Timeless stories from around the world in basic, fun and rhyme versions to read or listen to. Provided for free, with no advertising.
A lion spared a mouse's life, later, the mouse rescued the lion from a trap.
A poor farmer discovers a goose that lays golden eggs, but greed leads him to kill it, losing his fortune.
Mice ask elephants to avoid trampling their homes, and later rescue them from the hunters' trap.
A king's elephant and a dog form a friendship, are suddenly separated, but they are reunited by the king and live happily.
Donkey lightens salt sacks by falling into the river, tricking the trader, but learns honesty when given heavier cotton sacks instead.
A clever monkey outsmarts a crocodile, who tries to betray their friendship to please his wife, and they part ways.
A proud man's boastful claims about his strong Ox backfire, but after showing kindness and humility, the Ox proves its strength.
Three little pigs build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks, but only the strongest brick house withstands the wolf's huffs and puffs.
An ant works hard and saves food for the winter while the grasshopper plays and starves.
A farmer teaches his quarreling sons the strength of unity using a bundle of sticks.
A milkmaid dreams of future wealth, but spills her pail of milk and loses her imagined fortune.
The cunning fox uses flattering words to trick a proud crow into dropping its cheese, which the fox then steals.
A dog in the manger growls at the ox despite having no interest in the hay, until its owner scolds it for its selfishness.
A mighty lion in a jungle tries to catch a clever jackal in a cave but fails due to the jackal's trickery.
A woodcutter saved a fox, but revealed its hiding spot; ungrateful fox ran off, feeling tricked.
An old pear tree, about to be cut down, persuades a gardener to spare it with the help of nightingales and bees.
A pair of crows outsmart a serpent threatening their nest by tricking the King's guards into killing it.
A thirsty crow cleverly drops pebbles into a pitcher, raising the water level to drink and quench its thirst.
A Dog planned to build a house for winter, but changed his mind when summer arrived, leaving him regretful and unprotected when winter returned.
A bull accidentally steps on a mouse's tail, prompting the mouse to seek revenge, but it fails, realizing arguing is pointless.
Geese help tortoise move to new lake, but he dies after opening his mouth trying to respond to children's insults.
A sad grasshopper leaves home to find peace but realizes that happiness comes from seeing the good around him.
A wolf considers a dog's proposition of a comfortable life with humans but chooses freedom over bondage.
The slow and steady tortoise wins a race against the boastful and overconfident hare.
Four scholars, lacking practical wisdom, bring a lion back to life but are killed by it, except the cautious fourth scholar.
A happy frog in a small well meets a sea turtle and learns about the vast, wonderful world beyond his home.
A wise owl warned birds about seeds that could grow into hawk trees, but they ignored her, leading to their own downfall.
The Town Mouse visits the Country Mouse, who then visits the city but fears the danger and prefers his peaceful life.
A holy man transforms a mouse into a girl, raises her, but she chooses to marry a mouse and becomes one again.
A shepherd boy repeatedly cries wolf to trick villagers, but when a real wolf comes, no one believes him.
A Brahmin frees a trapped tiger who breaks its promise but outsmarts it with the help of a clever jackal.
Two fish ignore frog's warning of danger from fishermen and get caught, while the frog moves to a safer place.
A man and his boy tried to please everyone's opinions on how to transport their donkey but ended up losing their donkey.
The North Wind and the Sun compete to remove a traveler's cloak, but the Sun wins with warmth.
Clever fox tricks stork with flat stone dish, but stork gets revenge by serving food in jar, leaving fox hungry.
In a debate on strength, a man confidently shows a statue of a man overpowering a lion, but the lion questions the perspective of the story.
An ant works hard and saves food for the winter while the grasshopper plays and starves.
A thirsty crow cleverly drops pebbles into a pitcher, raising the water level to drink and quench its thirst.
A king's elephant and a dog form a friendship, are suddenly separated, but they are reunited by the king and live happily.
A lion spared a mouse's life, later, the mouse rescued the lion from a trap.
The North Wind and the Sun compete to remove a traveler's cloak, but the Sun wins with warmth.
The slow and steady tortoise wins a race against the boastful and overconfident hare.
A farmer teaches his quarreling sons the strength of unity using a bundle of sticks.
