1.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack is a young, poor boy living with his widowed mother and a dairy cow,
on a farm cottage. The cow's milk was their only source of income. When
the cow stops giving milk, Jack's mother tells him to take her to the market
to be sold. On the way, Jack meets a bean dealer who offers magic beans in
exchange for the cow, and Jack makes the trade. When he arrives home
without any money, his mother becomes angry and disenchanted, throws
the beans on the ground, and sends Jack to bed without dinner.
During the night, the magic beans cause a gigantic beanstalk to grow
outside Jack's window. The next morning, Jack climbs the beanstalk to a
land high in the sky. He finds an enormous castle and sneaks in. Soon after,
the castle's owner, a giant, returns home. He smells that Jack is nearby, and
speaks a rhyme:
Fee-fi-fo-fum!
I smell the blood of an English man:
Be he alive, or be he dead,
I'll grind his bones to make my bread.
In the versions in which the giant's wife (the giantess) features, she
persuades him that he is mistaken. When the giant falls asleep. Jack steals
a bag of gold coins and makes his escape down the beanstalk.
Jack climbs the beanstalk twice more. He learns of other treasures and
steals them when the giant sleeps: first a goose that lays golden eggs, then
a magic harp that plays by itself. The giant wakes when Jack leaves the
house with the harp and chases Jack down the beanstalk. Jack calls to his
mother for an axe and before the giant reaches the ground, cuts down the
beanstalk, causing the giant to fall to his death.
Jack and his mother live happily ever after with the riches that Jack
acquired.

2. The Ugly Duckling

It is a beautiful summer day. The sun shines warmly on an old house near
a river. Behind the house a mother duck is sitting on ten eggs. "Tchick."
One by one all the eggs break open.
All except one. This one is the biggest egg of all.
Mother duck sits and sits on the big egg. At last it breaks open, "Tchick,
tchick!"
Out jumps the last baby duck. It looks big and strong. It is grey and ugly.
The next day mother duck takes all her little ducks to the river. She jumps
into it. All her baby ducks jump in. The big ugly duckling jumps in too.
They all swim and play together. The ugly duckling swims better than all
the other ducklings.
- Quack, quack! Come with me to the farm yard! - says mother duck to
her baby ducks and they all follow her there.
The farm yard is very noisy. The poor duckling is so unhappy there. The
hens peck him, the rooster flies at him, the ducks bite him, the farmer
kicks him.
At last one day he runs away. He comes to a river. He sees many
beautiful big birds swimming there. Their feathers are so white, their
necks so long, their wings so pretty. The little duckling looks and looks at
them. He wants to be with them. He wants to stay and watch them. He
knows they are swans. Oh, how he wants to be beautiful like them.
Now it is winter. Everything is white with snow. The river is covered
with ice. The ugly duckling is very cold and unhappy.
Spring comes once again. The sun shines warmly. Everything is fresh and
green.
One morning the ugly duckling sees the beautiful swans again. He knows
them. He wants so much to swim with them in the river. But he is afraid
of them. He wants to die. So he runs into the river. He looks into the
water. There in the water he sees a beautiful swan. It is he! He is no more
an ugly duckling. He is a beautiful white swan.

3. Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl. She always wore a red
velvet cloak - a gift from her favourite grandmother. That's why everyone
called her the Little Red Riding Hood. In a beautiful sunny morning her
mother sent her to bring a basket full of food to her grandmother, who
was ill, but lived alone on the other side of the forest. As had been told by
her mother, the girl walked down and kept to the main path. Suddenly a
wolf appeared from behind a tree. Little Red Riding Hood didn't know
that he was fierce beast and she wasn't afraid. They walked together and
the girl told sincerely where she was going. The bad wolf suggested that
she should pick a bunch of flowers for her grandmother. While the little
girl was stopping here and there to pick some beautiful flowers, she got
deeper and deeper into the forest and the wolf took to his heels. As he
took a shortcut, he got fast to the grandmother's house and knocked on
the door.
- Who is it? - The old woman asked.
- It's me, grandma, Little Red Riding Hood - the wolf answered in a soft
voice.
- Lift the latch and get in! - Called out the grandmother - I am too weak to
get up.
The wolf lifted the latch, pounced on the ill old woman and devoured her.
Then he put on her clothes as well as her cap, lay in her bed and waited
for the Little Red Riding Hood. Shortly after that the little girl arrived.
She was very surprised by the strange look of her grandmother and said:
- Grandma, what big ears you have!
- So I can hear you better, my child.
- Grandma, what big eyes you have!
- So I can see you better.
- Grandma, what a big mouth you have! - The little girl exclaimed even
more surprised.
- So I can eat you - the wolf growled and pounced on the Little Red
Riding Hood.
When he devoured her too, overate, the beast fell asleep and began to
snore very loud. Hunters were just passing nearby the house, when they
heard the snoring and peered into the house. They saw the wolf and when
they were about to shoot him, they saw that his tummy was wiggling.
They took scissors and cut open the belly of the wolf. The Little Red
Riding Hood and her grandmother came out alive out of his belly.
Everyone celebrated their happy salvation.
4. Pinocchio

Long ago there lived an lonely old carpenter named Geppetto. He made a
puppet out of some wood, a ball, and a string. That night, a fairy visited
and cast a spell that made the puppet walk and talk. The next morning,
Geppetto discovered the animated puppet and named him Pinocchio.
Geppetto gave Pinocchio all of his money and sent him into town to buy
books for school. Instead, Pinocchio used to the money to buy a ticket for
the circus. Two clowns gave Pinocchio a hat and asked him to stay, but
he said he must go back to Geppetto.

The clowns returned Pinocchioís money, but on the way home he was
robbed by and evil cat and an equally evil fox. The fairy appeared again
and asked what happened; Pinocchio pretended he had been captured by a
monster. Suddenly his nose grew, and the fairy said, ìWhenever you lie,
your nose will get bigger. Now go find Geppetto; heís out looking for you
by the sea.î

Pinocchio was rowing a small boat in the sea when he thought he heard
Geppettoís voice coming from inside a large dark cave. He rowed inside,
only to find himself inside a whale with Geppetto. He tickled the whale
with a feather, and the whale sneezed, sending Pinocchio and Geppetto
flying out on to the beach. Relived, Pinocchio vowed never to lie again
and then he heard the fairyís voice saying, ìmake that promise and you
will become a real boy.î

5. Sleeping Beauty
A king and a queen had been trying to have a child for years. When the
child finally arrived, they called her Aurora. A great holiday was
proclaimed to celebrate Auroraís birth. Visitors came from far and wide,
including three good fairies, named Merryweather, Fauna and Flora. One
of the most distinguished guests was another king from a neighboring
kingdom, who brought his son Prince Philip. Both kings realized that
their dream of a united kingdom could now come true.

The three good fairies began bestowing their gifts upon Aurora. Aurora
received the gift of Beauty, and gift of SongÖ but before the last gift was
bestowed, a wicked fairy interrupted. This wicked fairy was upset that
she wasnít invited to the party, so she cast a spell ñ on the day of Auroraís
16th birthday, she would prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning
wheel and die.

The third good fairy hadnít bestowed her gift yet, and she was horrified at
the spell the wicked fairy cast. The good fairy wasnít strong enough to
undo the spell, but she was able to dilute it a bit ñ instead of death,
Aurora would fall asleep until her true love come along to undo the spell
with a kiss.

