The term ‘Hitopadesha’ is a combination of two Sanskrit terms, ‘Hita’ (welfare/ benefit) and ‘Upadesha’ (counsel). As the term suggests, The Hitopadesha is a collection of tales that gives good counsel. Hitopadesa was presumably written by Narayan Pandit and is an independent treatment of the Vishnu Sarman's Panchatantra (3rd century BC) which it resembles in form. In Hitopadesha, Vishnu Sarman is depicted as a Sage who undertakes to give good counsel to the sons of Sudarsana, the king of Pataliputra, through stories within stories involving talking animals...

The tales of King Arthur and his Knights are of Celtic origin. The Celts were the people who occupied Britain at the time when the history of the country opens… It is believed that King Arthur lived in the sixth century, just after the Romans withdrew from Britain… the stories came to be handed down from father to son, in Brittany (whose people are of the same family as the Welsh) as well as in Wales and England… [story-tellers altered the stories to suit their times down through the centuries] …and so in their altered and historically inaccurate form they have reached us at the present day...

The stories we have read and loved but retold in words of one syllable to make it easier for young readers or those where English is a second language. Some you will know and love, others you may never have heard of but all are worth reading and listening to. Hansel and Grethel, The Wolf and the Six Little Kids; 3 tales about elves; Snow White and Rose Red; King Roughbeard; The Frog Prince; Cinderella; Little Red Cap (little Red Riding Hood) and The Goose Girl are only a few of these delightful tales.

A book about children who find magic in every day life .. and discover that mermen and mermaids actually have a whole underwater kingdom with Kings and Queens and of course Princesses. Of course you probably know these delightful children from their earlier adventures with magic, Bernard, Mavis, Kathleen, and Francis. Just normal children who believe in the fun of imagining and of magic. In this story Francis, who has always loved the idea of the sea but has never actually seen it, is very excited about going to the seashore for holiday...

A collection of some of Hans Christian Andersen's works. He is a Danish author and poet most famous for his fairy tales. Summary by Kristingj.

These Indian fairy tales are chosen from the many stories collected by Mr. Henry R. Schoolcraft, the first man to study how the Indians lived and to discover their legends. He lived among the Indians in the West and around the Great Lakes for thirty years in the first part of the Nineteenth Century and wrote many books about them. When the story-tellers sat at the lodge fires in the long evenings to tell of the manitoes and their magic, of how the little boy snared the sun, of the old Toad Woman who stole the baby, and the other tales that had been retold to generation after generation of red children, time out of mind, Mr...

These are beautiful little stories about Christmas from the Swedish storyteller Selma Lagerlöf. As she explains in the first story, they were told her by her grandmother "I remember that grandmother told story after story from morning till night, and that we children sat beside her, quite still, and listened. It was a glorious life! No other children had such happy times as we did. It isn’t much that I recollect about my grandmother. I remember that she had very beautiful snow-white hair, and stooped when she walked, and that she always sat and knitted a stocking...

In this unofficial sequel to Alice in Wonderland, a different Alice, a young American girl named Alice Lee , stumbles upon a magical door that leads to Wonderland. There, she meets familiar faces, like the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, Red Queen, among others, as well as some new ones. However, unlike our beloved English Alice who just tries to make sense of a senseless world, Alice Lee maintains power over her own fantasy, rather than let herself become the victim. Though a loving tribute to the original novels, Lewis Carroll absolutely disapproved of this novel, nearly seeking legal action against the British publication of it, but decided against it in favor of his reputation and privacy...

Richard Wilson has taken tales from the two great Indian epics, the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata, as well as other early sources, and has retold them in English, in an effort to showcase to young English-speaking readers that 'oriental' stories share the same elements as tales they are used to. Love, hate, virtue, oppression, tenderness, bravery and resourcefulness and an ultimate desire to conquer evil. - Summary by Paraphrased from the Introduction

An evil Arabian sorcerer loans a golden flask full of the Great Elixir - a magic liquid that endows a person with pronounced health, strength, and longevity - to a colorblind baker's wife to stop it falling into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, the woman mixes up the Elixir with her rheumatism medicine, which, through even more misunderstanding, then ends up being used in batch of gingerbread. Out of this dough comes John Dough, a six-foot novelty gingerbread man who promptly comes to life and runs away, in an echo of an old nursery rhyme...

Are mermaids real? Well of course they are! Just ask the four very English children who, when on vacation by the sea, find out about one being held in a circus and, since 'they die in captivity' decide on a daring midnight rescue. Is she a real mermaid? Well, help read this book and find out. Oh, and they fight sea monsters, engage in underwater battle and lots of other exciting and magical stuff. They are all mostly brave and helpful. If you like magic and water and peril and heroism, and the writing of E. Nesbit, this is the book for you.