A shepherd boy repeatedly cries wolf to trick villagers, but when a real wolf comes, no one believes him.
A Brahmin frees a trapped tiger who breaks its promise but outsmarts it with the help of a clever jackal.
A pair of crows outsmart a serpent threatening their nest by tricking the King's guards into killing it.
A wolf considers a dog's proposition of a comfortable life with humans but chooses freedom over bondage.
A Dog planned to build a house for winter, but changed his mind when summer arrived, leaving him regretful and unprotected when winter returned.
There is a big forest. A strong lion lives in the forest. He is the king of the forest. He can roar very loud. One day, the lion cannot find food. He looks everywhere but finds no animals to eat. It is getting dark, and he is very hungry.
The lion sees a cave. He thinks, "Maybe an animal lives here. Maybe this animal will be my food." The lion goes into the cave and waits.
A smart jackal lives in the cave. The jackal comes home and sees the lion's footprints. He knows the lion is inside.
The jackal has a plan. He stands outside the cave and talks to it. "Hello, cave," he says. "Is it safe for me to come in today?"
He says this very loud. "If you do not talk back, I will not come in," he adds.
Inside, the lion thinks he should talk like the cave. He roars, "Yes, it is safe for you to come in."
The jackal hears the roar. He knows the lion is inside. He runs away fast and never comes back. The lion is alone, fooled by the smart jackal.
Once upon a time, in a big jungle, there was a strong lion. He was the king of the forest, and his loud roar could be heard everywhere. One day, the lion couldn't find any food. He looked all over the jungle but didn't see any animals to eat. It was getting late, and he was very hungry.
Just when he was about to give up and go home, he saw a cave. He thought that whoever lived there might be a good meal, so he decided to go inside the cave and wait.
This cave belonged to a smart jackal. When the jackal came back from his day out, he saw the lion's footprints going into the cave. He was clever and knew the dangers of the jungle. He guessed that the lion might be hiding inside, waiting to eat him.
The jackal quickly made a plan to trick the lion. He stood outside the cave and started talking to it as if it could talk back. "Hello, dear cave," he said, "Is it safe for me to come in today?"
He kept asking this question loudly, hoping that anyone inside would hear him. "I won't come in unless you answer me," he added, hoping his trick would work.
Inside the cave, the lion started to worry that he might lose his meal. Not realizing the jackal's plan, he decided to pretend to be the cave and answer back. He roared, "Yes, dear jackal, it's safe for you to come in."
As soon as he heard the lion roar, the jackal knew he was right. He didn’t waste any time and ran away as quickly as he could, promising himself never to go back to that cave again. And so, the hungry lion was left alone, outsmarted by the clever jackal.
In a vast jungle, there lived a mighty lion, the ruler of the forest. His powerful roar echoed through the land. One day, the lion struggled to find any food. He searched the jungle thoroughly but found no animals to prey upon. As the day turned to dusk, his hunger grew more intense.
Just as he was about to abandon his search and return home, he noticed a cave. The lion thought that whoever resided in the cave could be a potential meal. He decided to enter the cave and wait.
This cave was the home of a shrewd jackal. When the jackal returned from his day’s adventures, he noticed the lion’s paw prints leading into the cave. Being wise and aware of the jungle’s dangers, he suspected that the lion might be hiding inside, ready to pounce.
The jackal quickly devised a plan to outwit the lion. Standing outside the cave, he began to speak to it as if it could respond. “Hello, dear cave,” he called out, “Is it safe for me to enter today?”
He repeated his question loudly, hoping to provoke a reaction from within. “I won’t come inside unless you answer me,” he insisted, hoping his ruse would succeed.
Inside the cave, the lion grew anxious, fearing he might miss his chance for a meal. Unaware of the jackal’s clever trick, the lion decided to impersonate the cave and replied, “Yes, dear jackal, it’s safe for you to come in.”
Hearing the lion’s roar, the jackal’s suspicions were confirmed. He wasted no time and fled as fast as he could, vowing never to return to that cave again. Thus, the hungry lion was left alone, outsmarted by the cunning jackal.
In a jungle so big it'd make a mapmaker cry, there lounged a lion, who on this day felt a teeny bit less king-like. Why? His stomach was performing a solo concert, and the tune was "Hungry!"
