102 gentle tales from around the world
Old stories, retold softly for bedtime. Each one keeps the heart of the tale, loses the scary parts, and winds down to a sleepy ending. Every tale is painted and read aloud, and takes four or five minutes.
In English; a few tales also in Spanish. One tale a week is free, and Plus opens them all.
Europe
Leo, Pip, and the Sleepy Vines
Retold from The Lion and the Mouse · Aesop's Fables
The Tortoise and the Hare's Gentle Race
Retold from The Tortoise and the Hare · Aesop's Fables
The Gentle Sun and the Playful Wind
Retold from The North Wind and the Sun · Aesop's Fables
A Cozy Night for Little Pip
Retold from The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse · Aesop's Fables
A Song for the Winter Meadow
Retold from The Ant and the Grasshopper · Aesop's Fables
The Little Cobbler's Helpers
Retold from The Elves and the Shoemaker · Brothers Grimm
The Gentle Falling Stars
Retold from The Star Money · Brothers Grimm
The Sweet Porridge Pot
Retold from Sweet Porridge · Brothers Grimm
Barnaby's Gentle Feathers
Retold from The Ugly Duckling · Hans Christian Andersen
Thumbelina's Gentle Journey
Retold from Thumbelina · Hans Christian Andersen
The Princess and the Tiny Green Pea
Retold from The Princess and the Pea · Hans Christian Andersen
Goldilocks and the Three Gentle Bears
Retold from Goldilocks and the Three Bears · English folk tale
The Little Red Hen's Sweet Loaf
Retold from The Little Red Hen · English folk tale
The Moon's New Coat
Retold from The Moon's New Dress · Traditional folk tale (Serbian and others)
The Clever Little Tailor
Retold from The Brave Little Tailor · Brothers Grimm
The Gentle Stone Soup
Retold from Stone Soup · European folk tale
The Owl and the Pussy-cat's Quiet Voyage
Retold from The Owl and the Pussy-cat · Edward Lear, 1871
The Castle of Sweet Dreams
Retold from Sleeping Beauty · Charles Perrault / Brothers Grimm
The Three Cozy Little Pigs
Retold from The Three Little Pigs · English folk tale (Joseph Jacobs)
Little Red and the Silly Wolf
Retold from Little Red Riding Hood · Charles Perrault / Brothers Grimm
The Three Billy Goats and the Sleepy Troll
Retold from The Three Billy Goats Gruff · Norwegian folk tale (Asbjørnsen and Moe)
The Enormous Turnip
Russian folk tale (Afanasyev)
The Cozy Woolen Mitten
Retold from The Mitten · Ukrainian folk tale
The Princess and the Garden Frog
Retold from The Frog Prince · Brothers Grimm
The Glass Slipper and the Kind Heart
Retold from Cinderella · Charles Perrault
The Campfire of the Twelve Months
Retold from The Twelve Months · Slavic folk tale (Czech, Božena Němcová)
Pip and the Golden Goose
Retold from The Golden Goose · Brothers Grimm
The Four Forest Musicians
Retold from The Bremen Town Musicians · Brothers Grimm
The Emperor's Comfy Stripes
Retold from The Emperor's New Clothes · Hans Christian Andersen
The Nightingale's Lullaby
Retold from The Nightingale · Hans Christian Andersen
Ole Shut-Eye and the Painted Umbrella
Retold from Ole Shut-Eye (Ole Lukøje) · Hans Christian Andersen
Mother Holle's Snowy Quilt
Retold from Mother Holle · Brothers Grimm
Henny Penny and the Little Acorn
Retold from Henny Penny · English folk tale (Joseph Jacobs)
The Magpie's Cozy Nest
Retold from The Magpie's Nest · English folk tale (Joseph Jacobs)
The Cat by the Fireside
Retold from The Cat That Walked by Himself · Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories (1902)
The Elephant's Child and His Wonderful Nose
Retold from The Elephant's Child · Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories (1902)
