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Illustrated stories for children

Classic and original stories for children aged 2 to 12, with illustrations, to read aloud at bedtime.

Story of the day

Mother Goat with her seven kids by the little house, while a gray Wolf peeks out from behind the fir trees.

The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats

The Wolf ate chalk and dusted his paw with flour so the kids would open the door, but the smallest hid in a clock, and Mother Goat saved them all.

By age

For ages 2–5

All stories
  • Timko the hedgehog in his red scarf draws a letter to Saint Nicholas at the table, little sister Lily sits on the floor beside him, and Mom and Dad smile.

    Timko and the Letter to Saint Nicholas

    Before his winter sleep, Timko the hedgehog draws a letter to Saint Nicholas and asks for a gift not for himself but for his little sister Lily.

    Ages 2–54 min readWinter

  • A grey cat with an axe and a red rooster stand by the door of a little forest hut

    The Cat and the Rooster

    Cat goes off for firewood and begs Rooster not to look out of the window, but the fox sings so sweetly that Rooster cannot help it.

    Ages 2–54 min readAnimal stories

  • The old man weaves a straw ox while the old woman smears its side with tar

    The Straw Ox

    An old man wove a straw ox for his wife and smeared its side with tar, and a bear, a wolf, a fox and a hare stuck to it one after another.

    Ages 2–54 min readAnimal stories

  • Olesya sails in a moon-boat through the night sky above sleepy rooftops

    The Starry Boat

    Olesya does not want to sleep, so a moon-boat takes her sailing across the night sky, where the clouds, the stars and the breeze are already dozing off.

    Ages 2–53 min readBedtime

For ages 6–8

All stories
  • Sami boy Sampo racing on a reindeer with golden antlers up a snowy mountain under the northern lights

    Sampo the Little Lapp

    A little Sami boy, Sampo, sets off at night to the Mountain King’s mountain and boldly tells the giant that the sun will surely come back.

    Ages 6–88 min readWinter

  • A huge dragon lies by its cave under Wawel Hill, while shoemaker Skuba on the far bank of the Vistula considers a plan

    The Wawel Dragon

    A Polish legend: a dragon under Wawel Hill terrifies all of Kraków, the knights run away, and humble shoemaker Skuba beats it with a needle and a clever idea.

    Ages 6–88 min readCourage

  • The Fir Tree in a warm room, decorated with candles, sweets and a golden star, waiting for Christmas Eve

    The Little Fir Tree

    A little fir tree is in such a hurry to grow up and wait for something better that she misses her own happiness until it is gone.

    Ages 6–810 min readWinter

  • A boy named Jack climbs a beanstalk that grows from a cottage all the way up to the clouds.

    Jack and the Beanstalk

    Jack swaps a cow for five magic beans, climbs a beanstalk above the clouds and escapes a giant with a little hen and a golden harp.

    Ages 6–87 min readAdventure

For ages 9–12

All stories
  • Aladdin holds an old copper lamp while a smoky-golden giant genie rises above him

    Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

    Lazy young Aladdin finds a magic lamp underground, and when a cunning sorcerer steals it, he wins everything back with his own wits.

    Ages 9–1215 min readMagic

  • Little Muck in a big turban and red slippers stands on a sunny street of an eastern town with a cane in his hand

    Little Muck

    A boy who teased Little Muck hears his story: magic slippers, a jealous court, a false accusation, donkey ears, and learns that mockery is not funny.

    Ages 9–1212 min readMagic

  • The wooden puppet Pinocchio with a long nose walks along a country road in the evening

    Pinocchio

    The wooden puppet Pinocchio runs away, tells lies and lands in trouble, and to save his father he must learn to be honest and hardworking.

    Ages 9–1213 min readMagic

  • The hoopoe Dana with a blue satchel stands shyly by the forest school under the maple tree, while Timko the hedgehog in his red scarf watches her from nearby.

    The New Girl

    Hoopoe Dana arrives from the far south as the new girl at the forest school, but autumn will call her away. Will her friendship with Timko wait for spring?

    Ages 9–1214 min readBig moments

New stories

All stories
  • Grandma knocks on the closed painted chest, Mirko waits eagerly beside her, and a ginger cat’s tail peeks out from behind the curtain.

    Grandma’s Chest: The Didukh

    On Christmas Eve Mirko finds an old didukh in Grandma’s chest, hears how it once danced and sneezed, and ties a new one with her.

    Ages 6–87 min readWinter

  • A little bird hides in the branches of a spruce, with a tall pine and a juniper with blue berries beside it, and snow falling

    Why the Spruce and the Pine Stay Green

    A little bird with a hurt wing looks for a place to winter: the proud trees send her away, but the spruce, the pine and the juniper take her in.

    Ages 2–54 min readWinter

  • A fox rides proudly on a sleigh pulled by a little calf, while a wolf peeks out from behind a fir tree.

    The Little Fox and the Pushy Wolf

    A clever little fox swapped an empty pie for a calf, but a pushy wolf broke her sleigh, ate the calf and paid for it with the tip of his tail.

    Ages 2–55 min readAnimal stories

  • Perez the Mouse in a straw hat leads golden mouse Bubi by the paw through a dark pipe

    Perez the Mouse

    Little King Bubi sets out at night with Perez the Mouse to visit a poor boy named Gilito, and learns what it truly means to be a king.

    Ages 6–89 min readKindness

  • Trika reaches her tail toward a sky full of shooting stars, Rexik looks up, and Mom and Dad lie in the grass on the hill

    Rexik, Trika and the Meteor Shower

    Trika wants to catch a shooting star, Rexik notices that the stars burn out high in the sky, and Dad’s “star” turns out not to be a star at all.

    Ages 6–87 min readDinosaurs

  • Grumpy old Scrooge walks down a foggy, snowy London street past festive shop windows

    A Christmas Carol

    On one Christmas night the miser Scrooge meets three spirits and manages to change before it is too late.

    Ages 9–1218 min readWinter

Themes

Tales from around the world

All

Likhtaryk is a home for stories that parents read aloud to their children: at bedtime, on a long journey or on the sofa after dinner. You will find Ukrainian folk tales and Ivan Franko’s animal tales, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, tales from Japan, India and West Africa, and stories we wrote ourselves. Every story comes with illustrations, an age, a reading time and a few questions to talk over with your child.