting to be seen as anything less than intelligent, the Emperor praises the cloth - even though he can't see it (because in truth, there is nothing to see). What's good enough for the Emperor quickly becomes good enough for his subjects and soon everyone in the Kingdom is praising the non existent clothes in rapturous terms. The result of all this is that an Emperor makes an embarrassment of himself and a lot of people who should know better behave very stupidly indeed.

A young Japanese boy named Taro leads a hard life - working day in and day out to support his sick mother. Things become so grim that he is forced to seek help from his rich uncle Gonzo whom he asks for a loan so he can buy his mother's medicine. The miserly uncle however won't lend Taro a penny and the boy is in despair. As luck would have it, Taro meets an old man who gives him a pair of clogs that create gold coins for whoever wears them. Taro's money problems are suddenly over and he and his mother can live comfortably at last. But the mean Gonzo hears about the clogs and bullies Taro into giving them to him. Soon Gonzo is creating more gold than he can possibly spend in ten lifetimes and is deliriously rich. But as soon as he discovers - it's very easy to have too much of a good thing.

The youngest son of a poor miller finds his total inheritance will be nothing more than the family cat. But this cat soon proves himself to be extremely courageous and very, very smart. Within days he has taken himself to court and introduced himself to the King. Not only that, but the cat also tells the King stories about how wonderful his young master is and the great deeds he has done. The King is intrigued to discover the identity of the cat's master and the clever cat makes this happen but only after he also ensures the rosiest of futures for his master - and himself of course.

Tiddalik the frog woke one morning feeling thirsty - so thirsty that he drank the local stream completely dry. And the river! And the billabongs! In fact he drank all the water in the entire world! Naturally, all the other animals were horrified because there was no water anywhere left for them to drink. A terrible drought then broke out and it seemed that the world would soon die unless something could be done. But what? A wise wombat suggested that they should make Tiddalik laugh and then the water would flow out of his mouth and back into the streams. The other animals all agreed that this was an excellent suggestion. But how would they make a frog laugh?

A King had twelve beautiful daughters who were all charming and polite but who caused him great puzzlement. Even though he locked their door at night when they went to bed, every morning he discovered that their shoes were worn through - as if they'd been out dancing all night. Determined to get to the bottom of things, the King announced that any man who could solve this mystery could choose one of his daughters as a wife. But there was a downside - anyone who tried and failed would lose his head! It would require courage, brains and luck to achieve such a task. Would any young man be up to it?

Niall O'Leary was the poorest, unluckiest young man in all of Ireland. Nothing ever seemed to go right for him. Then one day Niall was out walking in the country when - lo and behold! - he stumbled across a tiny leprechaun. Like all Irishmen, Niall knew that leprechauns always had a pot of gold hidden close by. If he could find where this one's was then all his problems would be over. As luck would have it, Niall gets the leprechaun to tell him precisely where his pot of gold is buried. But finding something and keeping it are two very different things - as Niall quickly finds out.

Desperately keen for his daughter to become a servant at the palace, a very poor miller tells the King that she can spin straw into gold. Astonished, the King demands the daughter do just that and the girl is swiftly locked in a room and given one night to prove she can achieve her father's claim - or she will die! The girl of course has no idea how to spin straw into gold and bursts into tears as she contemplates her fate. At that moment, a strange little man appears from nowhere and tells her that he can make gold from straw. The girl begs him to help her and he's only too happy to do so. But in return, the girl must promise him something. She does so - but it's a promise she soon lives to regret.

In Spain, three brothers and their sister build a beautiful palace in which to live. Everyone admires it but an old man tells them that for the palace to be a truly happy one they must collect certain things from the remote mountains. One by one the brothers attempt the task but none can overcome the spell of the mountain and are quickly turned into stone. Then it is the sister's turn. Showing great courage and strength of mind the young girl scales the mountains and finds the tokens. But can she return safely? And will she ever be able to rescue her brothers?

Once there was a grand castle with a beautiful garden and - because the owner had been absent for a very long time - the children used the garden as their playground. But one day the owner came back. He was a mean, grumpy giant who immediately kicked the children off his property and put up a large fence to stop them ever returning. Naturally, the children were very sad to lose their playground. As well, the garden itself became cold, dark and wintry without the children. Instead of delighting in having his palace all to himself, the giant suddenly discovered he was feeling quite lonely and miserable. What could he do to bring the sunshine back to his castle? Or was it already too late?

A poor woodcutter and his wife live a hard life with barely enough food to keep them going. One day, as the woodcutter is about to chop down a tree, a small elf appears and begs him to stop. In return for sparing the tree, the elf promises to give him three wishes - all of which will come true! Overjoyed, the woodcutter and his wife imagine what they'll wish for: - fine clothes, money, a grand house. But as they make their plans, they discover that a slip of the tongue can quickly destroy all their hopes.

One day while taking his nap in the jungle, the mighty lion was woken by a mouse scurrying across his nose. The angry lion grabbed the mouse and was just about to eat him when the mouse offered him a deal - if the lion would spare his life, the mouse promised to pay back the favour someday. The lion was hugely amused by the mouse's ridiculous suggestion. He laughed so hard that he opened his claws and let the mouse go free. Then he went back to sleep - never for an instant believing that a tiny mouse could ever help so grand a creature as himself. A few days later though, when the lion was caught inside a trappers' net, he suddenly found himself changing his tune.

When fate decrees that a young man must marry a frog he is naturally downcast by the prospect. To his surprise, the frog turns out to be marvellously talented and able to weave silken rugs and bake delicious bread among her many accomplishments. Surprise turns to amazement when he then discovers that his wife is able to throw off the frogskin and reveal herself to be the most beautiful young woman imaginable. Determined never to lose her, he finds the frogskin and throws it onto the fire. Disaster immediately follows and it will take all the young man's love and determination to set things right again. That - and the help of the old witch Baba Yaga.

A weary little swallow flying south for the winter lands to rest at the foot of a golden statue in the middle of a town square. To the swallow's surprise, it discovers that the statue is crying because of all the misery and suffering he can see in the town around him. The swallow then agrees to help the statue bring kindness and hope to these poor people. Each night it flies with a precious stone - plucked from the statue - and delivers it to those most needy. After several such nights the statue is bereft of jewels and the swallow exhausted by its efforts. With nothing more to give, the swallow and the statue are then left to face their fate together.

When the world was young, humans were entirely happy and none more so than Pandora - a lovely girl who spent her days laughing, dancing and singing. All this happiness enraged a grumpy, old God named Zeus - who couldn't bear to see others having a good time. As a result, he decided to send Pandora a gift in the form of a large box. With the box came a warning - on no account should Pandora ever open it. Alas, Pandora couldn't resist and soon found herself lifting up the lid to see what lay inside. She quickly realized she'd made a grave mistake - and humans have been living with the consequences ever since.

An elderly couple take pity on a lost and hungry sparrow and go out of their way to feed and look after it. In return, the sparrow rewards them with a beautiful song each morning. Unfortunately, the birds singing irritates the cranky, old woman who lives next door and she cruelly cuts the sparrow's tongue so it can't sing anymore. The shocked bird flies away and the old couple worry about what might become of it. They set off to find it and to their joy, they discover it's alive and well and with a fine family of its own. The bird then handsomely rewards the old couple for their kindness. The cranky old woman spies the reward and asks the sparrow for something too. Alas, the woman's greed gains her more than she's bargained for.

A woman longs to have a little girl of her own and one day, an old witch grants her what she's wished for. A magic flower opens to reveal a tiny child - no bigger than a thumb - and so Thumbelina is born. The girl's life is one of happiness and she spends her days playing and singing in the woman's garden. But as the years roll by, Thumbelina never grows and while this doesn't worry her in the slightest, it makes her easy prey for some of the bigger creatures in the garden. And so it is that one night, a large toad steals Thumbelina away to become the wife of his ugly son. Adventure then follows adventure as Thumbelina faces danger and hardship on a quest to find her perfect match.

