Showing results for "The Tale of Tales" in All Categories

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Salma Hayek, John C. Reilly, Toby Jones, and Vincent Cassel: a rollicking, bawdy, fantastical cycle of 50 fairy tales told by 10 storytellers over 5 days Before the Brothers Grimm, before Charles Perrault, before Hans Christian Andersen, there was...

A clever monkey and a cunning crocodile face off in a tale of friendship and betrayal, showing how intelligence can outsmart danger—one of several engaging stories in this book.

A jackal tries to become king by changing his colour—but learns that pretending to be something you're not never lasts, in this and other clever tales.

What happens to a fox that won't stop teasing the others animals? Listen to this Peruvian tale to find out. Some lessons can change everything.

By feeling a pea through twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds, a girl proves that she is a real princess.

A retelling of the classic tale of a beautiful princess who makes a promise to a frog which she does not intend to keep.

What happens when a tortoise challenges a hare to a race? Listen to this popular West African tale to find out. There's more than one way to teach a boastful hare a lesson!

An unusual tale of a bird with two heads teaches a powerful lesson about greed and unity, with more fascinating stories to explore.

Two cats argue over food, and a clever monkey steps in—with an ending that surprises and teaches, among other witty tales in this book.

In this Swedish folktale, a young boy longs for all the nice things other children have. An old woman tells the boy a secret for granting his wishes: sprinkling salt on a magpie’s tail. But, before the magpie will grant the boy’s wish, the bird has some strange requests of his own.

In this Indian folktale, a young turtle shares a shallow lake with unlikely friends—two geese. But when the lake starts drying up, the stubborn turtle must follow his winged friends’ advice, or he’ll be left out to dry.

Ruth discovers a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the shore of her beach home. Within it lies a diary that expresses the hopes and dreams of a young girl. She suspects it might have arrived on a drift of debris from the 2011 tsunami. With every turn of the page, she is sucked deeper into an enchanting mystery. In a small cafe in Tokyo, 16-year-old Nao Yasutani is navigating the challenges thrown up by modern life.

Heungbo and Nolbo are not only brothers, but also friends—until their father passes away. Overcome by greed, Nolbo turns Heungbo away and refuses to help him when Heungbo loses his crops. Can Heungbo forgive Nolbo? Will they learn to be a family again?

Dive into the captivating world of Ainu folk-tales, where nothing is off-limits and the tales are as raw as they are enlightening. Originating from the enigmatic Ainu people of Japan, who have called Hokkaido home for centuries, these stories explore the full spectrum of human experience—from creation and love to conflict and survival. Their unapologetic honesty and ribald humor might have shocked the scholarly collector Basil Hall Chamberlain, but they offer a refreshing and provocative perspective for modern readers. With the resurgence of Ainu activism advocating for indigenous rights and...

A man without a crown could still be a prince. But what about a monster? Adalwin has always been a prince. Born into royalty as the heir to the throne of Hallin, he was raised to rule a kingdom. Only, the one he receives is not the one he expected. Cruelly cursed and presumed dead by all who...

You'll love this collection of folktales from China. In "The Magic Paintbrush", Liang is given a magical paintbrush that has the power to turn anything he paints into real life. Liang must be clever, using both his brain and painting power to escape the greedy emperor. Also included are five other Chinese folktales: "The Water Bucket", "Song Dingbo and the Hungry Ghost", "Money Problems", "The Terrible Kites of Len Yo", and "The Divine Tortoise."

When Brystal Evergreen stumbles across a secret section of the library, she discovers a book that introduces her to a world beyond her imagination and learns the impossible: she is a fairy capable of magic! But in the oppressive Southern Kingdom, women are forbidden from reading and magic is outlawed, so Brystal is swiftly convicted of her crimes and sent to the miserable Bootstrap Correctional Facility.

After Lor makes the biggest mistake of her life, she finds herself on the run from the Aurora King and decides it's time to end this, once and for all. When a new enemy emerges to claim her freedom, the entire fate of Ouranos comes to rest on her shoulders. As the land continues to rebel, Lor must admit she is the key to saving the continent, whether she likes it or not. To fight for Nadir, she must lie, steal, and do whatever it takes to hunt down the remaining arks. Growing more and more desperate, she worries her actions are turning her into something she doesn't recognize.

Silla Nordvig is running for her life. The Queen of Íseldur has sent warriors to bring Silla to Sunnavík, where death awaits her. When her father is killed, his last words set Silla on a perilous quest: travel the treacherous Road of Bones—a thousand-mile stretch haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer—and go to Kopa, where a shield house awaits her. After barely surviving the first stretch of road, a desperate Silla sneaks into a supply wagon belonging to the notorious Bloodaxe Crew. To make it to Kopa, she must win over Axe Eyes, the brooding leader of the Crew.

If a story has magical creatures or a fairy princess, you're listening to folklore. How else do you know? Quick, fun examples help you understand the magic of fairy tales, fables, and folk tales.