The Giant's Spring Garden
Retold from The Selfish Giant · Oscar Wilde, 1888
The Dragon Who Loved Lullabies
Retold from The Reluctant Dragon · Kenneth Grahame, 1898
Snow-White and Rose-Red
Brothers Grimm
Little Ida's Dancing Flowers
Retold from Little Ida's Flowers · Hans Christian Andersen
The Field of Ribbons
Retold from The Field of Boliauns · Irish folk tale (Joseph Jacobs, Celtic Fairy Tales)
Cora's Clever Drink
Retold from The Crow and the Pitcher · Aesop's Fables
The Dove and the Tiny Ant
Retold from The Dove and the Ant · Aesop's Fables
A House Full of Quiet
Retold from It Could Always Be Worse · Yiddish folk tale (Eastern Europe)
Ratoncito Pérez and the Secret Night
Retold from Ratoncito Pérez, the Tooth Mouse · Luis Coloma, 1894 (Spanish tooth-mouse tradition)
Asia
The Moon Hare's Gentle Gift
Retold from The Hare in the Moon (Sasa Jataka) · Jataka tales, South Asia
The Monkey and the Crocodile's Sweet Treat
Retold from The Monkey and the Crocodile · Jataka tales / Panchatantra
Momotaro and the Sweet Dumplings
Retold from Momotaro, the Peach Boy · Japanese folk tale
Toby and the Flying Stick
Retold from The Talkative Tortoise · Jataka tales / Panchatantra
The Four Harmonious Friends
Jataka tales (Tittira Jataka)
A Snug Home in the Rain
Retold from The Sparrow and the Crow · Indian folk tale
Sun, Moon, and Wind Go to Dinner
Retold from How Sun, Moon and Wind Went Out to Dinner · Indian folk tale (Joseph Jacobs, Indian Fairy Tales)
Birbal's Cozy Khichdi
Retold from Birbal's Khichdi · Akbar and Birbal tales (India)
Six Friends and the Sleepy Elephant
Retold from The Blind Men and the Elephant · Indian parable (Buddhist and Jain traditions)
The Gentle Quails of Whispering Meadow
Retold from The Quarrel of the Quails · Jataka tales (Sammodamana Jataka)
The Little Jackal and the Midnight Drum
Retold from The Jackal and the Drum · Panchatantra
The River Crossing
Retold from Mahadenamutta and the River Crossing · Sri Lankan folk tale (Mahadenamutta tales)
Andare and the Sweet Jambu Tree
Retold from Andare and the Jambu Fruit · Sri Lankan folk tale (Andare the court jester)
Andare and the Sleepless Minister
Sri Lankan folk tale (Andare the court jester)
The Deer and Her Forest Friends
Retold from The Deer and Her Friends · Sri Lankan folk tale (H. Parker, Village Folk-Tales of Ceylon)
The Sweet Ash Pumpkin
Retold from The Ash Pumpkin Thief · Sri Lankan folk tale
The Bridge of Feathers
Retold from The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl · Chinese folk tale (Qixi legend)
The Gentle River Race
Retold from The Great Race (The Zodiac Animals) · Chinese folk tale
The Little Frog and the Wide, Wide Sky
Retold from The Frog in the Well · Chinese fable (Zhuangzi)
The Wise Farmer and the Whispering Wind
Retold from The Old Man Who Lost His Horse · Chinese folk tale (Sai Weng, Huainanzi)
The Rolling Rice Ball
Retold from The Rolling Rice Ball (Omusubi Kororin) · Japanese folk tale
The Kettle That Liked to Dance
Retold from The Lucky Tea Kettle (Bunbuku Chagama) · Japanese folk tale
The Moon Maiden of the Bamboo Grove
Retold from The Bamboo Princess (Kaguya-hime) · Japanese folk tale (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter)
The Mouse's Wedding
Japanese folk tale
The Sleepy Tiger and the Sweet Persimmon
Retold from The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon · Korean folk tale
The Brothers and the Swallow's Gift
Retold from Heungbu and Nolbu · Korean folk tale
Little Kancil and the River Crossing