In the Indian jungle all the animals live in peace and harmony until one day, a huge lion arrives and begins hunting them. Terrified, the animals strike a bargain with the lion. Each day, one of them will agree to be his dinner if he leaves the others alone. This suits the lion well and so from then on, the animals draw straws to see which one will become the lion's meal that day. When a hare is chosen to become the lion's dinner however, he decides to challenge the lion. The other animals think he has no chance even though they know that the hare is very smart. But whether he'll be smart enough to outwit the king of the jungle is another matter entirely.

A pair of rats have the most beautiful daughter in all the rat world and are keen to find a husband who is worthy of her. A handsome young rat is very eager to be chosen but the girl's mother will have none of him. The mother believes that only the greatest creature in the world is suitable for their daughter and nothing less will do. The family then set off to find such a being. Their journey takes them from one encounter to another - all of which prove futile. Then they return home and find that their daughter's perfect match has been there all along.

Once, in a small, Russian Village, a young girl names Sashenka lived in a cottage with her mother. Life was hard and the villagers were thin from hunger. One day, while out in the woods searching for food, Sashenka came across a poor, old woman. Even though Sashenka was weak and tired, she offered to help the woman by carrying her heavy load. In return for her kindness the old lady gave the girl a large iron pot. When Sashenka arrived home her mother scolded her for bringing such a useless item into the house. Little did they know that the pot would soon change not just their lives, but the lives of everyone in the village.

Abraham is married to a beautiful young woman called Sarah. She is so beautiful that people would fall silent and even faint away at the sight of her. One day, when they approach the city of an Egyptian Pharaoh, Abraham tries to hide Sarah because he knows that the Pharaoh will try and steal her for himself. And in spite of Abraham's best efforts, the Pharaoh does just that. Abraham is in despair, thinking he's lost his wife forever. But Sarah has brains as well as beauty - and the Pharaoh is about to meet more than his match.

When food becomes scarce, the nasty stepmother of Hansel and Gretel persuades their father to take the children into the forest and abandon them. Sadly, the father agrees and soon the boy and his sister are left in the wild to fend for themselves. Lost and lonely, hungry and cold the two children stumble through the dark forest trying to find their way home. To their joy, they come across a most beautiful cottage - made out of ginger bread, cakes and spun sugar! Their happiness is short lived however because it's also the home of a wicked witch who soon has them trapped inside. The children must then use all their wits if they ever hope to secure their freedom.

Many years ago, a young Iroquois woman called Orendah lived with her people in the beautiful valleys and forests of North America. The soil was rich, they grew many crops and the streams flowed with the purest water ever seen. Life would have been perfect but for one thing. In the nearby mountains was a deep cave and once the sun went down, a terrible monster would emerge from it- the Flying Head. With its flaming eyes and huge fangs the Flying Head terrorised the people and ate all their crops. The warriors tried to fight the monster but they were no match for it. In desperation, Orendah decided she had to do something. But even though she was brave and clever, could a young woman really hope to defeat something as powerful as the Flying Head?

When a poor farmer in ancient China came across a wounded bird, he took it home, made a splint for its broken wing and nursed it back to health. A rich merchant who lived nearby laughed at the farmer for wasting his time helping such a useless creature. But when the bird was better, it gave the farmer a gift of a seed that grew into a vine bearing huge pumpkins filled with gold. When the merchant saw this he shook with envy and decided he should have a golden pumpkin too. He then found and deliberately hurt a bird so he could nurse it back to health in return for a magical seed. Eventually, the merchant got what he wanted- and a whole lot more besides!

Jack was the laziest young man you ever saw. While his mother slaved away doing any jobs she could find to earn money to buy them food, Jack simply sat in the sun doing nothing but day dreaming. One day, Jack's mother had had enough and she told him that unless he found a job he'd get no more food. So Jack tried his hand at many things but no matter what job he did, it always ended in failure. Then, just as his mother was about to give up in despair, Jack stumbled across a job which suited him perfectly!

Long ago in ancient Greece lived King Midas- a man who loved being rich. One day, in return for an act of kindness, the God Dionysus offered to grant Midas any wish he desired. Instantly, Midas wished that everything he touched should turn to gold. Dionysus thought that this was a foolish wish but he agreed to give Midas what he'd promised. The king then ran back to his palace and to his delight, everything he touched did indeed turn to gold. Midas was overjoyed as he saw his wealth multiply by many times. It wasn't long however before Midas discovered that his greatest gift soon became the cause of his greatest heartbreak.

On a wintry, Christmas eve a poor little girl wandered through the cold, empty streets of a large town, trying to sell matches. But everyone was indoors enjoying Christmas with their families. As the girl peered through the windows of the houses she gasped in wonder as she watched children play happily beside pretty gifts waiting to be opened. She wished that she could have such Christmas joy too and even more, she longed to see her dear grandmother once again. Freezing with cold the girl lit her matches to try and get warm. To her joy, there in the glow of the match flames was her grandmother, beckoning the girl to come and join her. As the snowflakes fell and the wind became icier, the little girl was able to do just that and find peace and comfort at last.

When a donkey becomes too old and frail to work in the fields his master decides to get rid of him. But the donkey chooses to run away instead. He's proud of his fine voice and sets off to the town of Bremen to become a musician. Along the way the donkey meets other animals which have also been rejected by their masters; a dog, a cat and a rooster. They agree to join the donkey and form a musical group in Bremen. All the animals are proud of their talents and as they journey they decide to perform some music in return for food. As night falls they approach a house and commence their first concert. The effect of their music however is nothing like they could ever have imagined.

A mother duck is delighted when six, fluffy, yellow ducklings break out of their shells to start their lives. But delight turns to dismay when she sees the seventh duckling arrive. It has big, fluffy feet, grey feathers and a very strange face. It's a very ugly duckling indeed. The other farm birds can't help laughing at the duckling and his brothers and sisters tease him cruelly. Feeling terribly alone and unwanted, the sad little duckling runs away in the hope of finding a better life. After enduring many dangers and hardships he finally gets his wish.

Peter is the youngest of three brothers and everyone thinks he's very foolish. But one day, in return for an act of kindness, a little, old man rewards Peter with a special gift- a golden goose! When Peter tucks the goose under his arm and heads for the city, some greedy girls spy the bird and want to pluck one of its golden feathers for themselves. Little do they know however that the goose has magical powers and suddenly, Peter has a trail of people following along after him. The sight of all these people stuck to a goose is very funny. So funny in fact that it produces a change in Peter's life that he could never have imagined.

A dashing and handsome prince leads the perfect, princely life except for one thing- he desperately wants to find a princess to be his wife. He searches the world and although he meets many princesses, none of them seem to be right. His prayers appear to be answered however when one evening, a beautiful, young princess arrives at his castle seeking shelter for the night. The prince is delighted - this is just the girl he'd been searching for. The prince's mother isn't so sure though. How can they be certain that this girl is a real princess? To answer that question she sets the girl one of the most unusual tests ever devised.

Long ago in Russia there lived a young girl named Ilana. When her wicked stepmother sent her on an errand to the evil, old witch Baba Yaga, it was in the hope that Ilana would be taken prisoner and never return. But Ilana's grandmother hears of the plan and gives the girl four things to take with her: some ham, bread, oil and a pink ribbon. Ilana knows that if she uses these things wisely then she will remain unharmed. But how should she use them? And will they really keep her safe from the wily and nasty Baba Yaga?

In a little boy's bedroom stood a line of tin soldiers. In their red and blue uniforms they looked very handsome- all that is, except the last. Alas there hadn't been enough tin to finish him and so he had only one leg. At night, all the toys came alive and the prettiest of them all was a paper dancer with whom the tin soldier was very much in love. An evil goblin however wanted the dancer for his wife and so he contrived to make the tin soldier fall out the window into the street below. The poor soldier then encountered many dangers as he strove to return to his beloved dancer. But even if he could return, would he be able to defeat the wicked goblin?