As a precaution, all spinning wheels were removed from the kingdom,

and Aurora lived in hiding as a peasant with the good fairies for
protection. She grew up, met Prince Philip, and fell in love. On the night
of Auroraís 16th birthday, Aurora, Prince Philip, and the good fairies all
went back to the castle to live. But the evil fairy snuck into the castle and
pricked Auroraís finger with a needle, causing her to fall asleep. With the
help of the good fairies, Prince Philip kissed her and she awoke. They all
lived happily ever after.

6. Cinderella

There once was a widower who remarried. His second wife was
ill-natured, and she had two daughters who were just as unpleasant as
their mother. The man had a beautiful, gentle daughter of his own, and
she was soon to become the servant of her evil step-mother and
step-sisters. They made her do all the chores around the house, and she
was named Cinderella, after the cinders she swept out of the fireplace.
The King needed to find a queen for his prince, so he threw a huge ball.
The evil step-mother and step-sisters were invited, but Cinderella was not
allowed to go. After they left, Cinderellaís fairy godmother appeared and
changed her dirty rags into a beautiful gown with glass slippers. Next the
fairy godmother changed a pumpkin into a coach and some mice into
footmen. Before Cinderella left, the fairy godmother warned her to be
home before midnight, because the spell would only last till then.

Cinderella was a hit at the ball. The prince fell in love with her and asked
her name. Just then the clock struck midnight, and Cinderella ran away.
She was in such a hurry, she lost one of her glass slippers. It was the only
clue the prince had to find his true love. He went to every home in the
kingdom and had every single young girl try on the slipper to see if it fit.
The evil step-sisters couldnít fit the slipper, but Cinderella did. The prince
married her and they all lived happily ever after.

7. Rumpelstilskin

An old miller went before the King and, trying to impress him, told the
King his daughter Rose could spin straw into gold. The King ordered the
girl to be locked in a room full of straw. He said she was to spin the straw
into gold or her head would be cut off. Rose began to cry, and suddenly a
little man with a long gray beard appeared and said, ìI will help you spin
the straw into gold if you give me something in return.î The first night,
she gave him her ring. The second night, she gave him her necklace. But
then she had nothing left to give. The little man wanted her first born and
Rose had to agree, or have her head cut off by the King for not spinning
straw into gold.

The little man kept his promise, and the King made Rose his queen.
When Rose had her first child, the little man with the gray beard came to
take the baby away. He said he would not take the baby if Rose could
guess his name ñ she had three days to come up with three guesses. Rose
sent messengers out to spy on the little man and found out his name was
Rumpelstilskin. And the baby remained with the king and queen.

8. Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel were brother and sister. Their poor parents were
starving, so they went out in search of food. They took one slice of bread
along, which they used to mark a path back to their home by leaving
crumbs along the way. After a while, they came upon a little house made
of gingerbread. Hansel broke off a piece to eat.

Suddenly, the door flew open and an old woman came out and invited
them in. She fed them mountains of pancakes and fruit, and then tucked
them into bed to sleep. What Hansel and Gretel didnít realize was that the
old woman was fattening them up so she could use them in her favorite
dish ñ roasted child! Now they were prisoners, and the old woman kept
feeding them, and when she asked them to stick their fingers out of their
cell so she could judge how fat they were getting, Hansel held out a bone
instead.

Finally, the children escaped and pushed the old woman into the oven.
They filled their pockets with jewels and food and used the trail of bread
crumbs to find their way back home, where they lived happily ever after.

9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

There once was a queen who named her only daughter Snow White
because her skin was so fair and lovely. The queen died, and Snow
Whiteís father married a new queen, who was evil, vain and wicked.
Every morning she would stand in front of the mirror and say, ìMirror,
mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?î The mirror always
answered, ìthee,î until one day it said that Snow White was the fairest one
of all.

The evil queen ordered one of her servants to take Snow White to the
forest to have her killed. The servant, feeling sorry for Snow white, let
her go and brought back a wild boarís heart to show the queen he had
done the deed. Snow White, alone and hungry in the forest, came across a
little cottage with seven tiny bedsÖetc. When the dwarves came back
form work they found Snow White and said she could stay with them if
she cleaned and cooked.

They all lived happily until one day when the mirror told the wicked
queen that Snow White was still alive and living with the dwarves. The
wicked queen disguised herself as a peddler and went to the cottage while
the dwarves were at work. She gave Snow White a red apple that was
poisoned.

When Snow White took a bite of the apple, she fell down unconscious.
The dwarves were very sad and built a glass coffin for her. One day a
prince came by and saw how beautiful Snow White was, and bent down
to give her a kiss. Snow White woke up and they were married.

10. Goldilocks and the Three Bears

There once was a family of bears: mama bear, papa bear, and baby bear.
They were just about to eat their lunch, but their porridge was too hot, so
they went for a walk in the woods. Just then a little girl named Goldilocks
came upon their house and went inside. She saw the three bowls of
porridge on the table and tasted some from each bowl. The big bowl was
too hot, the medium-sized bowl was too cold, but the smallest bowl was
just right, so she ate it all up.
The she saw three chairs and decided to sit down. The big chair was too
hard, the medium-sized chair was too soft, but the little chair was just
right. As Goldilocks was getting comfortable in the smallest chair, it
broke. So, she went in the next room and found the beds. The big bed was
too hard, the medium-sized bed was too soft, but the little bed was just
right, and Goldilocks fell last asleep.

Just then, the three bears came home to find their house in a mess. Papa
bear said, ìSomeoneís been eating my porridge.î Mama bear said the
same thing, and baby bear said, ìSomeoneís been eating my porridge, and
they ate it all up!î Then they saw the chairs and papa bear said,
ìSomeoneís been sitting in my chair.î Mama bear said the same thing, and
then baby bear said, ìSomeoneís been sitting in my chair, and they broke
it!î

Then they went into the next room and found Goldilocks asleep in baby
bearís bed. When she awoke, she was so frightened she ran out of the
bearsí house and didnít stop running till she got home.

11. The Ant and the Dove

One hot day, an ant was searching for some water. After walking around
for some time, she came to a spring. To reach the spring, she had to climb
up a blade of grass. While making her way up, she slipped and fell into
the water.
She could have drowned if a dove up a nearby tree had not seen her.
Seeing that the ant was in trouble, the dove quickly plucked a leaf and
dropped it into the water near the struggling ant. The ant moved towards
the leaf and climbed up onto it. Soon, the leaf drifted to dry ground, and
the ant jumped out. She was safe at last.
Just at that time, a hunter nearby was about to throw his net over the dove,
hoping to trap it.
Guessing what he was about to do, the ant quickly bit him on the heel.
Feeling the pain, the hunter dropped his net. The dove was quick to fly
away to safety.
12. The Boy who cried 'Wolf'
Once there was a shepherd boy, who had to look after a flock of sheep.
One day, he felt bored and decided to play a trick on the villagers. He
shouted, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!”
The villagers heard his cries and rushed out of the village to help the
shepherd boy. When they reached him, they asked, “Where is the wolf?”
The shepherd boy laughed loudly, “Ha, Ha, Ha! I fooled you all. I was
only playing a trick on you.”
A few days later, the shepherd boy played the trick again.
He cried, “Help! Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the villagers rushed up the
hill to help him and again they found that the boy had tricked them. They
were very angry with him for being so naughty.
Then, sometime later, a wolf really went into the field. The wolf attacked
one sheep, and then another and another. The shepherd boy ran towards
the village shouting, “Help! Help! Wolf! Help! Somebody!”
The villagers heard his cries but they laughed because they thought it was
just another trick.
The boy ran to the nearest villager and said, “A wolf is attacking the
sheep. I lied before, but this time it is true!”
Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. They could see the wolf
running away and many dead sheep lying on the grass.
We may not believe someone who often tells lies, even when he tells the
truth.