Jane Pentzer Myers's only book was dedicated to Kate Winifred: 'Just between the 'Land o' dreams' and broad daylight is a beautiful world, where good wishes come true: where the poor and lonely are rich in castles and friends: and where sorrowful folk are happy.' These twelve charming tales transport us to that wonderful land of dreams and delight and enchant children of all ages.

Set in the early 1900's, this is a delightful story of a tribe of Teddy Bears arrival in the department store and the adventures some of them have when they are brought into a family's home. - Summary by Linda Andrus

The Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. All stories we of course have heard many times. But these are retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in a unique way that keeps the flavor of the original French of Perrault but adds a delightful easy of reading and speaking them. - Summary by Phil chenevert.

Children's Short Works Collection 023: a collection of 16 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of members. - Summary by Ruth Golding

What better thing can I say about this book except that it is written by Evelyn Sharp the author who writes fairy stories with a flowing and beautiful style. These eight stories are different in that they are a bit longer than usual fairy stories, taking time to explore motivation, mood and plot; the characters seem to be real people not just two dimensional elements put there to round out the story. - Summary by Phil chenevert

Eric, artist for the king, has created a marvelous painting of a royal wedding. It is finished except for the face of the queen, which appeared to him in a dream. When he awoke, he had forgotten the form of the features. Obsessed with recapturing this vision, he goes on a quest to find the woman because he cannot paint another stroke until he sees those eyes again. During his journey, he discovers much more, perhaps even the true meaning of his dream and of his life. - Summary by Amy Gramour

Here are five of the most loved Fairy Tales retold in verse by the English humourist and writer, Tom Hood . The tales are; The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Cinderella and Hop o' my Thumb. Summary by Noel Badrian.

This is a volume of eleven beautiful and original little fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

Children's Short Works Collection 024: a collection of 15 short works for children in the public domain read by a variety of members.

This is a collection of fairy tales, retold by Sabine Baring-Gould. The collection contains such well-known stories as Cinderella and the Beauty and the Beast, but also tales which are now not as widely known, such as the Yellow Dwarf and the White Cat. - Summary by Carolin

We all know that Santa Claus has a large family in which to help him in the delivery of presents, peace, and good cheer. So what would you do if you were Miss Santa Claus and met two children on Christmas Eve traveling to a strange town to be reunited with their father and new stepmother? Why, naturally you would tell them the story of Princess Ina and a powerful charm they could use to turn their feared stepmother into a real mother. Follow the children as they learn to pick starflowers of obedience and kindness to make a mantle of love and become a real family.

This is a collection of fairy tales by Rev. David Bearne. The stories take place in the "Bright Ages" as opposed to the more common epithet "dark ages", where heroes saved the world, saints performed miracles, and also anything else was possible. Most of those stories are based on half-forgotten legends and footnotes to the history of England, charmingly retold by Mr. Bearne. - Summary by Carolin

This book contains many of Shakespeare's most famous plays, retold for children. - Summary by kathrinee

In this volume, Ms. Cowles has collected her favourite fairy tales and retold them for children. All of the most famous authors are represented, such as Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. But instead of retelling all the standard tales, Ms. Cowles has chosen fairy tales that are not quite as famous, but contain an important message. - Summary by Carolin

Wild animals play a big role in many fairy tales, and foxes are some of the best-represented animals in folklore. In this volume, Clifton Johnson has collected stories about foxes from all over the world, adapted for children as bedtime fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

"Once upon a time a king had an extreme passion for silkworms..." So begins one story in this unusual collection. Here you may also find a farm girl cursed by becoming a queen, a prince blessed with having his every wish denied, a princess turned into a monkey at birth, three sisters who disguise themselves as knights to seek their fortunes, a princess cursed to bring death to her brothers, and a princess only able to marry the man who can step on her cat's tail!This collection of European fairy tales includes many lesser known stories such as the original "Goody Two Shoes" and "The Beneficent Frog"...

This is a 1910 edition of the Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen. This volume is nicely mixed, containing both the most famous tales as well as some which are not quite as well-known. The translation is adapted for American readership and in some ways brings a new facet to some of the stories. Listeners may want to have a look at the online text for its beautiful colour illustrations. - Summary by Carolin

This is a volume of fairy tales and folk tales from the Cossack people, compiled and translated by Robert Nisbet Bain. The tales are special as most children will not have heard them a hundred times before, and as they take listeners into a different region of the realm of the fairy tale. The Cossacks are a group of people living mostly in what is now Ukraine and Russia. The fairy and folk tales contained in this volume allow a glimpse into both the cultural traditions of the Cossack people, as well as into how this culture was perceived by others. - Summary by Carolin

Seven original fairy tales . . . "Now for the stories you promised us." "Well, how many shall there be?" "O, seven, one for each." And here are our seven stories; affectionately dedicated to any little curly heads that like to read them.