Lanh was a young boy who lived with his parents in a tiny house in a small, Vietnamese village. Their hard lives were made even harder by a very rich and greedy man called Hung. Hung would lend people money but if their crops failed or animals grew sick and they couldn't pay him back, he'd take everything they owned. Lanh knew that his parents owed Hung money so when Hung came to look over the family's possessions, the boy knew it was a very bad sign. Lanh however was also very clever and with the help of a common house fly, he pitted his wits against the greedy man to produce a surprising result.

Little Red Riding Hoods' mother sends her off to take a basket of fresh bread to her sick grandmother. As she skips happily through the woods, Little Red Ridding Hood encounters a cunning, old wolf who is eager to make both the girl and her grandmother his supper for the night. The wily wolf then tricks them and it seems he's won the day. Luckily though, a passing woodcutter arrives in the nick of time and the wolf's plans are foiled.

When an evil witch finds a poor man stealing vegetables from her garden she is furious. But when she learns that the man's wife is expecting a baby she agrees to let him go in return for the child. So, when the baby is born the witch takes her and locks her away in a tall tower, deep in the forest. As the years pass, the child- Rapunzel- becomes a beautiful young woman whose hair grows into a long golden mane that the witch uses to climb up into the tower when she visits. One day, a handsome Prince rides by and sees Rapunzel high in the tower and instantly falls in love with her. But will he be able to get her out of the tower and can he overcome the witch and her magical powers?

Long ago in England, the people of a small village used the light of the moon to help them find their way across the cold, dark woods at night. But if the moon didn't shine then they'd stay at home- fearful of the evil creatures that hid in the darkness. The moon decided to see if these creatures actually existed so she wrapped herself in a cloak made from black sky and floated down to the woods. There she found that the creatures did indeed exist and what's more, they trapped her and held her captive. With no moon in the sky to help them anymore, the villagers knew that they must do something. But what?

On a rocky island off the Irish coast there once lived a most fearsome giant. One day, when a young boy was out riding his horse on the mainland, the giant suddenly appeared and both boy and horse vanished instantly. Guided by his dreams, the village blacksmith set out to find the boy. Bravely he rowed across to the island and climbed the massive stone stairs that led all the way up to the giant's castle. But once inside the castle the blacksmith was confused. For not one but eight identical boys and horses appeared before him! The blacksmith must choose the right one. Otherwise the giant will make him pay very dearly.

Long ago there lived a princess whose beauty was famous throughout the land. When the king decided it was time for her to be married, many princes and nobleman came to the palace hopeful of gaining her hand. But the princess was very proud and thought herself far too good for all the young men who presented themselves. Eventually the king lost all patience with his daughter and declared that she should marry the next man who came to their door. To the horror of the princess, that man turned out to be a humble broom seller. How would such a proud princess cope with marriage to someone so poor? And would she learn not to be so cruel and mean to people?

Many years ago in India there lived a very talkative king. He talked so much that no one else could get a word in and even worse, his continual chatter caused many accidents around the palace. At the same time- far away in the mountains- was a tortoise that had exactly the same problem. But unlike the king, the tortoise had nobody to listen to him. Then one day, two ducks appeared and offered to show the tortoise the beautiful golden cave where they lived. The tortoise delightedly accepted their offer but it required one thing- he had to keep absolutely quiet during the journey. Could he do it? And what lesson would his fate provide the king who suffered from the same problem?

In ancient China lived a mighty emperor whose wish was to own all the most beautiful things in the world. Over the years he'd collected the richest and rarest treasures that could be found and travellers who visited his palace were astounded by the wonders they saw there. Then one day, the emperor was told that the sound of the nightingale was the most beautiful sound in the world. Determined to have it, the emperor sent servants all over the globe until a nightingale was found and brought to the palace. Delighted by the bird's song the emperor was thrilled with his new possession. As he soon discovered however, no matter how rich you are there are

Long ago when the world was young, elephants had wings. And everywhere you looked, flocks of elephants swooped and soared through the sky having the time of their lives. But while the elephants were happy, their loud, rough play made life very difficult for everyone else. So the people went to their king and pleaded with him for help. Fortunately the king was very wise and he soon came up with a plan. But even though it was a very clever plan, would it be good enough to stop those pesky elephants?

In a little shop, in a little town, there lived a little tailor. And although he was a good tailor, he really wanted to be a hero who had great adventures. One day, he absentmindedly swatted at some flies which were annoying him while he worked. To his amazement, all seven flies fell to the table - completely lifeless. So proud was the tailor of this mighty feat that he rushed out to tell the whole world about it. Unfortunately, the tailor's boasting soon got him into trouble with a fearsome giant. What could the little man do to overcome such a scary and dangerous creature?

Long ago in China, there lived a young boy called Ming who longed to be an artist. But Ming was too poor to buy paint or brushes and he had to spend all day in the fields, minding the cows. Then one night, an old man appeared in Ming's dreams and gave him a golden paintbrush. When the boy woke, he was astonished to find the brush was real. Instantly he leaped out of bed and began painting. Not only were his paintings beautiful - they also came to life! News of Ming's paintbrush soon spread and eventually the Emperor himself heard about it. The cruel Emperor demanded the brush for himself and threw the boy into prison. Poor Ming. How could he possibly get out of such a terrible situation?

There once lived a great king who was much loved by his people. His most prized possession was a small, stone hand mill that had magical powers. Whenever the people needed food or money, the king would simply ask the mill and instantly it would provide them. One day, a travelling bandit heard bout the mill and decided he must have it. Using all his cunning, the thief crept into the palace, found the mill and ran off with it. He then leaped into a boat and rowed out to sea where the palace guards couldn't catch him. Rubbing his hands gleefully, the thief then made his first wish - and the world has been a changed place ever since.

Long ago in Persia, a poor merchant called Ali-Baba was out in the desert collecting firewood. As he stopped to rest under a tree, he saw a gang of thieves approach some caves and re-emerge with bags of gold and jewels. Quickly, Ali ventured into the caves and took some of the treasure for himself. At last Ali and his family had enough money to live a good and comfortable life. But this wasn't enough for Ali's greedy brother, Cassim. He wanted more - lot's more! To Ali's dismay, Cassim's selfishness placed their whole family in jeopardy. It would take all Ali's wits - and the courage of his faithful servant, Morgiana - to overcome the dangers they faced.

Once, two babies were born at exactly the same time on exactly the same day in exactly the same town. One baby - a boy called Ricky - was very bright but very ugly. The other baby - a girl called Crystal - was very pretty but not at all smart. As they grew up, both children were very lonely. Although Ricky was brainy, no one could bear to look at him. And while Crystal was beautiful, no one could stand her silly chattering. Fortunately, a good fairy took pity on the two young people and decided to give them a chance to overcome their problems. But would Crystal and Ricky be strong enough to take that chance?

Long ago on the shores of the Baltic Sea there lived a beautiful princess called Lindu. Many young men came to her father's palace in order to win Lindu's hand in marriage but she wasn't interested in any of them. Even the Sun and the Moon proposed to Lindu but she refused them both. For the truth was, Lindu was in love with the Northern Lights - a being which flashed and sparkled across the night skies of the Polar ice cap. But while the Northern Lights loved Lindu in return, his duties meant he must travel the skies for many months of the year. This meant it was impossible for them to marry. Lindu was in despair. Could she and the Northern Lights ever find happiness together?

Many years ago, a poor boy named Aladdin was approached by a magician who promised him great riches. All Aladdin had to do was enter a cave, take the treasure and pass the magician an old lamp that lay inside. But when Aladdin entered the cave, the magician tricked him and locked him inside. Fortunately, Aladdin still held the lamp and to his delight, he discovered that it housed a genie who could make every one of Aladdin's wishes come true. Suddenly, Aladdin had everything he ever wanted and his life was rich and happy. But the wicked magician heard of Aladdin's good fortune and immediately planned revenge. Could Aladdin possibly defend himself against such a powerful enemy?

