Dino Kids
The Old Witch
A kind girl helps an oven, a cow, and an apple tree, and they help her bring the village’s lost gold back home.
Once upon a time, there were two sisters who lived with their father in a little village. The people of the village had saved up a bag of gold to mend their bridge and their mill. But one night, a grumpy old witch crept in and took the bag away to her house in the woods. “Who will help us get it back?” said the people. “I will try,” said the younger sister.
On her way through the woods, she passed an oven full of bread. “Little girl, please take my loaves out, or they will burn,” called the oven. So she took out every loaf to cool. Next she passed a cow. “Little girl, please milk me, for no one has milked me for days,” mooed the cow, and the girl milked her. Then she passed an apple tree. “Little girl, please shake me, for my apples are so heavy,” said the tree, and she shook it gently.
At last, she came to the witch’s house and knocked on the door. “I need a girl to sweep and dust,” said the old witch. “You may stay.” “But never, ever look up the chimney!” So the girl worked hard all day, and the witch dozed in her rocking chair.
While the witch was snoring, the girl peeked up the chimney. Down fell a long leather bag, with the name of her village stitched on it. “This is our gold!” she whispered, and she tucked it under her arm and ran.
Soon the witch woke up and saw that the bag was gone. She hurried after the girl, calling, “Has anyone seen a girl with a long leather bag?” The oven puffed out a big cloud of smoke, so the witch could not see the path. “She went that way,” mooed the cow, and she pointed her horns the wrong way. The apple tree dropped its apples all over the path, and the witch slipped and slid and had to slow down.
The girl ran all the way home and gave the bag of gold back to the village. Everyone cheered, and the next week they mended their bridge and their mill.
Her older sister wanted a bag of gold too, so she went into the woods. But she would not take out the bread, or milk the cow, or shake the apple tree. When the witch chased her, nobody helped her, and the witch caught her by the sleeve. The witch made her scrub every pot in the house before sending her home with nothing at all. After that, the older sister always stopped to help whenever someone asked.
A traditional tale, retold for young children by Dino Kids (CC0).
Hear this story read aloud
In the Dino Kids app, “The Old Witch” is read aloud, the sentence being read lights up, and there are three reading speeds for little ears. Parents can also record it in their own voice. Free, no ads, no in-app purchases.
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