13. The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a lion, the king of the jungle, was asleep, a little mouse began
running up and down on him. This soon awakened the lion, who placed
his huge paw on the mouse, and opened his big jaws to swallow him.
"Pardon, O King!" cried the little mouse. "Forgive me this time. I shall
never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, I
may be able to do you a good turn one of these days!”
The lion was so tickled by the idea of the mouse being able to help him
that he lifted his paw and let him go.
Sometime later, a few hunters captured the lion, and tied him to a tree.
After that they went in search of a wagon, to take him to the zoo.
Just then the little mouse happened to pass by. On seeing the lion’s plight,
he ran up to him and gnawed away the ropes that bound him, the king of
the jungle.
"Was I not right?" said the little mouse, very happy to help the lion.

14. The goose with the golden eggs

Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a
goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they
soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough.
They imagined that if the bird is able to lay golden eggs, its insides must
be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious
metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. So the man and his
wife decided to kill the bird
However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its
innards were like that of any other goose!

15. The Cunning Fox and the Clever Stork

Once upon a time, there lived a very cunning and mischievous fox. He
used to speak to other animals sweetly and gain their trust, before playing
tricks on them.
One day the fox met a stork. He befriended the stork and acted like a very
good friend. Soon, he invited the stork to have a feast with him. The stork
happily accepted the invitation.
The day of the feast came, and the stork went to the fox’s house. To her
surprise and disappointment, the fox said that he could not make a big
feast as promised, and just offered some soup. When he brought the soup
out of the kitchen, the stork saw that it was in a shallow bowl!
The poor stork could not have any soup with its long bill, but the fox
easily licked the soup from the plate. As the stork just touched the soup
with the tip of its bill, the fox asked her, “How is the soup? Don’t you
like it?”
The hungry stork replied, “Oh it is good, but my stomach is upset, and I
can’t take any more soup!”
“I’m sorry for troubling you,” said the fox.
The stork replied, “Oh dear, please don’t say sorry. I have some health
problem and cannot enjoy what you offer.”
She left the place after thanking the fox, and inviting him to her house for
dinner.
The day arrived and the fox reached the stork’s place. After exchanging
pleasantries, the stork served soup for both of them, in a narrow jar with a
long neck. She was able to have the soup very easily with her long bill,
but the fox obviously could not.
After finishing hers, the stork asked the fox if he was enjoying the soup.
The fox remembered the feast he himself had given the stork, and felt
very ashamed. He stammered, “I…I’d better leave now. I have a tummy
ache.”

16. The hare and the tortoise

There once was a speedy Hare who bragged about how fast he could run.
Tired of hearing him boast, the Tortoise challenged him to a race. All the
animals in the forest gathered to watch.
The Hare ran down the road for a while and then paused to rest. He
looked back at the tortoise and cried out, "How do you expect to win this
race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?"
The Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep,
thinking, "There is plenty of time to relax."
The Tortoise walked and walked, never ever stopping until he came to the
finish line.
The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise that they
woke up the Hare. The Hare stretched, yawned and began to run again,
but it was too late. Tortoise had already crossed the finish line.

Moral: Slow and steady wins the race.

17. The Fox and the Grapes

One afternoon, a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch
of grapes hanging from a lofty branch. "Just the thing to quench my
thirst," said the fox.
Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging
grapes. Again, the fox took a few paces back and tried to reach them, but
still failed.
Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, "They're probably
sour anyway." Then he walked away.
MORAL: IT'S EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT HAVE.

18. The Ant and the Grasshopper

One summer’s day, in a field, a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping
and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with
great effort an ear of corn he was taking to his nest.
"Why don’t you come and chat with me," asked the Grasshopper,
"instead of toiling your life away?"
"I am helping to store up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and I
recommend you to do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper. "We have got plenty
of food at present."
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When winter came, the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it
saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they
had collected in summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew...
MORAL: WORK TODAY AND YOU CAN REAP THE BENEFITS
TOMORROW!

19. The Milkmaid and her Pail

Patty the Milkmaid was going to the market carrying milk in a pail on her
head.
As she went along, she began calculating what she would do with the
money she would get for the milk. “I'll buy some fowls from Farmer
Brown," said she, "and they will lay eggs each morning, which I will sell
to the parson's wife. With the money that I get from the sale of these eggs,
I'll buy myself a new dimity frock and a chip hat, and when I go to the
market, won't all the young men come up and speak to me! Polly Shaw
will be so jealous, but I don't care. I shall just look at her and toss my
head like this."
As she spoke that, she tossed her head back and the pail fell off it, and all
the milk was spilt!
MORAL: DO NOT COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE
HATCHED.

20. Three Sons and a Bundle of Sticks

Once upon a time, an old man lived with his three sons in a village. The
three sons were hard workers. Still, they quarrelled all the time. The old
man tried a lot to unite them but he failed. Though the villagers
appreciated their hard work and efforts, they made fun of them on their
fights.
Months passed by and the old man fell sick. He told his sons to stay
united, but they didn’t listen to him. So, he decided to teach them a
practical lesson so that they would forget their differences and stay
united.
The old man called his sons. He told them, “I will give you a bundle of
sticks. Separate each stick and you will have to break each stick into two.
The one who breaks the sticks quickly will be rewarded more.”
The sons agreed.
The old man gave a bundle of 10 sticks to each of them and asked them to
break each stick into pieces. They broke the sticks into pieces in minutes.
And again they started to quarrel among themselves as to who came first.
The old man said, “Dear sons, the game is not over. Now I will give
another bundle of sticks to each of you. You will have to break the sticks
as a bundle, not as separate sticks.”
The sons agreed and tried to break the bundle of sticks. Though they tried
their best, they could not break the bundle. They failed to complete the
task.
The three sons reported their failure to their father.
The old man replied, “Dear sons, See! You could easily break the single
sticks into pieces, but you were not able to break the bundle! So, if you
stay united, nobody can do any harm to you. If you quarrel every time
with your brothers, anyone can easily defeat you. I request you to stay
united.”
The three sons understood the power of unity and promised their father
that whatever be the situation, they would all stay together.

Moral: Unity is Strength!

21. Thumbelina
Once upon a time, a simple and kind hearted woman lived carrying one
desire in her mind. She had only one simple dream. Her dream was to
have a baby girl. Days and months pass by, but her dream did not come
true. Her desire to have a little girl grows stronger and stronger.
One day to make her dream come true, she visited a witch. She expressed
her desire to have a baby girl. The witch offered a magic barley grain and
asked her to plant it.

The Birth of Thumbelina

Although the woman wasn’t happy, she had a hope and planted the magic
grain in a flower pot. To her surprise, the very next day, the magic barley
grew into a beautiful big flower bud, which appeared like a Tulip!

Mesmerized by the beauty of the flower, she softly and gently kissed the
bud. Since it was a magic flower, it blossomed instantly with her kiss on
the bud. The woman was greatly surprised as inside the flower sat a tiny
and cute little girl, who looked as small as a thumb. The woman named
her Thumbelina!

Thumbelina’s life
She became the part of the woman’s life. The woman provided
Thumbelina everything she needed. She used walnut shell as her bed,
petals of violet flower as her mattress and petals of beautiful roses as her
blanket.
Thumbelina played in the petal boat of the tulip and floated on a plate of
water. She used two horse hairs as oars to sail around the lake. She had a
beautiful voice. She played, floated, rowed the boat and sailed around by
singing and singing and singing beautifully!