Once upon a time a Miller needed some extra money and the only way he would get it was by selling the family donkey. With the help of his son, the Miller washed and brushed the donkey and the three of them then set off to the market. As they went along, the Miller and his son met many people - all of whom gave advice about the best way to travel with a donkey. Not wanting to offend anybody, the Miller and his son tried to follow the advice of all of them. But in trying to please everyone they soon got themselves into great difficulty. Would they ever get to market? And would they ever sell the donkey and get the money they so dearly wanted?

A very hungry crocodile spotted a little monkey sitting on the banks of a river and eating mangoes. The crocodile loved nothing better than to snack on little monkeys so he decided to try and catch him. But although the monkey was small, he was very clever and was not as easy to catch as the crocodile had hoped. The crocodile decided that he needed to trick the monkey. So he offered to carry the monkey across the river to an island on which grew many fine mango trees. When the monkey agreed, the crocodile smiled - his supper was in the bag! The shrewd little monkey however, had very different ideas.

Deep below the ocean was the world of the Sea King. In a fine palace the king lived with his six beautiful, mermaid daughters who- when they turned fifteen- were allowed to swim to the ocean surface and see the world above. Eventually, the youngest daughter's turn came and the Little Mermaid excitedly swam to the surface. One of the first things she saw was a handsome prince and instantly fell in love with him. In desperation, the Little Mermaid pleaded with the sea witch to use her magic to turn her into a human being. But while this enabled her to live on land and meet her prince, it also brought the Little Mermaid much sadness and hardship.

There once was a good and gentle donkey that worked hard carrying wood for all the people in the village. In turn, everyone loved the donkey and made sure he was well looked after. Indeed, so valued was he that one day, his master bought the donkey a beautiful shiny bell so everyone would always know where he was. But when the donkey saw his reflection and realised how handsome he now looked, he became extremely proud of himself. In fact, so proud was he that he began to behave like a king. This didn't go down at all well with the villagers and the donkey soon found they didn't like him much anymore. The donkey suddenly realised he had to win back everyone's trust. But how?

A long, long time ago in Africa, it's said that elephants' trunks were short and stout and no bigger than a boot. Among these Elephants was a young Elephant Child who was known for being extremely curious. He was always asking questions and trying to find out why things were as they were. In particular, he was especially interested in wanting to know what crocodiles ate for their dinner. His quest to find the answer to this problem led him on a long journey through the jungle until he found a real crocodile to ask. But in giving the Elephant Child the answer, the crocodile did something that changed the shape of the elephants' trunks for ever more.

An old woman and her son saved their pennies for many a long month so that they might buy themselves a pig. Eventually the day came when they'd saved enough and excitedly, the woman headed into the market where she spotted the perfect pig. She handed over her pennies and- with the pig at her side- happily set off for home. All went well until they arrived at a bridge. The pig stopped dead in his tracks and refused to cross it. Nothing the woman said or did could make the pig change his mind. What could the poor woman do? Luckily, her clever son was able to come to the rescue.

Once upon a time a town mouse invited his cousin from the country to come and visit him. The country mouse was pleased to accept. He lived a tough life in the forest and would often go cold and hungry in the winter. So to enjoy the comfort and luxury of a fine house in the town would be a nice change indeed. But even though his cousin's house did contain splendid furnishings, beautiful curtains, warm fires and lots of delicious food scraps, it had other things as well. Things such as cats and mousetraps and maids with brooms that were used to swat at mice. Suddenly, the country mouse's rough, country life didn't appear to be quite as bad as he'd thought.

It's said that long ago, parrots were not the fancy, bright coloured birds they are today. In fact, they were all rather drab, with plain brown feathers. Then one day, a mighty storm produced flashes of lightning that struck a tree and caused a huge fire to break out and spread throughout the forest. As all the animals fled to safety, a little parrot saw that many of them were trapped by the flames. Bravely, she scooped water from the river and flew back to drop it over the burning forest. The result was that not only were the other animals saved but the appearance of parrots was changed forever.

Once there were three billy goats. Once was small, once was big and one was very big. They were all named Gruff. One day they spotted a hillside with grass that made their mouths water. The goats just had to eat that sweet, beautiful grass. But there was one problem. In order to reach the grass they had to cross a bridge guarded by a huge troll. The troll was mean and ugly and ate anyone who tried to cross his bridge. How could the goats get past the troll? One thing was certain; if they were to succeed they'd need a very clever plan.

When a princess was playing in the woods with a golden ball, she despaired when her favourite toy fell into a deep spring and she was unable to retrieve it. To her surprise though, a large frog offered to get it back if the princess promised to let him visit her palace and spend time with her. While she was disgusted by the frog's ugliness, the princess couldn't believe that the frog could hop all the way to her home so she agreed to his request. The frog duly retrieved the ball and the princess skipped off home. Imagine her dismay however when next day, the frog appeared at the palace door. The horrified princess now had to keep her promise. But no one was more astonished then she was when the frog eventually turned out to be more than he seemed.

As winter fell, a cold and hungry wolf searched the forest for food but alas, none was to be found. Then he saw a farmer's house and decided to look there. But all he encountered was a dog. The dog felt sorry for the wolf and offered to share his home. He showed the wolf his cosy kennel, his full food bowl and the fire his master let him lie by at night. The wolf was very envious. But then he saw that the dog was wearing a collar and learned that a chain was attached to it at night so the dog couldn't run away. Now the wolf had to decide between a comfortable life or a free one. It didn't take the wolf long to make up his mind.

When a poor widow sent her son, Jack to sell their cow at the market so they could get money to buy food, she was furious when he returned with only a few seeds in exchange. She took the seeds and angrily threw them out the window. Imagine their surprise when next morning, Jack and his mother woke to find a huge beanstalk reaching up into the clouds. Jack quickly climbed it and at the top he discovered a giants' castle in which he found bags of gold. Jack scurried back home with his treasure and soon, he and his mother were living handsomely. But Jack couldn't resist climbing the beanstalk again and inevitably, the giant spied him. How could he escape from this very angry ogre?

Androcles was a slave in ancient Greece whose master was very cruel to him. So when he saw his chance, Androcles escaped into the forest. But he soon became horribly lost and before long, stumbled into a clearing where he came face to face with an enormous lion. He turned to flee but then saw that the lion was in great pain because of a huge thorn in his paw. Taking pity on the beast, Androcles pulled the thorn out and cleaned the wound. As the grateful lion padded off into the jungle, a group of soldiers arrived and recaptured Androcles. He was hauled in chains back to the city and it looked like his life would soon be over. But Androcles' act of kindness to the lion would soon pay off in a way he could never have expected.

A beautiful young girl must save her father from imprisonment by going to live as a servant for a huge beast. The beast is hideously ugly and the girl is terrified by the sight of him. Nevertheless she knows she must do her duty and so she bravely remains and works hard in the beast's castle. To her surprise, the beast is very kind and gentle and the girl quickly comes to feel tenderly towards him. Even more surprising is the true nature of the beast, which finally emerges as a result of the girl's growing affection for him.

In a town called Hamelin, life was very pleasant except for one thing. Rats! They were everywhere and they drove the people mad. Then one day, a young man appeared- a colourfully dressed piper- who proclaimed that he could get rid of the rats. The mayor promised the piper a large reward if he did so. The piper then began playing a tune and to everyone's astonishment, all the rats in town came out and followed him down to the river where they all fell in and drowned. The people were delighted so the piper naturally asked for his reward. But the mayor changed his mind and decided not to give it to him. T he angry piper felt cheated. He started to blow his pipe again- and so took a terrible revenge upon the town for a promise that wasn't kept.

When a pretty girl called Jorinda was out in the forest she failed to heed the warning of her fiancíé, Jorindel and strayed too close the castle of an evil witch. Instantly Jorinda was turned into a nightingale and captured by the witch who put her in a cage in the castle. Jorindel was heartbroken but vowed to do whatever he could to free Jorinda. But the magic of a witch is very powerful and it would take all Jorindel's strength and bravery to find a way to free his loved one.

