Folk tales for young children

A hundred English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish folk tales, retold in short sentences and familiar words for children aged 3 to 6. Read them aloud at bedtime, right on this page.

In the Dino Kids app every tale is read aloud, the sentence being read lights up, and parents can record the story in their own voice. Free, no ads, no in-app purchases.

English folk tale

• Goldilocks and the Three BearsA curious girl wanders into the home of three bears while they are out for a walk.
• The Three Little PigsThree little pigs build three houses, and only the strong brick one keeps the wolf out.
• Jack and the BeanstalkJack trades his cow for magic beans and climbs a giant beanstalk into the clouds.
• Henny PennyA little hen thinks the sky is falling and hurries off with her friends to tell the king.
• Tom ThumbA boy no bigger than a thumb has big adventures and becomes a knight of King Arthur.
• The Old Woman and Her PigAn old woman needs help from a dog, a cat, a cow, and a farmer to get her pig home.
• Lazy JackA lazy boy always carries his pay home the wrong way, until one silly mistake brings him luck.
• The Three SilliesA young man sets out to find three people even sillier than his sweetheart’s family.
• Teeny-TinyA teeny-tiny woman hears a teeny-tiny voice in the night, and the answer makes her laugh.
• The Magpie’s NestThe clever magpie teaches the other birds to build nests, but nobody stays until the end.
• How Jack Went to Seek His FortuneJack sets off to find his fortune, and five animal friends help him chase away a band of robbers.
• Cap o’ RushesA girl is sent away for saying she loves her father as much as food loves salt, and she proves it.
• The Cat and the MouseA little mouse runs from friend to friend to win back her scarf from the cat.
• Mr. VinegarMr. Vinegar finds a bag of gold and keeps trading it away for something he likes better.
• The Wise Men of GothamThe people of a little English village do some very silly things, and they think they are being very wise.
• Master of All MastersA girl goes to work for an odd old gentleman who has a funny name for everything in his house.
• TattercoatsA girl in ragged clothes, a gooseherd with a magic pipe, and a prince who loves her just as she is.
• The Three Heads of the WellA kind princess shares her lunch and gently cares for three golden heads in a well, and her kindness brings her great luck.
• The Old WitchA kind girl helps an oven, a cow, and an apple tree, and they help her bring the village’s lost gold back home.
• The Princess of CanterburyA cheerful shepherd boy answers the clever princess’s questions with an egg, a stick, and a nut, and stays awake with a little trick.
• A Son of AdamA grumbling worker is sure he could never be as curious as Adam, until he sits down at a table with one covered dish.
• Master and PupilA curious boy reads a spell from his master’s magic book, and a great shaggy creature appears that will not stop working.

American folk tale

• The Little Red HenA hard-working hen asks her friends for help, but nobody wants to help until the bread is ready.
• The Gingerbread ManA cookie man jumps out of the oven and runs away from everyone, even a sly fox.

English legend

• Dick Whittington and His CatA poor boy goes to London, and his clever cat helps him become Lord Mayor.
• Robin Hood and Little JohnRobin Hood meets a very tall stranger on a narrow bridge, and a splashy contest makes them best friends.
• King Alfred and the CakesA king in hiding is asked to watch some cakes by the fire, but he is so busy thinking that he lets them burn.
• King Canute and the TideA wise king sits by the sea to show his friends that even a king cannot tell the waves what to do.

American legend

• Johnny AppleseedA kind man walks across the land planting apple seeds so that everyone can have apples.

American tall tale

• Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue OxA giant lumberjack and his big blue ox shape the land with their enormous adventures.
• Jim Bridger’s Echo CanyonMountain man Jim Bridger tells of a canyon with a very slow echo and a forest where everything has turned to stone.

English folk legend (Gloucestershire)

• The Owl Was a Baker’s DaughterA baker’s daughter does not want to share with a hungry traveler, and the little loaf in the oven grows and grows.

American story by Washington Irving

• Rip Van WinkleA friendly man takes a nap in the mountains and wakes up twenty years later.

Scottish folk tale

• The Wee BannockA little oatcake rolls away from everyone who wants to eat it, all the way over the hills.
• The Stars in the SkyA little lass sets off in the night to find the stars and bring them home to play with.
• The Wee Wee Mannie and the Big Big CooA very small man tries and tries to milk a very big cow who will not stand still.
• The Black Bull of NorrowayA brave girl rides away on a black bull, loses him, and climbs a glass hill to find him again.
• The Robin’s Yule SongOn Christmas morning, a little robin flies to sing for the King, and wisely says no to everyone who tries to trick him on the way.

English folk tale (Suffolk)

• Tom Tit TotA girl who cannot spin gets help from a little black creature, but only if she can guess its name.

American tall tale by Edward O’Reilly (1923)

• Pecos BillA baby raised by coyotes grows up to be the greatest cowboy in Texas and rides a whirling cyclone.