Thumbelina snatched by a cunning frog

After playing for long time, Thumbelina fell asleep in her walnut shell.
As she was sleeping, a huge frog looked at sleeping Thumbelina in the
shell through the window. The frog simply gazed at her stunned at her
beauty. She thought that Thumbelina would be the right girl for her son
and picked her, ran away with her.
Unfortunately, no one noticed Thumbelina snatched by a frog. The large
frog carried her to the pond where her family lives. She introduced the
beautiful Thumbelina to her ugly and fatty son, who was a momma’s boy.
Even the ugly son pleased when he saw her. However, both the mom and
son frogs were frightened that the beautiful prisoner may escape from
them. Rather than let her ran away from their custody, she put
Thumbelina in a water lily and put the lily into the middle of the pond.
Mom and son were happy that Thumbelina won’t be able to escape from
there. In the meanwhile they both started preparing for the marriage.

How Thumbelina escaped from the trap?

The bitter talks of two frogs were heard by two minnows that were
playing in the pond. They decided to help Thumbelina escape from the
trap. The minnows, with the help of a butterfly pushed the lily. The leaf
with lily floated far away from the pond and Thumbelina escaped.

Thumbelina encountered many problems

Although Thumbelina escaped from the frogs, she was soon captured by a
beetle. However, very soon the beetle freed Thumbelina as she appeared
very different.
The summer approached and Thumbelina wandered in grass lands and
across the flowers. She hardly found good food to eat. She ate pollen as
her meals and dew as her drink. Soon, the rainy season appeared. It made
the places nasty. The little girl struggled too hard to find good shelter.
Even though she recovered from the heavy water drops of rainy season,
the winter made her struggle even more. The winter was terrible and she
could not find food.
While she was roaming on the meadows, a big spider offered her help to
provide food and shelter. The spider took her to a hollow tree and fed her
with chestnuts. When the spider called his family to meet his new friend,
the beautiful Thumbelina, others discriminated her as she looked different.
She cried loudly and left spider’s home.
Again, she wandered on the cold meadows. She saw a little cottage made
of wood and leaves. Thumbelina decided to request help and knocked the
door of the little cottage. It was a house of a mouse. The mouse was
amazed at the beauty of Thumbelina. She requested him to help her and
offer her shelter. The field mouse asked her to stay with him as long as
she wishes.
One day, the field mouse brought a friend, a rich mole. Field mouse asked
Thumbelina to sing a song and she sang so beautifully and the mouse and
the mole were well impressed by her singing. The field mouse ordered
Thumbelina to marry the mole as he was very rich. The mouse was so
cruel to her and she decided to run away from him. The mole planned for
their marriage in the summer.
After a few days, she nursed a swallow bird and gave her food every day.
They became closer and the swallow bird shared her story. During the
onset of spring, the swallow was completely cured and decided to fly
away.
She offered Thumbelina to join her. She made every possible attempt to
escape from the mole marrying her. She was thinking and horrified how
she going live in a tunnel with mole for the whole life!
Just before a day of her wedding, the swallow asked her to join and spend
a day in the sky! Without a second thought, Thumbelina grabbed the
finger of the bird. The bird carried Thumbelina over the hills, meadows,
plains, and until they reach the flower country.
The country was full of colorful flowers. The swallow gently placed her
on a beautiful flower, where she met the king of flower fairies. The king
was impressed by her beauty, asked her to marry him and she instantly
said YES! She became the queen of flowers.
They lived happily ever after!

22. The thirsty crow

One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for water. For
a long time, she could not find any. She felt very weak, almost giving up
hope.
Suddenly, she saw a water jug below her. She flew straight down to see if
there was any water inside. Yes, she could see some water inside the jug!
The crow tried to push her head into the jug. Sadly, she found that the
neck of the jug was too narrow. Then she tried to push the jug down for
the water to flow out. She found that the jug was too heavy.
The crow thought hard for a while. Then looking around her, she saw
some pebbles. She suddenly had a good idea. She started picking up the
pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug. As more and more
pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon it was high
enough for the crow to drink. Her plan had worked!

If you try hard enough, you may soon find an answer to your problem.

23. The Ugly Duckling

The story begins with a mother duck hatching eggs on a beautiful sunny
day. The eggs break open and little ducklings step out into the wide world.
One of the little ducklings looks very different and literally ugly. It is
grey in color and is bigger and stronger than the others.
The ugly duckling is teased by everyone because of its appearance. The
shattered ugly duckling wanders here and there. Wherever he goes, he is
humiliated for his appearance. He is teased by a cat, a hen and fellow
birds. The winter is quite miserable and there is no proper shelter for the
ugly duckling. The spring arrives and ugly duckling sees a group of
swans. He decides to join them.
The swans are swimming in a lake. The ugly duckling wishes to join
them but hesitates thinking they too would make fun of him. Accidentally,
he sees his reflection in the lake. He is no more ugly looking. He has
grown up into a beautiful swan and is surprised by the way he looks. The
ugly duckling is not ugly anymore. He joins the group of swans, flies
over beautiful lakes, forests and mountians, and lives happily.

24. The frog prince

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who had a golden ball.
One day, while playing in the garden, the ball fell into a pond. She was
very upset and did not know what to do. While she sat there crying
helplessly, a frog hopped out of the pond and asked, “Why are you crying,
little princess?” She told him about her golden ball. The ugly frog said, “I
can help you get your ball but what will you give me in return?” “I
will give you anything you want!” promised the princess. The frog
immediately dived into the water and fetched the ball for her. The
princess was very happy. The frog reminded her, “Remember that you
promised me anything. Well, I want to be your friend, eat from your plate,
and sleep in your palace!” The princess hated the idea but she agreed and
ran back to the palace.
The next morning, the princess found the frog waiting for her. He said, “I
have come to live in your palace.” Hearing this, the princess ran to her fa-
ther, crying. When the kind king heard about the promise, he told her, “A
promise is a promise and you must keep your word. You must let the frog
stay here.” The princess was very angry but she had no choice and let the
frog stay. He ate from her plate during dinner and asked the princess to
take him to her bed at night. The princess picked him up angrily and
threw him to the floor.
In a flash, the frog turned into a handsome prince! He told the princess
that he had actually been under the spell of a wicked witch. The princess
fell in love with the prince. They were married and lived happily ever
after.

25. Little Match Girl

Once there was a little girl who used to make a living by selling matches
ill the street. It was New Year’s Eve and people all around were
merrymaking and celebrating.
The little girl was sitting beside a fountain in the freezing cold. She was
wearing torn and ragged clothes and had no shoes on her feet. No one had
bought her matchboxes that (lay and she was frightened to go home
because she knew her father would scold tier for coming back without
selling anything. She wanted to light a match to keep herself warm but
was scared that her father would scold her for wasting a matchstick.
Finally, unable to bear the cold anymore. she took out one matchstick and
lit it. Lo! She was sitting in front of a warn) stove. She reached out her
hands to feel the heart but the fire soon died out. Then she lit another
match and saw a din-[let table with a roast goose on it. She chuckled in
delight but after a while. this match also died out. She looked up at the
sky and saw a falling star. tier grandmother used to say, “A falling star is
a soul that has reached the sky.” When she Struck another match she saw
her grandmother.
That night, she burnt all her matchsticks. wishing to keep tier
grandmother with her. Finally, together they Hew up to heaven. The next
morning, the little match girl lay frozen to death. with a smile on her lips.
No one would ever know the wonderful dreams she had had, the previous
night.