A poor woodsman and his wife were delighted when they had a baby son. And even though he was no bigger than a thumb, their boy Tom was the light of their lives. The family was very happy together but after several years, Tom decided he'd like to go off and see the world. Unexpectedly, Tom got his wish when two thieves kidnapped him, hoping that he'd help them steal. And so a series of extraordinary adventures began for Tom and even though he encountered many dangers, his wish to see the world certainly came true.

The princess, Snow White was loved by all for her beauty and kindness. All that is, except her stepmother who was deeply jealous of the girl. So she ordered a huntsman to take Snow White into the forest and make sure the girl never returned. Fortunately, the huntsman took pity on Snow White and allowed her to escape. After losing herself in the forest, the girl eventually found herself at a little house owned by seven dwarves who were delighted to take her in. But when the stepmother heard that Snow White was still alive she was furious and set out to deal with the girl herself. Could a girl as innocent as Snow White survive the fury of such a wicked woman?

A farmer and his wife were blessed with three strong, healthy sons. The boys were good, honest and caring but alas they had one rather major fault. They were as lazy as the day was long. As the years rolled by, the farmer and his wife eventually became too old to run their farm. It was now time for the sons to take over. But running the farm meant work and the very thought of that horrified the sons. Fortunately, the old couple had a plan which they hoped would get the boys out into the fields. All that was now needed, was to see if the plan would work.

When a little old woman baked some gingerbread men she got the surprise of her life when her oven started to shake, wobble and bounce and then a voice from inside cried, 'Let me out!'. As she opened the oven door she was even more amazed when out popped one of the gingerbread men and ran out the door of the house. The old woman and her husband chased after him but he was very fast. He was also very naughty and soon created all sorts of havoc throughout the neighbourhood.

Peter was a young shepherd boy who tended his father's sheep in a meadow on a mountainside. It was quite a pleasant job but the trouble was, every day was the same and Peter became very bored. So the boy decided to have some fun. He played a joke on his father and the other villagers by crying out that a wolf was in the meadow and the sheep were in danger. Naturally the villagers were alarmed and quickly sent out search parties to find the wolf. At last Peter had some excitement in his life. But as he was soon to discover- it came at a very high cost.

Once upon a time, a young boy was sent to work for a sorcerer who possessed great, magical powers. The boy spent his days doing very ordinary things such as sweeping and cleaning but he was desperately curious to know more about the sorcerer's magic. One day, when the sorcerer went out, the boy couldn't resist opening the books of spells and trying his hand at some. At first all went well and the boy laughed at how easy it was to perform magical actions. But soon things started to get out of control and laughter turned to panic. Could the boy restore order before the sorcerer returned home and discovered what he'd done?

There once was a vain prince who thought he was the most wonderful man in the world. He would bore people silly by telling them how good he was so one day, a fairy decided to teach him a lesson. She placed a curse on him and turned his ears into those of a donkey! The prince was devastated by this change in his appearance and grew his hair long to cover the ears. But every year his hair required cutting and a barber would be summoned to do it. To ensure the prince's secret remained safe, the barber would then be banished from the kingdom forever. Imagine then, how fearful the young barber, Fergus was when it became his turn to cut the prince's hair? Could he find a way to perform the task but avoid being banished?

Many years ago, a young fisherman named Kysha found a turtle in the sea that was choking from an old piece of net around its neck. Kysha freed the turtle and in return, the turtle invited the boy to come with him and visit the home of the Sea Dragon Kingdom. Down they went to the bottom of the ocean where Kysha was overwhelmed by the beauty of the splendid palace. But he was even more astounded to see the turtle turn into a beautiful princess! The two were soon married and Kysha rejoiced in his good fortune. After three days though, he thought he should return to the land and assure his parents that he was safe and well. This he did - even though it was against the wishes of the princess. But when he arrived at his old home, nothing could have prepared him for the sights that awaited him there.

Alex loved to tell stories. He was famous for it and everyone in the village loved listening to him. The only problem though was that while Alex talked, his wife,Tatiana had to do all the work on their farm. So when one day she accidently discovered a pot full of gold coins, she was delighted but also worried that Alex would tell everyone and they'd lose their new found fortune. How could she deal with this tricky problem? Fortunately Tatiana was a clever young woman and soon came up with an ingenious plan. But would it be ingenious enough?

One bright morning, Chicken Little was scratching away in the garden when an acorn fell and landed on his head. Being a rather simple creature, Chicken Little immediately assumed that the sky was falling and quickly ran to his friends to raise the alarm. They all felt that the King should be informed of this danger straight away and so set off for the palace post-haste. Along the way they encountered the very wily Foxy Loxy who saw a great opportunity to turn these silly birds into his lunch. Could Chicken Little and his friends avoid the clutches of this tricky fox?

Long ago a king was on his morning walk though the forest when a strange looking woman approached. She had the most enormous nose he'd ever seen! It so happened that this woman was an enchantress and when she saw the king staring at her nose she flew into a rage. She laid a curse on him- a curse that meant that his first child would be born with an even bigger nose than hers. And this indeed was what happened. The king's first child- a boy- was born with a nose bigger than a banana. How would the young prince cope with such a handicap? As time passed, the prince and his family soon proved that love could conquer even the most evil of curses.

Once there was a king who thought he was the greatest king in history. He believed he should be able to do impossible things- he even passed a law that said he could. But what impossible things should he do? One night, while looking at the moon, it came to him. He summoned his courtiers and told them that he planned to touch the moon! He asked the Prime Minister to fetch the smartest person in the kingdom (after himself of course) and bring him to the palace to show the king how to achieve the feat. The Prime Minister searched high and low throughout the kingdom but no one could be found. In desperation, he grabbed a poor farmer and bundled him back to the palace. When the farmer heard what he had to do he was very perplexed. Then an idea came to him. But would it work?

In times past, a wise old woman named Wakenda was known as the finest weaver of cloth her tribe had ever seen. Every day she would weave and sew clothes and as she worked, she was pleased to watch a spider quietly spin its web at a nearby window. The web caught many flies and mosquitoes as they tried to enter the hut and Wakenda felt the spider was a true friend. Her grandson however was annoyed by the sight of the web. He scoffed at a creature that did the same thing day after day and tried to get rid of it from the hut. Wakenda stopped him though. And as a result, the grateful spider gave the old woman and her family a truly wondrous gift.

Centuries ago, in old Germany, the Emperor Konrad was at war with the Duke of Bavaria. After a long battle, the Duke and his army fled to his castle in the town of Weisburg. There they stayed but it was soon obvious that the castle couldn't hold out for long and the emperor's army prepared to invade. A young townswoman called Elsa could see that her people were in danger and she led a group of women to meet the emperor and beg for mercy. The emperor was impressed by her bravery and agreed to let all the women and children leave the town safely. Their menfolk however, would become his prisoners. This wasn't good enough for Elsa. She needed to find a way to get the menfolk out of the town too. But how could she do it?

In ancient times, a huge Geek army was sent to the city of Troy to capture the princess Helen. But though they tried every way they could think of to enter the city, it's high, thick walls and strong, iron gates made the task impossible. After nine years of failure, the Greeks were about to give up and return home when one of their kings, Odysseus, came up with a clever idea. It involved building a huge wooden horse and leaving it outside the city gates. The Greeks did this, then boarded their ships and sailed away. But would the trick work?

There was once a poor farmer who worked long and hard in the fields in order to make a small living. Each week he'd have to visit the nearby town in order to pay a rich money lender most of the money he earned. One day, the farmer was unable to pay the money lender. He begged the money lender to tell him the secret of how to become rich. Jokingly, the money lender told him that he should go to the mountain top and speak to the great Ram. The farmer set off immediately and to the money lender's surprise, he not only found the great Ram but also became rich. The money lender was instantly jealous and demanded to share in the farmer's good fortune. As he soon discovered though, it doesn't pay to be greedy.

