Learn English with StoriesFairy Tales Stories
Classic fairy tales retold in English for language learners. From beloved stories like Cinderella and The Ugly Duckling to lesser-known gems, these timeless narratives help you learn vocabulary through familiar plots. Each story includes audio, translations, and vocabulary lists. Perfect for learners who want engaging content with predictable storylines.
25 stories available • Page 1 of 2
The Ugly Duckling
A young duckling is different from his siblings. The other ducks call him ugly and he runs away. After a hard winter, he discovers he is actually a beautiful swan.
Little Red Riding Hood
A little girl in a red hood visits her sick grandmother. A wolf tricks her and eats the grandmother. A brave hunter saves them both and they all live happily.
The Three Little Pigs
Three pig brothers build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks. A big bad wolf blows down the first two houses, but cannot destroy the brick house. The pigs learn that hard work pays off.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
A curious girl named Goldilocks enters the home of three bears while they are away. She tries their porridge, chairs, and beds, finding Baby Bear's things just right. When the bears return and find her, she runs away frightened.
The Tortoise and the Hare
A proud hare challenges a slow tortoise to a race, confident of an easy victory. The hare runs far ahead and decides to take a nap, while the tortoise keeps moving steadily. The hare wakes up too late and watches the tortoise win, learning that patience and persistence beat overconfidence.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Peter, a shepherd boy, gets bored watching sheep and tricks the villagers by crying 'Wolf!' twice. They come running but find no wolf, making them angry. When a real wolf appears, no one believes Peter's cries for help. He learns that liars are not believed even when they tell the truth.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
During summer, an ant works hard collecting food for winter while a grasshopper plays and sings. When winter arrives, the ant is warm with plenty of food, but the hungry grasshopper has nothing. He learns that it is important to work hard and prepare for the future.
The Lion and the Mouse
A small mouse accidentally wakes a lion, who catches her. She promises to help him someday if he lets her go. The lion laughs but frees her. Later, hunters trap the lion in a net. The mouse returns, gnaws through the ropes, and saves him. They become friends, proving that even the smallest can help the mightiest.
The Fox and the Grapes
A hungry fox sees delicious grapes hanging high on a vine. He jumps many times trying to reach them, but they are too high. Tired and unable to get the grapes, the fox decides they must be sour anyway and walks away. This fable teaches us that people often pretend not to want what they cannot have.
The Princess and the Pea
A prince searches the world for a real princess to marry but cannot find one. One stormy night, a young woman arrives at the castle claiming to be a princess. The queen tests her by placing a tiny pea under twenty mattresses. The princess sleeps badly because she feels the pea, proving she is a real princess. The prince finally finds his bride.
Cinderella
A kind girl named Cinderella is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. With the help of her fairy godmother, she attends a royal ball and captures the prince's heart. After losing her glass slipper, the prince finds her and they marry.
Hansel and Gretel
Two children are abandoned in a forest by their stepmother. They find a witch's candy house and are captured. Gretel tricks the witch and saves her brother. They return home with treasure and live happily with their father.
Snow White
A jealous queen tries to kill her beautiful stepdaughter Snow White, who escapes to live with seven dwarfs in the forest. The queen tricks Snow White with a poisoned apple, but a prince's love awakens her, and they live happily ever after.
Sleeping Beauty
A princess is cursed by an evil fairy to prick her finger and fall into eternal sleep on her sixteenth birthday. Three good fairies hide her in the forest, but the curse comes true. A brave prince defeats the evil fairy and awakens the princess with a kiss of true love.
The Frog Prince
A beautiful princess accidentally drops her golden ball into a deep well. A frog offers to retrieve it in exchange for becoming her companion at the castle. The princess agrees but breaks her promise. When the frog appears at the castle, the king insists she honor her word. In frustration, the princess throws the frog against a wall, breaking a witch's curse and transforming him into a handsome prince. The prince's loyal servant Henry had iron bands around his heart to prevent it from breaking during his master's enchantment, and they finally break with joy during the journey home.
The Emperor's New Clothes
An emperor who loves beautiful clothes is tricked by two clever men who claim they can weave magical fabric that only wise people can see. Not wanting to appear foolish, the emperor and his ministers pretend to see the nonexistent clothes. When the emperor parades through the city in his 'new clothes,' only a child has the courage to point out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all.
Puss in Boots
A poor miller's son inherits only a clever talking cat. The cat asks for boots and a bag, then begins a plan to make his master rich. He catches rabbits and brings them as gifts to the king, claiming they are from the Marquis of Carabas - a noble title he invented. When the king passes by the river, the cat tricks him into giving the young man royal clothes. The cat runs ahead, making farmers claim the land belongs to the Marquis. Finally, the cat outsmarts an ogre who can change shape, tricking him into becoming a mouse and eating him. The young man marries the princess and becomes a prince, while Puss in Boots becomes a great lord.
Thumbelina
A woman who wants a child plants a magic seed that grows into a flower. Inside the flower is Thumbelina, a tiny girl no bigger than a thumb. She has many adventures: a toad kidnaps her to marry her son, but fish help her escape. A beetle takes her but abandons her when other beetles call her ugly. She survives alone in the forest until winter, when a kind field mouse takes her in. The mouse wants her to marry a rich mole, but Thumbelina finds a sick swallow and nurses it back to health. In spring, the swallow takes her to a warm land where she meets a tiny flower prince. They fall in love, and Thumbelina finally finds happiness as the queen of the flower fairies.