26. Aladdin
Once there lived a poor widow and her son, Aladdin. One day, Aladdin’s
uncle, Mustafa, came to visit them. He said, “Sister, why don’t you let
Aladdin come and work for me?” They agreed and Mustafa took Aladdin
along with him. They walked in the desert and came to a cave. The cave
was full of riches and treasures but Mustafa was afraid to go inside. He
wanted Aladdin to go in and get him the treasures instead. “Go inside,”
commanded Mustafa, “and find me the jewels. You will also find a lamp.
Bring it to me.”
Aladdin went inside and found more riches than he could ever imagine.
He found a beautiful ring and wore it on his finger. He also collected as
many gems as he could, but before he could come out of the cave,
Mustafa said, “Quick! Just hand me all, the jewels and the lamp!”
Aladdin refused. Angry at the refusal, his cruel uncle blocked the
entrance of the cave and left.
Aladdin sat in the dark and cried. Then he saw the old lamp and decided
to light it. While cleaning it, he rubbed the lamp and out came a genie!
“Master, I shall grant you three wishes,” he said. Aladdin said, “Take me
home!” In seconds, Aladdin was with his mother, counting the gems he
had brought from the cave. Aladdin also brought the ring along with him
and when he rubbed it, out came another genie! “Master, I shall grant you
three wishes!” said the genie. “Make us rich and happy!” said Aladdin.
And Aladdin and his mother lived happily.
One day, Aladdin saw the sultan’s daughter and fell in love with her. He
went to the palace with gems and asked for her hand in marriage. The
king agreed to this. After marriage, Aladdin showered the princess with
all the riches and gave her a huge palace to live in. When the sultan died,
Aladdin ruled the kingdom. He was just and kind hearted and everybody
was happy under his rule.
Meanwhile, Mustafa came to know how Aladdin found the magic lamp
and became rich. He wanted to take the lamp back. So, one day, when
Aladdin was away, Mustafa came to the palace dressed as a trader. He
cried out, “Get new lamps for old ones! New lamps for old!” Hearing this,
the princess took out the magic lamp and gave it to him. She did not
know that the old lamp was indeed magical. She bought a shiny new lamp
instead. Mustafa gladly took the lamp and went away. He then
commanded the genie, “Send Aladdin’s entire palace into the deserts in
Africa!” And saying this, Mustafa, along with the princess in the palace,
were sent to Africa. Aladdin, on coming back, found his wife and house
missing. He searched for the palace for three long days. Finally, he
rubbed his magic ring and asked the genie, “Please take me to my
princess!” The genie agreed. When he met his wife, Aladdin and the
princess decided to trick Mustafa.
One night, the princess said to Mustafa, “I don’t think Aladdin will ever
find me here! I might as well live as your slave for I am certain he is dead
now!” Mustafa was very happy and ordered for a feast. During the feast,
the princess got Mustafa drunk and he fell into a deep sleep.
In the meantime, the princess took the magic lamp to Aladdin. Together,
they asked the genie of the lamp to take the entire palace back to
Aladdin’s kingdom. The genie then killed Mustafa and Aladdin and the
princess lived happily ever after.
27. A Gingerbread Man
A little old man and a little old woman stayed in a cottage.
One day, the woman made a gingerbread man for dinner. She decorated
the gingerbread man with eyes made of currants and buttons made of
cherries. But when she took out gingerbread man from the oven, he
jumped out and ran away.
The old woman and her husband ran after him but gingerbread man was
too fast for them. Neither the pig, nor the cow, nor the horse who
followed, could outrun gingerbread man. Now, the gingerbread man came
to a river and didn’t know how to cross it. A sly fox came up to him and
offered to help him to cross the river. He asked him to sit on his tail but
gingerbread man began to get wet. Then the fox told him to sit on his
back and finally on his nose.
No sooner did gingerbread man sit on the fox’s nose, that the sly fox
tossed him and gobbled him up.

28. Sleeping beauty

Once upon a time there lived a good king and his queen. They had no
children for many years and were very sad.
Then one day, the queen gave birth to a lovely baby girl and the whole
kingdom was happy. There was a grand celebration and all the fairies in
the kingdom were invited. But the king forgot to invite an old fairy. She
came to the celebrations but was very angry. Soon it was time to gift the
baby with special wishes. The good fairies wished her well and said,
“May she grow to be the most beautiful girl in the world! She will sing
sweetly and dance so well! She will live happily!” All the fairies blessed
the baby and gave her beautiful gifts.
When it was the old fairy’s turn, she said, “When the baby is sixteen she
will touch a spindle, and die!” The king and queen were shocked and
begged the fairy to forgive them and take her words back but the fairy
refused to do so. When the other fairies saw the king and queen crying,
they said, “We cannot undo what the old fairy has spoken. But we
certainly can make it different. Your child shall not die when she touches
the spindle. But she will fall into a deep sleep for a hundred years. Then,
a prince will come along and wake her up.” Hearing this, the king and the
queen were relieved. The king forbade everyone from spinning so that the
princess would never touch a spindle.
The princess grew up to be a kind girl and helped people in need.
Everybody loved her. Years passed. When the princess was sixteen years
old, she was walking in the woods when she saw an old lady spinning.
“What is this? May I try?” she asked The old lady said, “Of course, my
pretty little child!” And the princess sat down to spin. But the moment
she touched the spindle, she fell to the floor in a deep slumber. The old
lady took her back to the palace and the king and queen laid her on her
bed and tucked her in. They were very sad and called the good fairies.
The fairies felt sorry for them and cast a spell over the whole kingdom so
that when the princess woke up after a hundred years, she would not be
alone in the palace. Everyone, including the guards and the servants and
the animals were now fast asleep. For a hundred years, they all slept
soundly.
A hundred years passed. There came a prince from a far off land. He,
along with his servants, went deep into the forest and crossed many rivers.
Once the prince lost his way and was separated from the rest of the
travellers. He came to the sleeping kingdom and was amazed. The guards,
the servants, the cats and the cows were all fast asleep and snoring.
The prince reached the palace and entered it. No one moved. The prince
then found the sleeping princess. She was such a beautiful girl that the
prince kissed her. By that time, a hundred years had passed by and
everyone was waking up, one by one. The princess yawned and opened
her eyes. She saw the prince and smiled. She asked him “Are you my
prince?” He was happy to hear her speak. The prince and the princess fell
in love with each other. The prince wanted to marry the princess so they
went to ask for permission from their parents.
The king and the queen arranged for a royal wedding. All the clothes the
bride wore were a hundred years old, but she looked beautiful. Soon, they
were married and then they rode away to the prince’s kingdom far, far
away.

