24 nations 162 tales

Folk tales of the world

Every nation has its own tales. Pick a country on the map and set off on a fairy-tale journey with your child!

The fairy-tale map

Tap a country to travel through its tales

Nations

82 tales Kazakh folk tales Aldar Kose, the witch Zhalmauyz, batyrs and clever animals — tales that keep the wisdom of the steppe. Read the tales →
12 tales Russian folk tales Kolobok, The Giant Turnip, Masha and the Bear — Russian tales loved since childhood. Read the tales →
5 tales Arabian tales Tales of the Thousand and One Nights: Aladdin, Ali Baba and the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. Read the tales →
4 tales Japanese folk tales Tales from the Land of the Rising Sun — about patience, honesty and love of nature. Read the tales →
8 tales German folk tales Tales collected by the Brothers Grimm: enchanted forests, castles and brave children. Read the tales →
4 tales English folk tales The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks — tales English children grow up with. Read the tales →
2 tales Azerbaijani folk tales Little brave Jirtdan, wise elders and just shahs — tales from the Land of Fire. Read the tales →
2 tales Belarusian folk tales The mysterious Pykh in the garden and a man looking for easy bread — tales from the land of forests and lakes. Read the tales →
4 tales Chinese folk tales A magic paintbrush, an old man who moved mountains and a frog in a well — the wisdom of ancient China. Read the tales →
1 tale French folk tales Clever travellers who made soup from a stone — tales from the villages of France. Read the tales →
5 tales Indian folk tales Wise hares, chatty turtles and quick-thinking monkeys — tales from India that are thousands of years old. Read the tales →
3 tales Irish folk tales Finn McCool the giant, a leprechaun with a pot of gold and children who became swans — tales from the Emerald Isle. Read the tales →
3 tales Italian folk tales A girl in a tower, simple Giufà and fearless Giovanni — tales from sunny Italy. Read the tales →
3 tales Korean folk tales Kind brothers, timid tigers and children who became the sun and moon — tales from the Land of the Morning Calm. Read the tales →
2 tales Kyrgyz folk tales Quick-witted girls, horse experts and fair judges — tales from the foothills of the Ala-Too mountains. Read the tales →
3 tales Mongolian folk tales Sharp-eyed archers, camels and deer, and the trickster Balansenge — tales of the endless steppe. Read the tales →
1 tale Nanai folk tales Tales of the Nanai people, who live on the banks of the Amur River — about hard work and kindness. Read the tales →
1 tale Nenets folk tales Tales of the Nenets, reindeer herders of the cold northern tundra. Read the tales →
3 tales Norwegian folk tales A troll under a bridge, a magic mill and a husband left to keep house — tales from the land of fjords. Read the tales →
2 tales Spanish folk tales Half-Chick and the little mouse who collects baby teeth — tales from sunny Spain. Read the tales →
3 tales Tatar folk tales Shurale the forest spirit, the River Mother and kind-hearted children — tales from the banks of the Volga. Read the tales →
3 tales Ukrainian folk tales Animals in a mitten, a hard-working rooster and a straw ox covered in tar — tales of the sunflower fields. Read the tales →
3 tales Uzbek folk tales Clever Afandi, wise elders and skilled gardeners — tales from sunny Uzbekistan. Read the tales →
3 tales Vietnamese folk tales A brave young man who found the watermelon, a bird that carried gold and a striped tiger — tales of the rice fields. Read the tales →

Why read tales from different nations?

A folk tale is the soul of a people. It keeps the customs, everyday life and dreams of a country. A child who reads tales from many nations learns to understand the world and respect others.

Many tales turn out to be alike: the Kazakh fox is as cunning as the Russian one, and brave heroes defeat evil everywhere.