Once there was a pleasant, humble tortoise who, as he plodded to the waterhole everyday was always shoved aside by a pushy, young elephant. And when he eventually got to the waterhole, a young and equally pushy hippopotamus would splash mud and water all over him. Naturally the tortoise felt very unhappy about this and so decided to teach the two bigger animals a lesson. He issued them a challenge, claiming that he was stronger then both of them. The two young animals laughed at the idea- how absurd! But while the tortoise might have been smaller and slower than them, they were soon to find out that he was a whole lot smarter.

A king loved his son so much that he gave him everything he ever wanted. As a result, the prince grew up spoiled and selfish. When the king eventually heard how badly his son behaved he knew he had to punish him and so banished him from the kingdom. For months the prince then wandered throughout the land, alone and penniless. Life was hard and he slept in ditches and had little food. Would the young man learn his lesson and come to treat other people with respect? And would he ever be allowed back into his father's castle?

Many years ago in the mountains of the great north, a flock of birds prepared to fly south for the winter. On the morning they were set to depart, one little bird slipped from its nest and broke its wing. Sadly, it had to stay behind and then somehow find shelter, food and warmth in the cold, wintry countryside. The bird approached various trees for help- the Birch, the Oak and the Willow. But none of them would let him shelter among their leaves. Other trees however, proved to be much friendlier and were very happy to provide help. As a result of their generosity, the Frost King decided to give these trees a gift- a gift they enjoy to this very day.

In a golden palace surrounded by beautiful gardens lived a wise king called Solomon. And even though he had 999 wives, Solomon was lonely. His wives spent so much time quarrelling with each other, they hardly noticed the king at all. One day, as the king walked through his garden he came across two butterflies- a husband and wife- and they too were quarrelling. Was there no end to the amount of arguing that was happening in the palace? As Solomon would soon find out, these two butterflies and a smart, young woman named Balkis would soon change all that and the king would be lonely no more.

Once, a sailor named Sinbad scoured the world in order to make his fortune. After many months, his ship groaned with treasure and so he headed back to Bagdad hoping to lead a life of luxury. But when the ship stopped at an island to get fruits and water, his crew abandoned Sinbad and sailed off with his riches. Entirely alone, Sinbad wondered what to do. Suddenly, the shape of a giant bird- a Roc- appeared in the sky above. Sinbad was delighted. Roc's were supposed to possess fabulous treasure. He instantly set off through the jungle in search of it. But even if he found the Roc, would it really have treasure? And could Sinbad ever get off the island and return home?

In a far off kingdom lived Cinderella, a young girl who was kind, good and beautiful. Alas, her stepmother and two ugly stepsisters disliked Cinderella and made her dress in rags and do all the dirty chores around the house. It was no surprise then that when an invitation came from the prince to attend a royal ball at the palace, Cinderella was made to stay at home while her step sisters went off to have fun. Amazingly though, Cinderella discovered that she had a fairy godmother who flew down to ensure that she could go to the ball after all. What happened after that led to a fairytale ending that even Cinderella herself must have found too good to be true.

There was once a young boy who lived with his mother, father and grandfather. The boy loved his grandfather very much- and he especially loved the many wonderful stories his grandfather told him as the two of them walked along the beach. But when his parents made his grandfather sit in a corner and eat his food from a wooden bowl, the boy became very distressed. How could his parents treat the old man so cruelly? The boy decided he must do something to change this situation and the solution he found was inspired by the grandfather's simple wooden bowl.

One day, a sharp eyed crow was flying about looking for food. She spotted a piece of cheese and swooped down to get it- just as a hungry fox went to pounce on it too. The crow was too quick and snatched the cheese first. The fox was upset but he noticed that the crow didn't eat the cheese because she was too busy showing it off to the other crows. Realizing that the crow was very proud, the cunning fox hatched a plan. But would it be good enough to outsmart the quick and nimble crow? And would he ever get to eat that piece of cheese?

Many years ago, a prince called Ivan decided to explore a large forest. As he went deeper into the trees, the pathway grew darker and the sky was blocked out by the densely packed foliage. Soon Ivan came across several strange statues. He felt very afraid until a bright light suddenly appeared. Ivan looked up and there was the most beautiful bird he had ever seen. He quickly caught it but the bird's pleas soon made Ivan let it go. In return for its freedom the bird gave Ivan a feather. What followed then was an amazing adventure with the prince able to avoid all danger because of the kindness he'd shown to that remarkable bird.

When a king and his hunting party were out in the woods they were amazed to come across a young woman weaving a garment made from flowers. Even more startling was the fact that the woman never spoke. The king however could see that she was both gentle and beautiful and he invited her to stay in his palace. This she did and before long the king fell in love with her and asked her to become his queen. Even after they married however, the woman still didn't speak and what's more, the king's stepmother became very jealous of her. She plotted to bring about the new queen's downfall. How could such a young woman defend herself and what was the reason why she never spoke?

Long ago the king of Trinidad had a very beautiful ring made by the island's finest jeweller. It was the King's most treasured possession and he'd spend days gazing at it. Imagine then how shocked he was when one night, thieves crept through the dark and stole the ring. Immediately the King called for a fortune teller to be brought to him- one who could use his powers to find his beloved jewel. When a poor man named Cricket heard this, he decided to pretend to be a fortune teller and enjoy the good life at the palace. It was a big risk to run though because if Cricket couldn't help find the ring, he'd end up in very serious trouble.

Once there lived a humble shoemaker. And while he worked day and night he just couldn't earn enough money to pay his bills. Then, when he was down to his last cent, he woke one morning to find that the most beautiful pair of shoes he'd ever seen had miraculously appeared overnight on his workbench. The same thing happened the next night- and the one after that. The shoemaker was delighted because he was able to sell all the shoes for lots of money. But where did these shoes come from? And who made them? The shoemaker had to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Once upon a time, Brains and Luck decided to see which one of them was more important. They spotted a farm boy ploughing a nearby field and chose him as the person to use for their experiment. Luck clicked his finders and in an instant, the boy had discovered gold. Luck laughed and boasted that he'd changed the boy's life forever. Not to be outdone though, Brains clicked his fingers and gave the boy an idea for what to do with the gold so he'd become even richer. Brains and Luck then continued to tussle over the boy's life as they sought to determine which of them was more powerful. As you might expect, they could never come to an agreement. But the farm boy did go on to live very happily, thanks to both of them.

Whenever Brer Rabbit poked his head out of his rabbit hole, Brer Fox was always waiting for him. In fact, Brer Rabbit couldn't go anywhere without Brer Fox chasing after him, trying to catch him for his supper. Things got so bad that Brer Rabbit couldn't leave his burrow anymore. So one day, Brer Rabbit decided that enough was enough- it was time to do something about this pesky fox. But what? Brer Fox was clever and it would take all Brer Rabbit's wits to come up with a plan clever enough to beat that tricky beast.

When Hansu returned home after three long years of war, his mother was delighted to see him. But delight turned to sadness when she saw that Hansu never smiled anymore. In fact, he did little but sit in the garden, quiet and forlorn. How could his mother make him happy again? In the nearby mountains lived a wise old man- perhaps he could help. The mother went to see him and he told her that all she had to do to cure her son was to get a tiger's whisker. The mother was astounded. This was an impossible task! But as events soon showed, a mother's love can achieve anything.

In a faraway kingdom, a king and queen were delighted when their baby girl was born. On her christening day, twelve good fairies came to give the girl their gifts- goodness, cleverness, beauty and so on. But then a thirteenth fairy arrived- a wicked, angry fairy. She placed a curse on the baby girl that would make her life end on the day of her sixteenth birthday. The king and queen were horrified and did everything they could to prevent the curse from coming true. But a fairy's curse is powerful and it would take something very special to overcome it. But what?

There was once a young, Dutch boy called Hans. He wasn't a bad boy but he was rather naughty sometimes and did enjoy playing jokes on people. One day, when he'd tricked his mother into letting him go out and play instead of doing his chores, Hans saw something strange. The dyke that had been built to hold back the sea and protect his village had sprung a leak. Hans realised that he had to act quickly. Somehow the leak had to be stopped or the whole town would be flooded. But what could one boy do on his own? Hans would have to be smart and brave to solve such a huge problem.