29. Little mermaid

Long long ago, in the Deep Sea kingdom, there lived the sea king with his
five mermaid daughters. Sirenetta was the youngest and the loveliest
among them. She had a beautiful voice and everybody from far and wide
came to hear her sing and praised her voice and her beauty.
One day, while Sirenetta was swimming on the surface of the water and
watching ships go by, she saw a young man falling off his ship. She
swam swiftly to save him from drowning and dragged him to the shore.
Soon, people found the man on the shore and Sirenetta swam away. This
man was actually the prince of a kingdom. When he became conscious,
the prince looked around for the girl who had saved him but no one knew
who she was.
Sirenetta often thought of the young man and fell in love with the prince,
but she was sad because she could never be like all the other ladies he
knew. They had two feet and she had a fish tail!
In the Deep Sea lived a witch with magical powers. One day, Sirenetta
went to beg her for human legs. The witch said, “I need your beautiful
voice! Only then I shall give you legs! But you must remember, every
time you set your feet on the ground, it will hurt very badly!” Sirenetta
agreed. She did not mind the pain. All she wanted was to be with the
prince. As soon as she got her two feet Sirenetta became dumb. When she
was leaving, the witch said, “If your prince marries anybody else, you
shall dissolve in the sea water. You can never become a mermaid again!”
With the witch’s magic spell, Sirenetta found herself lying on the beach
and the prince looking down at her. He asked, “Where are you from?”
But she could not reply. The prince took her to his palace and looked
after her. They became good friends and had a wonderful time together.
Every step Sirenetta took hurt, but she bore it all silently. She loved the
prince but the prince was in love with the beautiful maiden who had
saved him. The prince did not realise it had been Sirenetta and she
couldn’t tell him.
Obeying the wishes of his father, the prince went to meet the daughter of
a neighbouring king. Enchanted by her beauty the prince was convinced
this was the same maiden who rescued him. He asked the princess to
marry him. A grand wedding took place.
Sirenetta was heartbroken. That night, crying she ran to the seashore.
There she saw four mermaids. Why, they were her sisters! One of them
handed her a knife and said, “Here, Sirenetta! This is a magic knife! We
gave our long hair locks to the witch of the Deep Sea and she gave this to
us in return. Kill your prince and you shall turn into a mermaid again!
Then you can come and live with us!”
Sirenetta took the magic knife and went to the prince’s room at night. But
she loved him so much that she could not kill him. She knew that at dawn,
she would vanish into the sea, just as the witch of the Deep Sea had told
her earlier. She sat on the shore and wept silently.
Suddenly, from the sky came a pink cloud. It lifted her from the land into
the sky. “Where am IT’ asked Sirenetta, for now she could talk. The
beautiful fairies replied, “We are the air fairies. You are now one of us
because you did a good deed for the person you love. Come with us.”
From then on, the little mermaid, Sirenetta, lived in the sky with the
fairies.

30. Beauty and the beast

Once upon a time there lived a wealthy merchant and his three daughters.
One day, the father was to go to a far-off place and he asked his daughters
what they wanted on his return. The first and the second daughter asked
for lovely dresses. But the third daughter, whose name was Beauty, said,
“Father, I only need a rose plucked by your hand.” The merchant, on his
way back, had to cross through the deep forest. It was dark and the
merchant tried to find a place to sleep. He suddenly found a huge castle
and went inside to find nobody. There was a huge table with
delicious food and he ate it all. Then the merchant went into the bedroom
and slept on a soft and fluffy bed. The next day, too, the merchant did not
find anyone in the castle. He saw a beautiful rose bush growing in the
lawn and remembered Beauty’s gift. He plucked a red rose from the bush.
Suddenly, a ferocious looking beast sprang out of the bush. He was
wearing fine silk clothes and roared, “I gave you food and a bed to sleep
in! And now, you are stealing my roses!” The merchant was frightened
and told the Beast about Beauty’s gift. The Beast decided to let him go
only if he promised to send Beauty to this castle. The merchant agreed
and ran back home. He cried and told his daughters about the Beast. But
Beauty loved her father a lot and agreed to go stay with the Beast.
The Beast treated Beauty with a lot of kindness. He was never rude to her.
He let her stay in the biggest room and let her roam in the beautiful
garden. Beauty would sit near the fireplace and sew while the Beast kept
her company. At first, Beauty was afraid of the Beast but slowly, she
began to like him.
One day, the Beast asked Beauty to marry him, but she refused. She was
still afraid of his fearful-looking face. The Beast still treated her kindly
and with a lot of love. Beauty missed her father a lot. The Beast gave her
a magic mirror and said, “Look at the mirror and you can see your family.
Now you won’t feel lonely anymore.
One day, Beauty looked in the mirror and saw that father was very ill and
dying. She went to the Beast and pleaded and cried, “Please let me go
home! I only want to see my father before he dies!” But the Beast roared,
“No! You promised you would never leave this castle!” Saying this, he
stormed out of the room. But after some time, he came to Beauty and said,
“You may go to stay with your father for seven days. But you must
promise to return after that.” Beauty was very happy and agreed. Then
she left and went to stay with her father. Her father, on seeing Beauty, felt
very happy and soon recovered. Beauty stayed with her family for seven
days and more. She forgot the Beast and his castle. But one night, she had
a terrible nightmare in which she saw the Beast was very ill and about to
die. He was crying, “Beauty, please come back!”
Beauty woke up and went back to the castle because she did not mean to
hurt the Beast. She cried and said, “Please don’t die, Beast! I will live
with you forever!” The Beast miraculously changed into a handsome
prince. He said, “I was under a curse all these years and could only be
relieved when someone fell in love with me. I am now cured of the curse
because you truly love me.” And then, Beauty and the Beast were married
and together they lived happily ever after.

31. The Little Golden Fish

Once there lived a poor fisherman and his nagging wife. One day, the
fisherman went to the sea and caught a golden fish. The fish pleaded, “Oh,
please let me go! I am the king of the sea! I will grant you any wish!” The
fisherman was surprised to see the golden fish, and let it go. He went
home and told this to his wife and she became angry. She said, “You fool!
You should have asked for a new bathtub! Haven’t you seen how bad our
old one is?” So, the fisherman went to the sea again and told the golden
fish about his wife’s wish. When he came home, he found a brand new
bathtub, but the greedy wife was not happy. She ordered, “Go to the fish
again and ask him for a big house now!”
The fisherman was scared of his wife and he went to see the golden fish
again. When the fish heard about the new wish he said, “I will grant you
the wish because you are kind. Go, be happy!”
When the fisherman reached home, he found the wife in a palace wearing
expensive clothes. But the ungrateful wife was still not satisfied and
ordered, “Go find that fish right now and ask him to make me the queen
of this world! Go!”
The witless fisherman ran to find the fish. However, this time, the little
golden fish did not appear. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and a
bolt of thunder. He ran home to find that the golden fish had taken back
all the wishes. The fisherman realised that if he had not listened to his
greedy wife, they would not have lost the bathtub or the palace and would
have been very rich.

32. Snow White

Once upon a time there lived a lovely princess with fair skin and blue
eyes. She was so fair that she was named Snow White. Her mother died
when Snow White was a baby and her father married again. This queen
was very pretty but she was also very cruel. The wicked stepmother
wanted to be the most beautiful lady in the kingdom and she would often
ask her magic mirror, “Mirror! Mirror on the wall! Who is the fairest of
them all?” And the magic mirror would say, “You are, Your Majesty!”
But one day, the mirror replied, “Snow White is the fairest of them all!”
The wicked queen was very angry and jealous of Snow White. She
ordered her hunt
sman to take Snow White to the forest and kill her. “I want you to bring
back her heart,” she ordered. But when the huntsman reached the forest
with Snow White, he took pity on her and set her free. He killed a deer
and took its heart to the wicked queen and told her that he had killed
Snow White. Snow White wandered in the forest all night, crying.
When it was daylight, she came to a tiny cottage and went inside. There
was nobody there, but she found seven plates on the table and seven tiny
beds in the bedroom. She cooked a wonderful meal and cleaned the house
and tired, finally slept on one of the tiny beds. At night, the seven dwarfs
who lived in the cottage came home and found Snow White sleeping.
When she woke up and told them her story, the seven dwarfs asked her to
stay with them. When the dwarfs were away, Snow White would make
delicious meals for them. The dwarfs loved her and cared for her. Every
morning, when they left the house, they instructed her never to open the
door to strangers.
Meanwhile, in the palace, the wicked queen asked, “Mirror! Mirror on the
Who is the fairest of them
The mirror replied, White is the fairest of them all! She lives with the
seven dwarfs in the woods!” The wicked stepmother was furious. She
was actually a witch knew how to make magic potions. She now made a
poisonous potion and dipped a shiny red apple into it. Then she disguised
herself as an old peasant woman and went to the woods with the apple.
She knocked on the cottage door and said “Pretty little child! Let me in!
Look what I have for you!” White said, “I am so sorry, old lady, I cannot
let you in! The seven dwarfs have told me not to talk to strangers!” But
then, Snow White saw the shiny red apple, and opened the door. The
wicked witch offered her the apple and when she took a bite poor Snow
White fell into a deep sleep. The wicked stepmother went back to the
palace and asked the mirror, “Mirror! Mirror on the wall! Who is the
fairest of them all?” The mirror replied, “You are, Your Majesty!” and
she was very happy.
When the seven dwarfs came home to find Snow White lying on the floor,
they were very upset. They cried all night and then built a glass coffin for
Snow White. They kept the coffin in front of the cottage. One day, Prince
Charming was going past the cottage and he saw Snow White lying in the
coffin. He said to the dwarfs, “My! My! She is so beautiful! I would like
to kiss her!” And he did. Immediately, Snow White opened her eyes. She
was alive again! The Prince and the seven dwarfs were very happy.
Prince Charming married Snow White and took her to his palace and
lived happily ever after.

