ReadThe 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.
Animal stories
Animals in fairy tales talk, quarrel, make up and help each other, just like people do. Here you will find the Ukrainian folk tale The Mitten, Ivan Franko’s animal tales, the Indian tale of the Monkey and the Crocodile, and stories of our own. Little ones love spotting familiar animals in the pictures, and older children enjoy working out who will outwit whom.
Stories
- Read
ReadThe Cat That Walked by Himself
The Woman tamed the Dog, the Horse and the Cow, but the clever Cat struck a bargain: three praises, and he gets the fire, yet he still walks by himself.
ReadThe 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.
ReadThe 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.
ReadLittle Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood left the path to pick flowers, and a sly wolf beat her to Grandma’s house. A Brothers Grimm tale about the price of not listening.
ReadRyaba the Hen
Ryaba the hen laid a golden egg. Grandpa and Grandma could not break it, but a mouse flicked her tail, and soon the whole village was sad.
ReadThe Turnip
Grandad Andrushka grows a turnip as big as his head but can’t pull it up alone, so he calls Granny, Minka, Finka, Varvarka and a mouse. Who won’t tumble?
ReadSirko
The farmer sent old dog Sirko away, and a wolf helped him get home. Now Sirko must thank his friend, right in the middle of a wedding.
ReadThe 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.
ReadThe Boy Who Cried Wolf
Twice a shepherd boy calls the villagers to save his sheep from a wolf just for a joke, and when the wolf really comes, nobody believes him.
ReadPuss in Boots
The youngest miller’s son inherited only a cat, but that cat in boots outwitted the king, the mowers and even a man-eating giant.
ReadKolobok, the Runaway Bun
Rosy Kolobok rolls away from Grandpa and Granny, the Bunny, the Wolf and the Bear, but the sly Fox catches him with sweet praise.
ReadThe Ants and the Grasshopper
All summer the ants carry grain, while the Grasshopper just plays his little fiddle. Then winter comes, and the hungry Grasshopper knocks at the anthill.
ReadThe Three Billy Goats Gruff
Three goats called Gruff cross a bridge to a green mountain, while a hungry troll under the bridge waits for the biggest one.
ReadThe Ugly Duckling
A gray duckling chased out of the farmyard survives autumn and a harsh winter, and in spring sees in the water that he has become a swan.
ReadThe Bramble Goat
A fibbing goat takes over a hare’s little house, and no wolf, bear or ox can drive her out, until a tiny crayfish comes along.
ReadThe Lion and the Mouse
A Lion laughs at a tiny Mouse and lets her go, but later she chews through the ropes of a net and saves him.
ReadA Pillow for the Moon
The Moon just can’t fall asleep, so little Sonya and the animals sew him a soft pillow out of a little cloud.
ReadRexik and Trika
Noisy Trika asks Rexik to play hide-and-seek, but she just can’t find him, even though he’s standing right beside her the whole time.
ReadRikki-Tikki-Tavi
A brave little mongoose protects a boy named Teddy and his family from two sly cobras who live in a big garden in India.
ReadThe Little Elephant
A curious Little Elephant goes to the Limpopo River to find out what the Crocodile has for dinner, and comes home with a wonderful long trunk.
ReadThe Snail Who Carried the Moon Home
A little snail finds the Moon in a puddle and carries it through the night garden back to the sky, helped by a firefly, a cricket and a moth.
ReadThe Three Little Pigs
Three little pigs build houses of straw, sticks and bricks. When the wolf comes, only the brick one stands, so two brothers must build again.
ReadGoldilocks and the Three Bears
A little girl named Goldilocks wanders into a cottage in the woods, tastes the bears' porridge, breaks a little chair and falls asleep in someone else’s bed.
ReadWhy the Bear Has a Short Tail
A sly fox teaches a bear to fish with his tail through a hole in the ice, and ever since, all bears have had stubby little tails.
ReadThe Cat of the Dovre Mountains
A hunter taking a white bear to the king spends Christmas Eve in a cottage that trolls invade, and they mistake the bear for a giant kitty!
ReadThe Sparrow and the Two Chests
Grandpa searches for the sparrow Granny chased away and gets a box of treasure, but spooks climb out of greedy Granny’s big chest.
ReadWhy Possum’s Tail Is Bare
Possum bragged so much about his fluffy tail that Rabbit and Cricket taught him a lesson, and that’s why possums still have bare tails.
ReadThe Hare and the Hedgehog
A boastful Hare laughs at the Hedgehog’s short legs, but the clever Hedgehog and his wife beat him in a race.
ReadThe Painted Fox
Mykyta the Fox falls into a barrel of blue paint and becomes the mighty King Hostromysl, until one moonlit night his own yapping gives him away.
ReadThe Fox and the Crane
The Fox serves the Crane porridge on a flat plate, the Crane serves her fish soup in a narrow jug, and each goes home hungry.
ReadA Lighthouse for a Forgetful Whale
A lighthouse keeper’s daughter makes up a song of light so that Bloop, a forgetful young whale, can find his way home even in thick fog.
ReadThe Monkey and the Crocodile
A Monkey treats her friend the Crocodile to sweet pink apples, but when he carries her out to sea for his sly wife, only her quick wits save her.
ReadThe Mitten
Grandpa drops a mitten in the forest, and the animals move in one by one, until a big bear comes along.
Questions and answers
How many stories are there in “Animal stories”?
This page has 34 stories right now.
Which story here is the shortest?
The shortest is “The Lion and the Mouse”: 2 min read.
What ages are these stories for?
There are stories for ages 2–5 (21 stories), 6–8 (12 stories), and 9–12 (1 story).
Which other themes come up in these stories?
Most often “Fables” (22 stories), “Friendship” (7 stories), and “Courage” (6 stories).