He wondered aloud, "Did all the animals get an invite to a secret party I missed?" Still, ever the optimist, he thought, "There’s gotta be one critter around here who wouldn't mind being...um, my snack."
Then, he saw it: a cozy-looking cave. Bingo! “Hello, dinner... I mean, cave!” he thought, trying to act casual as he tiptoed in.
But, you see, this was no ordinary cave. Nope! It was the swanky pad of a smarty-pants jackal – the kind who'd probably ace a quiz show. On his way home, spotting lion-sized paw prints, he thought, "Uh-oh, those aren’t from my tiny trotters!"
Concocting a plan that was a mix of genius and just plain wacky, he shouted, "Hey there, Cave! New voice mail system, huh? Safe to pop in?"
Inside, the lion scratched his head. "Do caves usually talk back? I really should keep up with jungle tech," he mused. Then, trying his best 'casual cave' voice, he replied, "Oh, absolutely! No lions here. It’s as safe as a marshmallow fort!"
Our quick-thinking jackal chuckled, “Oh, Mr. Lion, you should've rehearsed that!” And he zoomed off, possibly in search of a more tech-savvy cave.
The lion, left pondering, thought, “Maybe I should get a snack delivery subscription instead?”
And thus, in a jungle filled with surprises, even the mightiest sometimes need a backup dinner plan.
Deep within the jungle's green and wide,
A lion with pride did reside.
Majestic and fierce, his roar did soar,
Echoing far, from shore to shore.
But one hungry eve, with no prey in sight,
His belly did rumble, with much spite.
He wandered and searched, high and low,
Until a cave appeared, with a dim glow.
"Perhaps," he thought, "a meal lies within,
A creature or two, with soft thin skin."
So, he sneaked inside, quiet and sly,
Waiting for the cave's owner, by and by.
Now, this cave was the jackal's abode,
Who soon returned from the crossroad.
Seeing the lion's tracks at the door,
He thought, "There's danger, of this I'm sure."
To test his thought, the jackal did pretend,
To speak to the cave, like an old friend.
"Dear cave," he called, "Is it fine to step in?"
Hoping the lion would fall for his spin.
Hearing the jackal's voice so clear,
The lion thought, "My dinner is near!"
To fool the jackal and ensure his win,
He roared, "Come in! There's no one within."
The jackal, smart with wits so keen,
Quickly saw through the lion's scheme.
With a swift turn, he dashed from the fray,
And the lion's hope for a meal did sway.
A big place with many trees and animals.
A very loud noise made by a lion.
Marks made by feet on the ground.
Feeling the need to eat food.
A large hole in the side of a hill or mountain.
Stays in one place until something happens.
Clever, and quick to think of good ideas.
An idea about what to do.
No danger, not harmful.
Tricked or deceived by someone.
Big, thick forest with many trees.
Loud, deep sound made by lions.
Marks left by feet on the ground.
Smart and quick to think of solutions.
Something that can cause harm.
Idea about how to do something.
A clever way to fool someone.
Act like something is real when it's not.
Understand something clearly.
Be more clever than someone else.
Very strong and powerful in every way.
A sound that repeats because it bounces back.
To search or do something completely and carefully.
The time in the evening when it starts to get dark.
Very smart and good at making decisions.
To think of a plan or a solution carefully.
To be smarter than someone and trick them.
To pretend to be someone or something else.
A trick or an action meant to deceive someone.
Clever at planning and tricking people in smart ways.
Relaxed and stretched out comfortably.
A person who always looks for the good side.
A small animal or creature.
Relaxed and not worried.
Fancy and stylish.
To do very well at something.
Creating or planning something.
Animal feet or hooves.
Thought about something quietly.
Practiced something to get it right.
Very grand, beautiful, and impressive.
Very strong or powerful; not gentle.
To fly or rise high in the sky.
Anger or hatred towards something or someone.
A home or place where someone lives.
A place where two roads meet and cross each other.
To act as if something is true when it is not.
A clever plan, often to do something dishonest.
Very fast or quick in movement.
A fight or struggle, often noisy or intense.
Who is the king of the forest?
What does the lion look for?
Where does the lion decide to wait for food?
How does the jackal know the lion is inside the cave?
What does the lion do when the jackal talks to the cave?
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