When Saemunder's father fell ill the boy was desperate to find a cure to make him well. His only hope however was to follow the rules set down in an ancient book which promised that the art of healing could be learned in a year. But in order to do this he had to journey at night in a black carriage drawn by black horses to a cave in the far off countryside. Once there, he must study at a school run by a fearsome and mysterious teacher. It would take all of Saemunder's courage to perform such a task and survive well enough to return home in time to save his father.

Tommy was a dog that loved to play 'fetch'. So when his master threw a stick of explosives down a mineshaft in order to blow up some rocks, Tommy naturally decided to go down and fetch it back. But as soon as people saw Tommy appear with the explosives in his mouth they started running. Fast! Thinking that this was a game, Tommy then ran after them. In no time at all people were running everywhere, terrified that the explosives would blow them and everything else up at any moment. How could they escape with their lives? And what would happen to Tommy?

Once there was a boy called Hans who liked to do all the things that boys do. He liked to play games and he loved to explore. But Hans was different in one special way- he had the body of a hedgehog! And because he was different, Hans was teased and taunted by the other children. So instead of playing with them he went off into the forest and payed with the animals. Hans was happy enough but he did get a bit lonely sometimes. Then one day a king found himself lost in the forest and Hans agreed to guide him back out. The Kind was so grateful to Hans that he gave him a reward - a reward that would make Hans the happiest hedgehog boy ever.

Matenko was the funniest jester in all of Poland. Everyone laughed at his jokes- especially his master, King Jan. Alas, as Matenko grew older, so did his jokes. And his acrobatics became feebler and his juggling much slower. Finally the King could watch Matenko no more and sadly, he told the jester it was time for him to retire. So, Matenko and his wife went to live in a small cottage in a nearby village. It wasn't long however before their money ran out and they became very hungry. What could they do to survive? It was now time for the old jester to play his greatest trick of all.

Long ago in China lived a man called Po-Wan Chin who was wonderfully generous. So generous in fact that he gave away everything he had in order to help others. But Po-Wan wanted to help even more people and so he set out to ask a wise goddess how he could do this. The journey was long and hard and Po-Wan travelled for many weeks through unfamiliar lands. Eventually he found the goddess and asked her his questions. The answers she gave though were very surprising.

In a small cottage in the hills of England lived a boy named William. He had a very secret and very special friend- a Dragon! The dragon was a gentle, caring creature that loved to play and talk and tell stories. Alas, no secret can stay secret for long and when the local villages found out about the dragon they became very frightened. They quickly sent for the greatest dragon slayer of all- Saint George- to come and save them. William was in despair. If he was to save his dragon friend he'd need a really good plan. But what plan should it be? And would it work?

In ancient Morocco a wood carver named Achmed worked hard and saved his gold coins so he could fulfil his dream- to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. After several years, Achmed had saved enough for the trip and to keep him in comfort on his return. He asked his good friend Ali to look after his spare money while he was away. Ali promised to do so. But once Achmed had departed, Ali couldn't resist borrowing some of it and then a little more and then more still until eventually it was all gone. When Achmed returned and found that his money was missing he didn't know what to do. A stroke of luck however, led him to a monkey and to everyone's astonishment, the monkey caused the truth about his missing gold to finally be revealed.

Hannah the hen lost a feather and- while a little upset about this- observed that the moon had no feathers at all and yet it still looked beautiful. So while the loss of a single feather was sad, Hannah said to herself that she still looked pretty. Another hen overheard this remark and told her friend that Hannah actually wanted to lose all her feathers so she could look more beautiful. When in turn an owl overheard this comment, she told her everyone that Hannah intended to deliberately pluck out all her feathers! As the news passed from one creature to another, it got more and more twisted and changed so that in no time at all, everyone believed that a great disaster was about to happen. And indeed, unless everyone took more care about what they heard and said, their worst fears just might come true!

In Japan, there once lived two frogs. One frog lived near the city of Kyoto and although his life was a very happy one, he desperately wanted to see the great city of Osaka. Many miles away, in the busy port city of Osaka, lived another frog. And while he enjoyed his life very much, he yearned to visit the city of Kyoto. Eventually, both frogs decided to fulfil their dreams and on the very same day they both set off to visit each other's city. The journey however proved long and dangerous and when the two frogs met each other at the half-way point, they were both sore and tired. Could they find the strength to go on? Or could they discover another way to achieve their ambitions?

Early one morning, a fisherman saw some flames coming from a cave at the bottom of some cliffs. As he approached he saw several strangers who, when he called to them, turned and fled leaving only a seal skin behind. The fisherman took the skin home but later that day, as he again passed the cave, he came across a beautiful young woman crying bitterly. She explained that the missing sealskin was hers and unless she found it she'd never be able to return home. The young man knew where the skin was of course but he'd fallen in love with the girl and so decided not to tell her. Eventually, the two of them married and had children. But the woman's heart was always yearning for her true home- a home to which one day she knew she must return.

In India there once lived a great Rajah who thought himself very wise. Every year he ordered his people to give him all their left over rice so he could store it. Then, if disaster struck, everyone would have enough to eat. As it happened, a year did arrive when no rain occurred and the rice harvest failed. But instead of handing out the rice from his storerooms, the Rajah decided to keep it all for himself. As a result, all the people in the kingdom grew hungry. It seemed that they would soon starve. Then, a clever girl named Nanda came up with an idea- and it proved to be a very bright one.

One day, on the shores of the icy Arctic, an old woman named Lluak came across a tiny Polar bear cub that was lost and alone. Lluak took the cub back to her home and looked after it. For many years the cub lived in Lluak's village and it became a friend to everyone- especially the children who loved to play with it. But as the cub grew into a strong and sturdy bear, some of the men grew jealous of it and wanted to harm it. Sadly Lluak realised she must send the bear away in order to ensure its safety. But could the bear survive on its own?... And would Lluak ever see it again?

There was a time in ancient Britain when no king ruled the land and everyone was in great danger. Then a wise, old wizard called Merlin appeared and announced that he had a way to solve the problem. He pointed to a great stone in which was embedded a magnificent sword. Whoever could pull the sword from the stone would be the rightful king of Britain. Nobles came from throughout the land to try their luck but none could move the sword even a millimetre. Then a most unlikely looking young man appeared and asked if he could try. The youth's request produced much laughter among the nobles- but their laughter soon changed to astonishment when they saw what the young man could do.

There was once a young Chinese boy named Ling who loved flowers. He grew every kind of flower you could imagine and they all thrived in his care. So when Ling- along with all the other children in the kingdom- was given a seed to grow by the emperor, he was thrilled. Imagine Ling's disappointment then when after a year, not a single flower came from the seed- even though he'd watered and cared for it daily. Ling's shame was even more intense when he saw the beautiful flowers all the other children had grown from their seeds. Trembling, Ling went to the Emperor to confess his failure. To his surprise though, he discovered that sometimes, a failure can actually turn out to be a great success.

In ancient Greece people believed in many gods- one of whom was Dionysus. Dionysus loved parties and was always on the look out for opportunities to have a good time. So one day, when he spotted a ship full of pirates, he decided to join them and have some fun. Unfortunately the pirates were not particularly nice people and when they saw Dionysus, they bound him and threw him into the bottom of the ship to become their prisoner. No matter how hard he tried, Dionysus could not persuade the pirates to be friendly and release him -- so he decided to teach them a lesson. The results of that lesson are still with us to this day.

There was once an English king named Canute. He was a good king who ruled wisely and protected his people well. Canute was also a very humble man and didn't enjoy the way his courtiers were always praising and flattering him. One day, Canute decided he'd had enough. He called his courtiers together and ordered them to go with him to the seaside. There he sat in a chair by the water's edge and challenged the waves to come no closer. The courtiers were astounded that their king would be so foolish as to try to command the sea. But they soon learned that their king knew exactly what he was doing- and that they themselves were the really foolish ones.