33. Rumpelstiltskin
Once there was a poor miller who had a very beautiful daughter. One day,
he went to the king’s court and claimed that his daughter could spin straw
into gold. The king ordered the miller’s daughter to come to the palace.
He took her to a room full of straw and said to her, “You must spin all
this straw into gold tonight, or you shall die!” The miller’s daughter was
locked in the room alone. She did not know what to do and began to cry.
Suddenly, a dwarf came out of nowhere and asked her, “Why are you
crying?” When she told him the story, he said, “Don’t worry, I will spin
the straw into gold, but what will you give me in return?” “I will give you
my necklace!” she promised. The dwarf spun all the straw into gold.
The next day, when the king saw this, he was astonished and pleased. He
became greedier. He took the girl to a bigger room and said, “Spin all this
straw into gold or you shall die!” She was locked inside again, and once
again she began to cry. The tiny man came into the room once more. He
said, “If I spin all the straw into gold, what will you give me this time?”
She gave him her gold, ring and he sat through the night and spun all the
straw into gold.
The third morning, the king was very happy to see the room full of gold.
He took her to the biggest room filled with straw and said, “If you spin all
this straw into gold, you shall become my wife!” The girl was locked up
and once again, she began to cry. This time, when the little man came to
her, she said, “I do not have anything to give you, sir! What will I do?”
He said, “Promise me that you will give me your first born child when
you become the queen!” The girl agreed to do so, because she was not
expecting to become the king’s wife. The tiny man spun all the straw into
gold in the night. The next day, the king was pleased to see the gold. He
married the girl and soon they had a baby.
The tiny man came to the queen to take her baby away but she had
forgotten about the promise. She cried and begged him to leave her baby
alone. The tiny man said, “I will not take your baby if you can guess my
name! I will give you three days!” Saying this, he disappeared. The queen
tried to remember all kinds of names. The next night, when he came, she
told him all the uncommon names she could think of, “Perhaps your
name is Shortribs, or Sheepshanks, or Laceleg,” but he always answered,
“That is not my name.” The next day the queen sent her servants all over
the country to get all the possible names of the people. That night, the
dwarf came to the queen again but she could not guess his real name.
On the third day, one of the queen’s servants went into the forest to find
the little man. Deep in the woods, the servant found him dancing and
singing happily in front of a fire. He sang, “Today I bake, tomorrow I
brew, the next I’ll have the young queen’s child. Ha, glad am I that no
one knew, that Rumpelstiltskin I am styled!” The servant went back to
the palace and told the queen the name of the dwarf.
That night, when the little man carne to the queen, she was already
prepared. The tiny man challenged, “Do you give up? Shall I take your
child away?” The queen smiled and replied, “Is your name Harry? Is it
Conrad? Perhaps it is Rumpelstiltskin!” Hearing his name, the tiny man
screamed, “How could you possibly know my name?” Saying this, he ran
away, deep into the forest never to be seen again.

34. Ali baba and the forty thieves

Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter was in the forest when he saw forty thieves
stop in front of a cave.
The leader said “Open Sesame!” and before Ali Baba’s amazed eyes the
sealed mouth of the cave magically opened and the men disappeared
inside. To come out and close the entrance, the leader said “Close
Sesame” and the cave sealed itself once more. Trembling with excitement
Ali Baba waited till the thieves had left and then entered the cave after
saying the magic words. To his delight he found lots of treasure.
Ali Baba told his brother Kasim about the wondrous cave. Kasim set off
to get some treasure for himself too. Sadly, he forgot the words to leave
the cave and the thieves killed him. Ali Baba discovered his brother’s
body in the cave. With the help of a slave girl called Morgiana, he was
able to take Kasim’s body back home and bury it.
Realising that someone else knew about their cave the thieves tracked Ali
Baba down. The leader, disguised as an oil seller stayed with Ali Baba.
He had brought along mules loaded with forty oil jars containing the
other thieves. Clever Morgiana knew who the oil seller really was and
poured boiling oil into the jars killing the other thieves. While dancing in
front of the leader of the thieves Morgiana stabbed him. Ali Baba was
saved and lived happily ever after.

35. The princess and the pea

A prince who was searching forthe perfect wife wanted to marry a
beautiful princess of good upbringing. One night, there was a storm.
There was a knock on the door and the queen found a girl standing
outside. She was wet and shivering. She said, “I am a princess but I got
caught in this storm. Please may I stay here tonight?” The queen wanted
to test if she really was a princess or not. So, while the servants made the
bed, the queen placed a tiny pea on it and added many layers of
mattresses and quilts on top. The princess slept on this bed.
The next day, the queen asked if she had slept well. She replied, “The bed
was soft, but I could not sleep. I don’t know what there was on it but my
back has turned all blue!” Seeing how delicate she was, the queen
realised that she was indeed a real princess of delicate upbringing. The
prince was very pleased and married the princess and they lived happily
ever after.

36. Country mouse and town mouse

A town mouse decided to visit his cousin in the countryside. They had a
wonderful time in the meadows and fields.
After a few days, the town mouse invited his cousin to the town. When
the country mouse saw the town mouse’s house, he was surprised. There
were so many things to eat! While they ate, a woman came into the
kitchen and saw the mice. She shrieked so loudly that her husband came
running. “It’s those mice again! Let me bring the cat in here,” he said.
Within seconds, a huge black cat chased the mice out of the kitchen. The
country mouse said, “Cousin, I am happy that you have so many things to
eat, but I would rather live safely in the country eating my simple meals!”
Saying this, the country mouse returned home.
37. The two friends
Two friends talked and sang merrily as they walked through the forest.
Suddenly a bear appeared. The first friend quickly climbed a tree. The
second one wanted help but his friend had already left him. He was very
scared because the bear was big and strong and could easily kill him. He
thought hard and when the bear came near, he lay very still on the ground
and controlled his breath. The bear came close to him and sniffed and
smelt his body all over. Now, bears do not attack the dead. The bear
walked away thinking that the man was dead. The first friend then came
down from the tree when the bear went away. He asked his friend
mockingly, “What did the bear tell you?”
The second friend thought for a while. “The bear told me never to trust a
friend who escapes and leaves you alone when you need him most,” he
said. The first friend realised his mistake and was ashamed of his
behaviour.