Retold from Mouse Deer and the Crocodiles (Sang Kancil) · Malay folk tale (Malaysia and Indonesia)
Why the Sky Is High
Filipino folk tale
Cuội and the Moonlit Tree
Retold from Cuội and the Banyan Tree on the Moon · Vietnamese folk tale
Africa
Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom
Anansi tales (Ghana)
Anansi and the Silky Strings
Retold from Why Anansi Has Thin Legs · Anansi tales (Ghana)
Anansi and Turtle Share a Feast
Retold from Anansi and Turtle Go to Dinner · Anansi tales (Ghana)
The Sun, the Moon, and the Gentle Tide
Retold from Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky · Nigerian folk tale (Efik-Ibibio; Elphinstone Dayrell, 1910)
The Great Tug-of-War
Nigerian folk tale (Efik-Ibibio; Elphinstone Dayrell, 1910)
The Lion's Whisker
Ethiopian folk tale
Brother Crocodile and Sister Hen
Retold from Why the Crocodile Does Not Eat the Hen · Congolese folk tale
When the Sky Floated High
Retold from Why the Sky Is Far Away · Nigerian folk tale (Bini)
The Shiny Needle
Retold from Why the Hen Scratches the Ground · West African folk tale
The Little Honeyguide's Gift
Retold from The Honeyguide's Revenge · Zulu folk tale (South Africa)
The Talking Yam
Retold from Talk (The Talking Yam) · Ghanaian folk tale (Ashanti)
Why Hippo Loves the Water
Retold from Why the Hippopotamus Lives in the Water · Nigerian folk tale (Efik-Ibibio; Elphinstone Dayrell, 1910)
Middle East
Eat, My Coat, Eat!
Nasreddin Hodja tales (Turkey)
Nasreddin and the Moon in the Well
Nasreddin Hodja tales (Turkey)
The Sweet Smell of Soup
Retold from The Smell of the Soup · Middle Eastern folk tale (Nasreddin Hodja / Juha)
Nasreddin and the Gentle Donkey
Retold from Nasreddin, His Son and the Donkey · Nasreddin Hodja tales (Turkey)
The Rolling Pumpkin and the Sweet Forest Feast
Retold from The Old Woman and the Rolling Pumpkin · Persian folk tale (Kadu Ghelghelezan)
The Three Brothers and the Magic Gifts
Retold from Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou · The Thousand and One Nights (Galland; Andrew Lang, Blue Fairy Book)
The Old Man and the Walnut Tree
Retold from The Old Man Who Planted a Walnut Tree · Persian folk tale
Abu Kassem's Faithful Slippers
Retold from Abu Kassem's Slippers · Arab folk tale (Cairo and Baghdad)
Americas
The Sleepy Gingerbread Boy
Retold from The Gingerbread Man · American/English folk tale
Martina and the Gentle Whisper
Retold from Martina the Beautiful Cockroach (La Cucarachita Martina) · Cuban and Puerto Rican folk tale
Ramón's Shiny Beak
Retold from The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle's Wedding · Cuban folk tale (told across Latin America)
Juan Bobo and the Fancy Pig
Retold from Juan Bobo and the Pig · Puerto Rican folk tale
Jabuti and the Party in the Sky
Retold from The Tortoise and the Party in the Sky (Festa no Céu) · Brazilian folk tale
Donkey and the Toad Choir
Retold from Toad and Donkey · Jamaican folk tale (Walter Jekyll, Jamaican Song and Story, 1907)
Little Cu's Rainbow Coat
Retold from The Cu Bird (El Pájaro Cu) · Mexican folk tale (Oaxaca)
Johnny's Gentle Orchard
Retold from Johnny Appleseed · American folk legend
Where the stories come from
Every tale in the library is our own retelling of a public-domain story, so no old text or pictures are copied. The tales are written, painted and narrated with the help of AI (Google’s Gemini), then read, looked at and listened to before they’re published. Every narrated page is transcribed back and checked against its text.
Tonight’s tale is waiting
Start with this week’s free story, read aloud by Ollie.