Folk Lore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Anderson have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

A retelling of the adventures of Ulysses, including his adventures both the Cyclops and Circe, as he journeys home to his home of Ithaca. The story then continues to include his quest to rejoin his wife and family of whom he has been separated from for twenty years. This is Homer's Odyssey for the younger set.

Bears make an appearance in so many fairy tales and fables, it is difficult to imagine a fairy-tale world without them. However, in most of those fairy tales, the bear is just a side-character. In this volume, Clifton Johnson has collected 18 stories in which the bear takes a lead role. - Summary by Carolin

Oscar Wilde said of his story The Happy Prince that it was "an attempt to treat a tragic modern problem in a form that aims at delicacy and imaginative treatment; it is a reaction against the purely imitative character of modern art.” His Fairy Tales then were only partly written for children and as he said, "partly for those who have kept the childlike faculties of wonder and joy, and who find in simplicity a subtle strangeness".In The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and the Rose, Wilde explores love and self sacrifice...

This is a collection of French fairy tales by different famous authors. Included in this collection are such famous tales as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, but also tales which are now not as well-known but closely connected and certainly of interest to anyone enjoying fairy tales of that description. The translation is well made by James Planché , a connoisseur of historical costume, which to this day plays a big role in fairy tales. - Summary by Carolin

"Here are 150 nature myths and short stories from all parts of the World. They are the kind that children delight in -- tales of transformations of maidens into trees and fountains, of youths into flowers, and of men into birds. Blossoms, fragrance, and joy are the themes of many of these tales, while a few a tender, pathetic, or humorous." - Summary by Frances Jenkins Olcott

In this volume I present selections made from the Russian chap-book literature, and from the works of various Russian and Polish collectors of Folklore—Afanasief, Erben, Wojcicki, Glinski, etc. The chap-book tales, and many of those of Glinski, are, there is little doubt, of foreign origin, but since Russia and Poland are the countries in which these tales have found their home, and since they have there been so adapted by the people as to incorporate the national customs and lore, they appear to me to belong properly to the present volume. - Summary by Charles John Tibbets

A collection of fairy tales regarding myths and legends of the Isle of Man. Sophia was considered one of the key figures of the Manx cultural revival. - Summary by afutterer

The old English Folklore Tales are fast dying out. The simplicity of character necessary for the retaining of old memories and beliefs is being lost, more rapidly in England, perhaps, than in any other part of the world. Our folk are giving up the old myths for new ones. Before remorseless “progress,” and the struggle for existence, the poetry of life is being quickly blotted out. In editing this volume I have endeavoured to select some of the best specimens of our Folklore. With regard to the nursery tales, I have taken pains to give them as they are in the earliest editions I could find...

"He was brave and kind and merry always, and all the English people—except England's oppressors—loved him with all their hearts and delighted in his adventures. The story of what he did was put into songs and sung at every fireside; and no man was better loved than this outlaw with a price upon his head. Here are a few stories of Robin Hood and his men, and a great many more may be found which are well worth your reading." - Summary by preface

Here are some really amusing stories and fables told with delightful wit. Some poke fun at human foibles and some are there for the simple joy of silliness. all read for you by the amazing volunteers.- Summary by Phil chenevert

This is a wild mix of different children's stories by different authors. All lof the stories are original, and some of them use a well-known story and bring a novel and often humorous twist to it. Children of all ages and all different tastes should find something they particulalry like in this collection. - Summary by Carolin

This is a selection of the most well-known fairy tales told in England. It contains such very famous stories as Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding-hood, but also some stories that are not included in every other collection of fairy tales. Therefore, children listening to this collection will be able to find their old favourites and discover something new as well. - Summary by Carolin

Uncle Wiggily Longears is the main character of a series of children's stories by American author Howard R. Garis. He began writing the stories for the Newark News in 1910. Garis penned an Uncle Wiggily story every day for more than 30 years, and published 79 books within the author's lifetime. -- Wikipedia Here are more of the adventures of this lovable old fortune-seeking gentleman rabbit who suffers from rheumatism.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was written solely to pleasure children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heart-aches and nightmares are left out. Summary by L. Frank Baum

A House of Pomegranates is the title of the second collection of Fairy Tales by Oscar Wilde. This book contains four tales: 1. "The Young King"; which is about taking responsibility. 2. "The Birthday of the Infanta"; a commentary on the unfeeling behaviour of the upper classes. 3. "The Fisherman and his Soul"; is about the triumph of love in adversity. And 4. "The Star-Child"; which is about responsibility and doing what is right despite the cost. - Summary by Noel Badrian

Unusual Fairy Tales from around the world, this story collection contains; a mother with two daughters both named Caroline, a carriage drawn by winged frogs, a prince turned into a bird and a princess in the form of a deer, a fairy in the shape of a talking crayfish and Ivan, who crawls into his horse's ear. In the usual style of fairy tales most of these have a moral and a happy ending!

