Fairy tales in English

Retold by The Fable Cottage

Children's stories translated into English with optional English translation and slow audio from a native English speaker. Great for kids... and adults too! Enjoy!

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The Happy Prince
audio
video
22:42

A haughty swallow is flying to Egypt when he meets a regretful statue seeking redemption. A longer, intermediate-level story with sad parts — Have some tissues handy!

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The Little Red Hen
audio
video
5:48

One day a hard-working sees a bush full of raspberries and decides to make a cake. Will her friends help? A harvest-tinged story with lots of repetition and baking vocabulary, told in the present tense.

free chapter
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The Oak Tree
updated!
audio
video
2:39

Two hikers get stuck in some bad weather, and discover that a "useless" oak tree isn't so useless after all. A short story with weather and basic feelings vocabulary.

free chapter
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The Bear and the Bee
updated!
audio
video
4:02

Mr Bear is hungry for honey. Unfortunately he has no talent for negotiating with bees... A short, cautionary tale about losing your temper, told in the present tense.

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Jack and the Beanstalk
updated!
audio
video
12:54

A well-meaning young man steals from giants because he wants his mother to be happy — But then he gets greedy and things escalate.

free chapter
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The Wind and the Sun
updated!
audio
video
3:20

The wind and the sun want to find out who is the strongest, and so they throw a whole bunch of weather vocabulary at an unsuspecting man. Told in the present tense.

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The Girl and the Ice Cream Truck
updated!
audio
video
1:50

A little girl stares out her bedroom window, longing for summer. Then… she sees an ice cream truck. A short story inspired by “The Spendthrift and the Swallow”, told in the present tense. 

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The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
updated!
audio
video
3:51

A city mouse tells wonderful tales of city life, but there are some things he neglects to mention... A short story in the present tense with a good moral for the Instagram generation.

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The Dog and his Bone
updated!
audio
video
2:15

A dog finds a bone and feels like the luckiest dog in the world —until he sees another dog... A short story in the present tense with lots of question words and city vocabulary.

free chapter
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The Frightened Lion
updated!
audio
video
2:42

Lion is getting ready for bed when he hears a strange noise. What could it be? Is it a monster? A short story in the present tense.

free chapter
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The Fox and the Crow
updated!
audio
video
3:20

A hungry fox is walking through the forest one morning when he sees a crow with some cheese in her beak. But how can the fox get the cheese? A short story in the present tense.

free chapter
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The Bird and the Whale
updated!
audio
video
5:19

A poignant original story about a bird and a whale who fall in love, in spite of their differences. But then the weather turns cold... Warning: This story has been known to make adults cry.

free chapter
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Chicken Little
updated!
audio
video
5:18

In this updated version of the story, Chicken Little reads a scary headline on the internet. It says: THE SKY IS FALLING. Of course, he read it on the internet... it must be true!

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Rumpelstiltskin
updated!
audio
video
14:27

When a rich hat-maker tells people that his daughter can turn hay into gold, the king makes him prove it (or be fed to the crocodiles!)

free chapter
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Snow White
updated!
audio
video
12:39

Once there was a beautiful queen with a heart full of fear. What happens when her greatest fear comes true? (Of course there's also a girl with white skin, seven dwarfs, an apple, and a prince.)

free chapter
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The Emperor's New Clothes
updated!
audio
video
8:35

A vain emperor loves bragging about his own intelligence. But when a dishonest tailor sells him some new clothes, he quickly discovers who the real nincompoop is.

free chapter
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Rapunzel
updated!
audio
video
10:06

A story about a girl with really long hair who lives in a tower with no stairs, no ladder, and definitely no elevator. This is also a story about what it really takes to be a hero.

free chapter
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Cinderella
updated!
audio
video
10:06

Cinderella is kind, intelligent, and loves to tell jokes. Will she go to the King’s ball? What will she wear? Will the prince laugh at her jokes? And what happens to the cat?

free chapter
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The Three Billy Goats Gruff
updated!
audio
video
8:48

Three hungry goats accidentally wake a troll on their way to eat the tall green grass in the meadow. This story has a surprising amount of chocolate cake.

free chapter
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Hansel and Gretel
updated!
audio
video
14:21

Two children, a woodcutter, a stepmother and an evil witch come together in this story about food, feelings, confusing directions, and how to make roast boy with carrots and gravy.

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