Classic Fiction For Kids

"The Tinder Box" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. A poor soldier returning home from war meets a witch who asks him to climb into a hollow tree to retrieve a magic tinder box. In the tree, he finds three chambers filled with precious coins guarded by three monstrous dogs, "one with eyes the size of teacups", who guards a vault filled with pennies, one with "eyes the size of water wheels", who guards a vault filled with silver, and one with eyes "the size of Round Tower", who guards a vault filled with gold.

"Fanciful stories" is a collection of folk-tales, fairy tales and delightful poetry to encourage children to dream and connect their imagination with the tales of old. Learn about the mystery of the house-elves, dance with the fairies and breathe the air of the legendary forests with these fantastic short stories for children. The collection: "White Magic"; "The Brownies" by Juliana Horatia Ewing; "The Story of Peter Pan"; "Sir Lark and King Sun" by George MacDonald; "The Imps in the Heavenly Meadow" by Kate E. Bunce; "The Birthday Honors of the Fairy Queen" by Hapgood Moore.

"The White Cat" is an old French fairy tale written by the Comtesse d'Aulnoy in 1698. It is a variation on an old German tale, "Puddocky", and "Cherry", another tale collected by the brothers Grimm in the nineteenth century. A king has three sons and sets them tasks to perform so that he can decide who gets the kingdom after his passing. The tasks are increasingly difficult, but the youngest prince encounters the aid of a mysterious white cat, who seems to have been human at some time but will not tell its sad story.

"Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale, the best known of the "Jack Tales", a series of stories featuring an archetypal English hero. According to scholarly research, this particular tale takes its roots in ancient stories told more than 5000 years ago, in which a boy steals an ogre's treasure. In this tale, Jack is a poor boy sent by his mother to the market to sell their dairy cow. He encounters a bean dealer who sells him magic beans.

After Princess Alicia finds a magic fish-bone, compliments of her fairy godmother, she eventually uses it to improve financial conditions for her father the king, queen, and her 18 brothers and sisters. This classic bedtime story for kids was written by Charles Dickens in 1867, although Mr. Dickens credits the tale to a Miss Alice Rainbird (aged seven), as it gives a very heartwarming glimpse into a Victorian world which can only be seen through the eyes of an innocent child.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Born in the Republic of Genoa under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. Those voyages and his efforts to establish settlements on the island of Hispaniola initiated the permanent European colonization of the New World. At a time when European kingdoms were beginning to establish new trade routes and colonies, motivated by imperialism and economic competition, Columbus proposed to reach the East Indies (South and Southeast Asia) by sailing westward.

"Aesop's Fables" is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece around the fifth century BC. These fables are charming stories, each one leading towards a wise moral. They have been the inspiration for La Fontaine, one of the greatest French writers of all time, and are a perfect tool for educating young children as well as a delight for lovers of elegance and simplicity.

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Den fattige skrædder Anders sender sine tre nevøer ud i verden for, at de skal lære at arbejde. Drengene finder hver en dygtig læremester. Da læretiden er slut, får de hver en magisk afskedsgave af deres læremester – et magisk bord, et magisk æsel og en tryllekvist. De to første drenge får deres magiske gave stjålet af en krovært, og de advarer deres bror. Mon det lykkes at få de stjålne gaver tilbage?

Slå ørerne ud og tag med på eventyr i det farverige Smølfeland med Smølfine, Gammelsmølf, Musiksmølf, Stærksmølf, Digtersmølf, Smilesmølf og alle de andre herlige små, blå væsener. Hør, hvad der sker, når Altmuligsmølf gerne vil flyve, når Bagersmølf løber tør for æg til sin kage, når Pyntesmølfs spejlbillede lige pludselig kommer til live, eller når Gargamel gang på gang forsøger at spolere Smølfernes fredelige hverdag med sine onde planer og farlige eliksirer.

A mother goat leaves her kids home alone, warning them not to open the door. A big bad wolf shows up and tries to talk his way in, but the kids hold fast. When the wolf finally gets past the door through trickery, he eats all but one of the kids. The mother goat returns to find the wolf sleeping under a tree. With the help of the one child who wasn't eaten, she rescues the remaining six with the help of a pair of scissors and some large rocks.

Originally appearing in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams captured generations of hearts. But times have changed. In order to connect with a new generation, this beloved tale must change too. Not everything is different though. In this updated edition, we still learn about the magic of love as one little stuffed animal is transformed.

Discover the endless fascination of Japanese culture with seven ancient tales, selected for you for their power of evocation, wisdom and humor. Not unlike the western folk tales compiled by the Brothers Grimm, these stories faithfully preserve the spirit of medieval Japan, while rendered in a translation accessible to all ages.

Discover Slavic culture with two ancient tales from the Eastern European world. The "Twelve Months" is a story about persistence, not unlike our "Cinderilla", but set in a fantastic world where seasons are all and winter, deadly. "The Two Brothers "is a tale about justice in a world where money corrupts easily. Enjoy these ancient tales from a faraway land, recorded by the best storytellers in a warm and lively way.

The best Italian stories are those who capture our imagination and fill us with various delights. "The Adventures of Pinocchio in Wonderland" is a succession of various tales, each one very different from the others, in which the talking marionnette Pinocchio goes from mischievous adventure to enlightening redemption.

Originally collected by the Brothers Grimm, and first published around 1812, The Wolf and the 7 Little Kids resembles other stories, such as Little Red Cap and The Three Little Pigs. The morale of this story is thought to be something along this line: If you are bad to others, bad will happen to you.

Uncle Wiggily Longears is the main character and beloved icon 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 take every day for more than 52 years. Uncle Wiggily has been around now for over 100 years delighting children, gently educating, and enchanting generations of faithful fans. That he is still as popular today as he was then is testament to the wit and character instilled in these tall tales by the author and the kind, old rabbit gentleman he created so long ago!

This is a story from the Grimms' Fairy Tales 2 collection.

Here is a collection of the most beloved English poems, from century-old anonymous nursery rhymes to delightful texts from Edward Lear to Lewis Carroll and Robert Stevenson. Rediscover the classics that have been passed from parents to children for generations: "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", "Kindness to Animals", "How doth the little busy bee", "Twinkle twinkle little star", and 20 more timeless jewels, read by Katie Haigh.

"The Flying Trunk" is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. A young man squanders his inheritance until he has almost nothing left. A friend sends him a trunk with directions to pack up and be off. Having nothing to pack, he gets into the trunk himself, only to discover that the trunk is enchanted and carries him to the land of the Turks.