English legend (Shropshire)

• The Giant and the CobblerA grumpy giant sets off to block a river with a huge spadeful of earth, but a clever shoemaker stops him with a sack of old shoes.

English nursery rhyme

• Simple SimonSimple Simon spends a whole day getting things a little bit wrong, from the pieman to the whale in the pail.
• The House That Jack BuiltOne thing leads to another in Jack’s house, from a sack of malt all the way to a farmer sowing his corn.
• LawkamercymeAn old woman falls asleep by the road, wakes up with a short skirt, and is not sure if she is herself anymore.

British legend (Thomas Malory)

• King Arthur and the Sword in the StoneNobody can pull a magic sword out of a stone, until a kind young boy named Arthur tries.
• King Arthur and the Sword in the LakeYoung King Arthur rows across a quiet lake with Merlin and is given a wonderful sword by the Lady of the Lake.

Louisiana Creole folk tale (Alcee Fortier, 1895)

• The Talking EggsA kind girl helps an old woman in the woods and is given magic eggs that are full of wonderful surprises.

American legend by Mason Locke Weems (1806)

• George Washington and the Cherry TreeYoung George Washington chops at his father’s favorite cherry tree, and then he bravely tells the truth.

American tall tale by Frank Shay (1930)

• Old StormalongA giant sailor from Cape Cod sails the biggest ship in the world and squeezes it through a very tight spot.

English folk tale (Devon)

• HereafterthisA patient farmer, his hasty young wife, and a silly mix-up about one word send them off on an adventure with their front door.

English folk tale (Northumberland)

• The Hedley KowA cheerful old woman finds a pot of gold that keeps changing, and she is happy with every surprise.
• My Own SelfA boy who will not go to bed plays with a tiny fairy girl by the fire, and a clever name gets him out of trouble.

English folk tale (Lincolnshire, M. C. Balfour 1891)

• The Buried MoonThe Moon comes down to the dark marsh to help, gets stuck in the mud, and the village works together to set her free.

English folk tale (Derbyshire)

• The Small-Tooth DogA kind girl goes to live with a big dog who once saved her father, and a sweet name sets him free.

Scottish legend (Galloway), from a poem by William Nicholson (1820s)

• The Brownie of BlednochA shaggy little brownie works all night for the village of Blednoch, asking for nothing but a bowl of porridge.

Scottish folk tale (Orkney)

• Kate CrackernutsBrave Kate helps her sister and a sleepy prince by following him into a fairy hill with a pocket full of nuts.
• The Selkie WifeA fisherman marries a seal woman from the sea, and even after she goes home to the waves, she never forgets her children.
• Assipattle and the Stoor WormA dreamy farm boy sails into the mouth of a giant sea serpent, and the serpent curls up and becomes a land of islands.

English folk tale (Lincolnshire)

• The Farmer and the BoggartA clever farmer shares his field with a grumpy boggart, and somehow the boggart always picks the wrong half.
• Tiddy MunWhen the marsh is drained dry, the people say sorry to the little water spirit, and the water comes back.

English legend (Norfolk)

• The Pedlar of SwaffhamA peddler follows a dream all the way to London Bridge, and finds his treasure right back at home.

Welsh legend

• The Lady of Llyn y Fan FachA young farmer wins the heart of a lady from a mountain lake with just the right bread, and her gift of healing lives on.
• The Red Dragon and the White DragonA king’s tower keeps falling down, until a wise young boy finds two sleeping dragons deep under the hill.
• Saint Melangell and the HareA frightened hare hides under a gentle woman’s cloak, and a prince gives her a whole valley where every creature is safe.

American tall tale (Crockett almanacs, 1854)

• Davy Crockett and the Frozen SunriseOne winter morning it is so cold that the sun gets stuck, and Davy Crockett climbs a mountain to get it moving again.

Scottish ballad (Child 39)

• Tam LinBrave Janet holds on tight to her friend Tam Lin while the fairies change his shape, and she brings him home from Fairyland.

English and Scottish folk song

• Froggy Went A-Courtin’Mister Frog rides off to ask Miss Mousie to marry him, and the wedding party is full of tiny guests.

Cornish folk tale

• SkillywiddenA farmer finds a tiny fairy boy asleep in the heather, and the little fellow plays with his children until his own family comes calling.

English legend (Northumberland; ballad by Robert Lambe, 1778)

• The Laidly Worm of Spindleston HeughA jealous queen turns a princess into a dragon, and only her brave brother’s three kisses can break the spell.

Scottish ballad (Child 270)

• Earl Mar’s DaughterA lady makes friends with a dove who is really an enchanted prince, and a flock of birds comes to her rescue.

English folk tale (Yorkshire)

• The Fish and the RingA proud baron tries to keep a poor girl from marrying his son, but a fish and a ring have other plans.