38. Rapunzel
Long, long ago in a house that overlooked a beautiful garden lived a
childless couple. They prayed to God every day to bless them with a child.
One day they found that God had answered their prayer. They were at
long last going to have a baby!
Their days passed in happiness but alas! the wife fell ill. She would eat
nothing and the husband was worried that she would waste away. He
tried to tempt her with many good things but she refused everything. “But
you must eat something, my dear,” he begged her. “There is a herb called
Rapunzel in the garden next door. I will feel better if I can eat that,” she
said. The husband’s heart sank when he heard her. This garden was
owned by a wicked witch who would let no one enter. But he loved his
wife very much and so with a pounding heart, he decided to go into the
garden at a time when the witch was away. One day, finding an
appropriate time he went into the gar den. He had managed to pluck the
herb but as he was about to leave, the wicked witch came back. “You
thief! How dare you enter my garden?” she screamed. She threatened to
put a curse on him. He fell at her feet and begged, “Please don’t curse me.
If my wife doesn’t eat this herb, she will die. She is going to have a baby
and is very ill.” The witch stopped to think awhile. “I will let you go on
one condition. You will give me the baby after it’s born.” The poor man
had no other way out but to agree.
He took the herb to his wife and miraculously she soon recovered and
gave birth to a beautiful girl. But as per the agreement the witch came to
take the baby away. She took Rapunzel—for that’s what she named
her—far away and locked her in a high tower. The tower had no doors or
stairs. There was only a window on top.
The only person whom Rapunzel ever saw was the wicked witch.
Rapunzel grew up to become beautiful with pretty eyes, a beautiful voice,
and her golden hair grew very, very long. All day long, when Rapunzel
was alone, she would sing and weep.
Every day, the wicked witch came to the tower with food. She stood at
the bottom of the tower and shouted. “Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let your hair
down!” Rapunzel would drop her long, braided hair through the window.
The witch used the hair as a rope to climb into the tower.

One day, a handsome prince was passing by and heard her sing. He fell in
love with her voice and unknown to all came to the tower every day to
hear her sing. One day, the prince saw the witch climbing up the tower
using Rapunzel’s hair.
The next day, the prince too called out to Rapunzel. “Let down your
hair,” he said. The prince climbed to the top of the tower. After that, the
prince came to meet Rapunzel every night.
Alas! the witch soon discovered the prince with Rapunzel. She pushed
him from the tower onto a thorny bush, making him blind. She banished
Rapunzel into the desert far away.
Many years passed. The blind prince wandered alone and finally reached
the same desert. One day, he heard familiar voice singing. Following the
sound he found her. They hugged each other in joy. Tears of happiness
rolled down Rapuzel’s cheek. As the tears fell on the prince’s eyes, he
regained his vision.
The prince took Rapunzel to his kingdom and they lived happily ever
after.

29. The Man Who Lost His Axe

Once, there was a Man who was busy digging a ditch in his vineyard. He
was tired and wanted to rest. So he put down the Axe for some time.
When he had rested enough, he wanted to continue digging. But, his Axe
had disappeared!
Soon, he called together all his hired men and asked them, “Have any of
you seen my Axe , the one I was using?”
“No,” they replied.
The Man was very angry and said, “I know one of you has taken it. I will
find out who the thief is, whatever it would cost me!” He insisted, “Come
along to the temple of the famous prophet in a neighbouring city.”
While they were washing their feet at the fountain in the market-place the
town-crier came and said in a loud voice, “The sacred shrine has been
robbed last night! A
large reward would be given to whoever finds the thief.” At once, the
Man told his men, “Let us return home
right away. If the God of the shrine cannot tell who robbed his temple,
how would he know who took my Axe?”
It is silly to believe that our problems will be solved on their own.

30. The swallow and the crow

Once, a proud Swallow lived on a large tree. He Liked his colourful
feathers and his long tail. One day, he saw a Crow and thought, ‘How
dull this bird is! All his feathers are black.’ He looked at himself lovingly
and admired his own feathers.
Just then, the Crow flew and sat on the same branch as the Swallow. The
Swallow said, ‘All your features are black and your tail is so short.”
The Crow smiled and said, “But they help me fly” The Swallow said, “So
do mine, but look at how beautiful they are!” He spread his wings and
flew a little closer to the Crow. The Crow saw that the Swallow had lots
of blue feathers and some white and pink ones, too. He looked at his own
feathers and thought, `It’s true, the Swallow’s feathers are really
colourful.’
The Crow said, “Swallow, you are right. You have lovely feathers and a
long tail, but only in summer. Your beautiful feathers fall off and cannot
keep you warm in winters. While you shiver, my feathers are always
there. They keep me warm in the cold winters.”
Don’t be proud of something that is of little use.
31. The greedy dog
Once upon a time, there lived a dog. One day, he was very hungry and
went in search of food. To his delight, the dog found a juicy bone. The
dog happily carried the bone back home. He held the bone tightly in his
mouth and scowled at anyone who tried to take it away.
On his way home, he had to cross a bridge. While crossing the bridge, the
dog saw his reflection in the water below. The foolish dog thought there
was another dog in the water, holding another juicy bone. The greedy dog
wanted to have that bone too. He growled and barked at his own
reflection in the water. “I’ll get that bone too,” thought the greedy dog,
and he snapped his sharp teeth and barked at his reflection in the water.
But alas! The moment the foolish dog opened his mouth to snap his teeth,
the piece of bone fell into the stream. The dog lost his bone and had to go
home, hungry.

32. The lion and the mouse

A little mouse was passing through a lion’s den. The lion caught him and
was about to smash him when the little mouse spoke, “Sir, please let me
go, and I will do you a good turn one day, for sparing my life.”
The lion was rather amused to hear this, thinking, “What good can he do
me. . . ” but he let him go.
Two weeks later, some huntsmen came to the same forest and spread a
net around
the lion’s den. The lion was captured. He struggled hard to set himself
free but he soon realised he was trapped. He roared with anger.
The little mouse was looking for food, when he heard the lion’s roar. He
ran to him. Seeing the lion caught in the net, he started gnawing at it at
once. The mouse had sharp teeth and he soon freed the lion.
The lion was very grateful to the little mouse. From that day, they became
the best of friends.

33. Who will bell the cat?

There was a certain cat that was troubling the mice and had killed many
of them. All the mice met to talk about this big problem. The mice
wanted to get rid of the cat and decided to make a plan. The mice sat and
talked for a very long time but could not come to any conclusion.
An old mouse stood up and said, “I know what we should do! We should
tie a bell around the cat’s neck. When the bell tinkles, we will know
where the cat is!” All the other mice liked the idea. But one young mouse
stood up and asked, “That is a good idea, but may I ask who will bell the
cat?” None of the mice wanted to do that. The young mouse then said, “It
is easy to sit and have big ideas. But it is never easy to carry them out.”

34. The sun and the wind

The Sun and the Wind had an argument as to who was stronger. They
kept arguing with each other and couldn’t make a decision.
Meanwhile, a traveller was passing by. On seeing him, the Wind said,
“The one who is able to make the traveller remove his coat is the
winner.” The Wind decided to try first, and huffed and puffed and blew
as hard as it could, but the traveller just drew his coat tightly around him
and kept walking on. Finally, the Wind gave up and it was the turn of the
Sun to show its might. The sun shone brightly. Gradually, it grew hotter
and hotter and the heat was so unbearable that the traveller finally
removed his coat.
The Sun proved his strength and was delighted at winning the argument.