The Wizard of Oz has built two beautiful "Ozoplanes" to explore Oz. But the official launch party goes wrong when the Soldier with the Green Whiskers accidentally launches the Oztober into the cloud country of Stratovania! The ruler, Strut of the Strat, makes Jellia Jamb his "Starina" and then sets off to conquer the fascinating country of Oz! Meanwhile the Wizard, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow pile into the Ozpril and chase after the Oztober, but end up having an adventure of their own...

California, both old and new, is the scene of these fairy stories. They are unique tales written with with a pleasant tinge of romance about them to fix yourr attention, and a touch of pathos that goes to the heart, to make them good and happy. - Summary by phil chenevert and the author

On many a day had Handy, the Goat Girl of Mern, pursued her goats up and down the rocky eminences of her native mountain. And never—NEVER—in her fourteen or so years' experience had she been blown up by a mountain spring. But there comes, in every one's experience a day which is unlike every other day, and so it was with the Goat Girl. As she was pursuing What-a-butter, her favorite goat, there was a sudden crash, a whish, and up flew the slab of rock on which she was standing, up and away. The adventures into which she was carried by this simple though awefull beginning take a whole book to relate...

High as the clouds are the mountains bold That tower in the glorious Land of Gold, And cañons dusky with twilight deep Where a thousand mystic shadows peep. There are vineyards graceful with trailing vine Rich in the wealth of the rosy wine, There are orange groves and lime trees green That glint in the sunlight’s glowing sheen, There are deserts yellow with priceless sand, All these you will find in the Golden Land. - Summary by May Wentworth

The land of OZ is the happiest fairyland anywhere, but there are evil creatures whose only ambition is to destroy that happiness. Lurking inside Mount Illuso, just south of the Deadly Desert, live the Magic Mimics, a race devoted to causing the maximum chaos and unhappiness everywhere, but mainly in the land of OZ. Until now they have been kept at bay by a spell, but when Princess Ozma leaves OZ for 3 days, their foul machinians are quicly put into play. Princess Dorothy is left in chage of OZ and must deal with these happiness crushing beings. Can she do it? Will Toto help? You bet!!! Listen to this rip snorting adventure in oz and enjoy all of your old friends again. .

The story is about a little girl who meets all manner of strange gnomes, fairies and creatures after she goes to sleep at night. She also has two invisible brothers whom she created so as to not be alone while her parents travel for the Crown. The author here produces an alternative version of fairyland to the more traditional European form, that is bizarre, entertaining and funny at the same time. - Summary by phil chenevert and Wikipedia

A voyage on the famous Nonestic Ocean! What could be more thrilling than that? We—many of us—have taken trips on the prosaic Atlantic or even Pacific, but have we found a SEA FOREST with flying fish and swimming birds? Have we been pursued by a real SEA SERPENT, or had our ship transfixed by the immense ivory tusk of a NARWHAL? Have we come upon the glittering island of PEAKENSPIRE, or made friends with a charming talking hippopotamus? Yet all these things and more befall Captain Salt, one time Pirate and now Royal Explorer of Oz, and his merry crew...

This is a little volume of old-fashioned fairy tales, collected and rewritten by Catulle Mendès and translated from the French and adapted for an American audience by TJ Vivian. This collection contains some of the most well-known fairy tales, such as the Sleeping Beauty, but also contains some tales which the listener may not be familiar with yet. There is much to discover in these pages. - Summary by Carolin

Lots of stories and poems about elves, faeries and other wonderful wee folk. All read for you by people who love them so what more could you ask for? If you want a break from the harsh 'real' world, come relax for awhile in fairyland where troubles are solved by magic and perhaps a kiss or two.

This is a little volume of fairy Tales by Irish novelists Bridget and Julia Kavanagh. The eleven stories are old-fashioned and original. - Summary by Carolin

This is a little volume of original fairy tales by Irish lawyer, author and politician Edmund Leamy. - Summary by Carolin

Compilation of tales designed and arranged for young people. This volume covers tales from the North, the Rhine, Greece and Rome, tales from the Hudson River, and animal stories. - Summary by DrPGould

Wilhelm Hauff was a German poet and novelist, perhaps best known for his fairy tales . Some of his stories, such as the Caliph Stork found in this volume, are popular in German-speaking countries to this day. In this book of fairy tales, we find the tale of the beautiful Swanhilde and various other stand-alone fairy tales, as well as a frame story "The Caravan" which includes multiple fairy tales within it. Hauff's freshness and originality shine through in these tales.