Once upon a time there was a Princess. Many a suitor came to the palace to win her hand in marriage, but it seemed to the Princess that each one of them looked at her without really seeing her at all. “They act like there’s nothing more to a princess than her fine crown and…

Once upon a time there lived a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother had a little red riding hood made for her. Everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mother said to her: “Go my dear, and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear…

There once lived a man and his wife, who had long wished for a child, but in vain. Now there was at the back of their house a little window which overlooked a beautiful garden full of the finest vegetables and flowers; but there was a high wall all round it, and no one ventured…

This is the fast paced tale of the Gingerbread Man who leapt out of the oven and ran away. In the 1890 version by Joseph Jacobs, the hero was Johnny-Cake, but we have changed him to the more familiar Gingerbread Man. Duration 8 Minutes. Read by Natasha. Once upon a time there was an old…

Once there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had, by a former husband, two daughters of her own, who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things. He had likewise, by another wife, a young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and…

In the high and far-off times the elephant, O best beloved, had no trunk. He had only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from side to side; but he couldn’t pick up things with it.  But there was one elephant–a new elephant–an Elephant’s Child–who was full of…

There was once a shoemaker, who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one pair of shoes. Then he cut his leather out, all ready to make up…

There was once upon a time an old goat who had seven little kids, and loved them with all the love of a mother for her children. One day she wanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called all seven to her and said: ‘Dear children, I have to go…

ONCE upon a time there dwelled on the outskirts of a large forest a poor woodcutter with his wife and two children; the boy was called Hansel, and the girl Gretel. He always had little enough to live on, and once, when times were bad, they had to get by with one piece of bread…