Cornish folk tale (St. Allen)

• 🌌The Lost Child of St. AllenA little boy follows lovely music into the woods, visits a sparkling fairy palace, and is found safe and sound on a bed of ferns.

English folk tale (County Durham)

• The Cauld Lad of HiltonA little helper in the kitchen of Hilton Castle does everything backward, until the servants give him a cozy green cloak.

Scottish folk tale (Borders)

• Habetrot the SpinnerA girl who would rather play than spin meets a kind fairy spinner who helps her, and helps her again after she marries.

English folk tale (Northamptonshire)

• The Three WishesA woodcutter who spares a fairy’s tree gets three wishes, and a sausage ends up in a very funny place.

Scottish folk tale (Caithness)

• The Seal Catcher and the MermanA seal catcher is taken under the sea to help a hurt seal, and he promises never to hunt seals again.

Scottish legend

• Thomas the RhymerThomas rides away to Elfland with the Fairy Queen and comes home with a magic gift, a tongue that can only tell the truth.

Scottish legend (Isle of Skye)

• The Fairy Flag of DunveganA fairy sings a lullaby to a baby in Dunvegan Castle and leaves behind a magic silk flag.

American folk tale retold by Wilhelmina Harper (1918)

• The GunniwolfA little girl picks flowers too far into the jungle, and her sweet song keeps lulling the Gunniwolf to sleep.

American tall tale (Westport, Missouri, 1853)

• Windwagon ThomasA man puts a sail on a wagon and races across the prairie with the wind, but his biggest wagon has a mind of its own.

Cornish legend (Mousehole)

• Tom Bawcock’s EveA brave fisherman sails out in a storm to feed his hungry village, and everyone shares a pie with fish looking up at the stars.

Scottish folk tale (Hebrides)

• The Fairy and the KettleA fairy borrows a woman’s kettle every day, and when it is not returned, the woman goes to the fairy hill to bring it home.

Scottish legend (Ayrshire)

• The Laird o’ CoA kind laird helps a tiny boy with a little can, and years later the tiny boy comes to help him.

Scottish legend (Adomnan, Life of Columba)

• Saint Columba and the River BeastA great beast in the River Ness frightens everyone, until gentle Saint Columba tells it to go away.

Welsh legend (Hanes Taliesin)

• TaliesinA kitchen boy tastes three magic drops, races away in many shapes, and grows up to be the finest singer in Wales.

Welsh folk tale

• Rhys at the Fairy DanceA young farmhand joins a fairy dance for just a few minutes, or so he thinks, until his friend comes to bring him home.

Welsh legend (Gerald of Wales)

• Elidor and the Golden BallA boy visits a hidden land of little people who never tell lies, and he learns how much honesty matters.

Welsh legend (Mabinogion)

• Rhiannon and the White HorseA prince chases a lady on a white horse for three days, until he learns that all he had to do was ask.

Welsh legend (Betws-y-Coed)

• The AfancA huge creature in a river pool keeps flooding the valley, until a song and two mighty oxen help it move to a new home in the mountains.

Cornish legend

• The Mermaid of ZennorThe best singer in a Cornish village follows a mysterious lady down to the sea, and his songs can still be heard beneath the waves.

English legend (Oxfordshire)

• The Rollright StonesA proud king meets a clever old witch on a hilltop, and he and his men become a ring of stones that nobody can count.
• Wayland’s SmithyA traveler leaves his horse and a silver coin by some old stones, and an invisible blacksmith gives it brand-new shoes.

English legend (Lincoln)

• The Lincoln ImpTwo naughty imps blow into Lincoln Cathedral on the wind, and the cheekiest one is still sitting there in stone today.

English legend (Bath)

• Bladud and the PigsA prince with an itchy rash looks after a herd of pigs, and they lead him to the warm springs that make him well.

British legend (Stonehenge)

• Merlin and the Giants’ DanceA king wants something wonderful that will last forever, and Merlin the wizard brings a ring of giant stones across the sea.

English legend (Cheshire)

• The Wizard of Alderley EdgeA farmer will not sell his white horse to a mysterious old man, until he is shown a cave of sleeping knights deep under the hill.

Northumbrian legend (Bede, Life of Cuthbert)

• Saint Cuthbert and the OttersA gentle monk prays all night in the cold sea, and two little otters come to warm his feet.

Welsh Romani folk tale (F. H. Groome, In Gipsy Tents, 1880)

• Jack and the Golden BoxA little golden box full of tiny helpers wins Jack a castle, and a mouse, a frog, and a bird help him find it again.

English chapbook tale (The History of Lawrence Lazy, 1600s)

• Lazy LawrenceLawrence is the laziest boy in England, and wherever he goes, everyone around him becomes too lazy to move.

English legend (Surrey)

• Mother Ludlam’s CauldronA kind old fairy lends the villagers anything they need, until someone forgets to bring back her big copper cauldron on time.

A traditional tale, retold for young children by Dino Kids (CC0).