There once lived two brothers, William and Newt. Newt was rich but mean and greedy. William was a poor turnip farmer who, in spite of his hard life was kind and generous to everyone he met. One morning, William was astonished to discover a giant turnip had grown in his yard. Of course such a prize was too good to keep for himself so he offered it to the king. The king was delighted with the gift and made William 'The Royal Turnip Grower'. When Newt heard of his brother's success he stewed with envy. He too would make an offering to the king and be honoured in return. But the king had heard of Newt's mean ways and so decided to teach him a lesson- one that would change Newt's life forever.

Long ago in India there lived a jackal named Chadru who was always hungry. One night, he was so hungry he decided to creep into a human village to look for food. As soon as he arrived though, he was spotted by a pack of dogs which instantly gave chase. Terrified, Chadru ran for his life and hid in a large vat in the yard of a merchant. This fooled the dogs but when Chadru finally emerged he found his coat had turned blue from the dye that was inside the vat. Now he was a blue Jackal! At first Chadru was dismayed by this change. But to his great delight, he soon found that being blue wasn't such a bad thing at all.

A young farm boy named Dick Whittington had long heard stories about the great city of London. So one day, Dick set off to travel there- with only a small sack of belongings and his trusty cat to keep him company. Once in London, Dick worked hard but he soon decided he wanted to see even more of the world. So with his cat again by his side, Dick joined the crew of a sailing ship and spent many years sailing the globe. After lots of adventures, Dick eventually returned to London. This time however, he would soon become the city's most important citizen- a long way from the poor, young farm boy who'd arrived there many years before.

There was once a man called Ali who lived in Bagdad. Two nights in a row he dreamed that he should go to Cairo and stand in the great bazaar. Ali decided he should do as his dream told him and so set out across the desert for the Egyptian City. After many weeks, Ali finally arrived in Cairo and went to the bazaar. But once there, he had no idea what to do next. Ali began to think he'd been very foolish. He should never have listened to his dreams. But as Ali would soon discover, dreams sometimes have a way of turning out better then people expect.

There were once two sisters named Snow White and Rose Red. They loved each other dearly and spent all their time together playing in the forest with the birds and animals. One winter's night however, a huge black bear appeared at their cottage and the girls were terrified. The bear proved a gentle soul though and he and the girls soon became firm friends. Then spring arrived and it was time for the bear to leave. The sisters were very sad to see their friend go but it wasn't the last they'd see of him. Indeed, as they'd soon discover, this bear would soon change their lives forever.

In a small cottage in the country lived a dog, a cat, a mouse and a little red hen. While the other animals slept or played, the little red hen did all the work - cooking, cleaning, washing and sewing. One day, the hen realised that they needed to plant wheat or they'd have no food for the winter. She asked the others to help but they were much too interested in having fun. So the hen went out and did the job herself. She also harvested the wheat, stacked the wheat and made flower from the wheat. Eventually, when winter arrived, the other animals became hungry and asked the hen if she had something for them. The hen did have something- but alas, it was nothing like what they expected.

In ancient Greece lived a youth named Narcissus. It is said he was the most beautiful boy ever to have been born. So handsome was he that no one could resist his charm and everyone hurried about getting him whatever he wanted. This of course meant that Narcissus became very selfish and never gave a thought for anyone but himself. But worse was to come. One day, Narcissus gazed into a pool and saw his own reflection. Immediately he was as dazzled by his own beauty as everyone else had been. Alas, in the admiration of his own good looks lay the seeds of his downfall.

In a grand part of a large city was a street of fine, new houses. Except for one. It was very old and shabby and all the neighbours thought it should be pulled down. A young boy named Peter however was fascinated by the place and was truly delighted when the old man who lived there invited him over to visit. Inside the house, Peter found all sorts of treasures- books, statues, pictures- so many things to excite his imagination! Sadly, the old man eventually died and his house was pulled down. Everyone soon forgot it. Everyone except Peter. One day he would return and ensure the spirit of the old house would live once again.

On the banks of the Hudson River in North America was a small village in which lived Rip Van Winkle. Everyone liked Rip but he was rather lazy. So no one was surprised when one day Rip forgot his farm work and headed into the hills to go fishing. As he lazed by the creek, Rip heard loud thunder claps. Then he also heard strange voices call out his name. Going to investigate, Rip was astonished to find a group of sailors playing nine pins. Even more astonishing, when Rip went back to his village to report what he'd seen, everything there had changed! What had happened? And who could possibly explain these strange events?

Long ago in the Australian outback on old wombat was trying to find some green grass to eat. He asked several animals if they could help him- an emu, a snake, even a crocodile. But none of these animals could be bothered. Then he met a Kangaroo. Even though the Kangaroo was having great trouble trying to stop her Joey from running away, she found the time to lead the wombat through the bush to a clearing in which grew lots of fresh, juicy grass. The wombat was very grateful. So grateful in fact that he decided to give the Kangaroo a gift. And to this day, every Kangaroo has benefited as a result.

Many years ago in Japan, there lived a stonecutter. Everyday he'd go to the great mountain to cut slabs of stone. He did his job well and for a long time was very happy with his life. Then one day he took a load of stone to the house of a rich man and was amazed at how beautiful the place was. As he walked home, the stonecutter wished that he had such a fine house. To the stonecutter's amazement, the Mountain Spirit heard his wish and granted it to him. And in the days that followed, all the other wishes of the stonecutter were granted as well. But as he soon discovered, having all your wishes granted doesn't necessarily make you happy.

In a small village in Russia lived a boy name Pavlo who loved to sit and watch birds. He longed to know what the birds were saying as they twittered and cheeped and one day, after rescuing a baby bird and returning it to its nest, the birds rewarded him by giving him the power to understand their language. Unfortunately, Pavlo's parents felt he waisted too much time watching birds so they sent him off to work as a cabin boy on a ship. But even at sea, Pavlo retained his gift and as events soon proved, it was lucky that he did so.

Once upon a time a husband and wife lived with their three sons in the countryside of Norway. As winter approached, the parents told the sons they must go into the forest to chop trees for firewood. The sons didn't like this idea at all because they knew there was a fearsome troll who lived in the woods and they were very afraid of it. But the parents insisted and so first the eldest and then the middle son went into the forest. As they'd feared though, the very moment that they started chopping, the troll came out and scared them away. Now it was the youngest son's turn. He knew he'd need a clever idea to overcome the troll. But what could it be?

There once lived a pig with her three sons. As the sons grew bigger it became very clear that they'd have to move out and find places of their own. 'And', warned the mother, 'Watch out for that nasty old wolf.' The two older brothers snorted. They weren't scared of any wolf. Off they went to build their houses as quickly as possible- using sticks and straw. They wanted to finish the job quickly so the could start playing again. The younger brother however was afraid of the wolf and he built a much sturdier house using bricks and cement. This took a lot of hard work and the two older pigs laughed at their younger brother for wasting his time. In the end though, the youngest pig proved to be the wisest of the all.

Once upon a time there was a young girl called Goldilocks who just couldn't help poking her nose into places she shouldn't. She was also very greedy and never worried about taking things that belonged to others. So it was no surprise that one day, while out playing in the woods, Goldilocks couldn't resist entering a cottage she came across. Nor could she resist eating the porridge she found on the table, or jumping on the furniture or even sleeping in one of the empty beds. What would happen if the owners of the cottage came home and discovered her? Goldilocks was about to find out.

Long ago in Korea there lived a boy who loved to be told stories. But Hyo was a selfish boy and every time he heard a story he'd keep it to himself and store its spirit in an old chest so no one else could hear it. Hyo's grandfather kept telling him that stories were for sharing but Hyo wouldn't listen. The stories would be for him and him alone. Many years later however, on Hyo's marriage day, the story spirits escaped from the chest and caused chaos at his wedding. They were very angry about being locked away for so long and now wanted their revenge. What could Hyo do to make them stop?