Courage

Courage in stories comes in many shapes: Timko the hedgehog walks home through the dark forest on his own, Gerda sets off for the end of the world to find Kai, and a clockmaker’s apprentice finds the nerve to own up to a mistake. These stories show children that being scared is normal, and that brave means taking a step even while you are afraid.

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
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
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
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
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
Little 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.
Ages 6–88 min readCourage
Thumbelina
A tiny girl born in a tulip escapes a toad, a beetle and a blind mole, and the swallow she saved carries her to a warm land of flowers.
Ages 6–89 min readMagic
Hansel and Gretel
Lost in the forest, a brother and sister find a witch’s gingerbread house, where clever Gretel saves Hansel, and white pebbles and a duck lead them home.
Ages 6–89 min readCourage
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.
Ages 2–54 min readAnimal stories
Timko at the Doctor’s
Timko the hedgehog scares his little sister Lily with spooky tales about the doctor, then goes for a check-up and a vaccine with Doctor Beaver himself.
Ages 2–54 min readBig moments
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Two swindlers weave the emperor cloth that fools cannot see. Everyone pretends to see it, until a little girl speaks up at the parade.
Ages 6–87 min readCourage
Rexik and the Bully Pachycephalosaurus
A newcomer pachycephalosaurus shoves everyone in the valley, but Rexik notices that the bully is always alone, and trust can’t be shoved into place with a head.
Ages 9–1212 min readDinosaurs
The Little Mermaid
The youngest sea princess gives up her voice for legs to be near the prince, and on her last night she makes the hardest and bravest choice of all.
Ages 9–1216 min readMagic
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
A one-legged tin soldier falls in love with a paper dancer, sails in a paper boat, ends up inside a fish, and stays true to the very end.
Ages 6–87 min readCourage
The 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.
Ages 2–53 min readAnimal stories
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
An old soldier in an invisibility cloak follows twelve princesses through magic groves and finds out where they wear out their shoes every night.
Ages 6–87 min readMagic
The Wild Swans
A wicked stepmother turns eleven princes into swans, and their sister Eliza silently knits them nettle shirts to break the spell.
Ages 9–1212 min readCourage
Kotyhoroshko, the Boy from a Pea
A boy born from a little pea grows into a mighty hero, defeats a dragon, frees his sister and brothers, then sets off into the world with loyal friends.
Ages 9–1213 min readCourage
The 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.
Ages 2–54 min readAnimal stories
Kyrylo Kozhumiaka
A fierce Dragon has stolen the princess of Kyiv, and only Kyrylo Kozhumiaka, who kneads twelve hides at once with his bare hands, can save her.
Ages 9–1213 min readCourage
Rexik and Quetza the Postwoman
Quetza the postwoman brings Rexik a mysterious three-word letter, so he and Trika set off across the valley to see if something is wrong.
Ages 6–86 min readDinosaurs
Rikki-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.
Ages 9–1213 min readCourage
The Happy Prince
The golden statue of the Prince asks a little Swallow to give his jewels to the poor, and the Swallow stays with him all winter long.
Ages 9–1214 min readKindness
The Keeper of the Faded Stars
Myroslava is afraid of the dark, but she walks the night rooftops with a tired old keeper to light the stars above the old town again.
Ages 9–1213 min readCourage
The 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.
Ages 2–54 min readAnimal stories
The Umbrella Who Was Afraid of the Rain
A new yellow umbrella hides from the rain in a cupboard, until a lost little girl called Solomiyka is caught in a downpour outside.
Ages 6–87 min readCourage
How Anansi the Spider Got All the Stories
Tiny Anansi the spider outwits a python, a leopard, hornets and a forest fairy to buy all the world’s stories from the Sky God for people.
Ages 9–1212 min readAdventure
The Clockmaker of Shadow Street
A clockmaker’s apprentice finds a magic clock that brings back lost minutes and must choose: undo his mistake, or bravely own up to it.
Ages 9–1213 min readCourage
Momotaro, the Peach Boy
A boy who came out of a giant peach sails with a dog, a monkey and a pheasant to the demons' island to win back the people’s treasures.
Ages 6–88 min readCourage
The Snow Queen
Gerda travels to the far north to melt the splinter of ice in her friend Kai’s heart with the warmth of her own.
Ages 9–1216 min readCourage
The Bremen Town Musicians
Four old animals set off for Bremen to become musicians, but along the way they find something even better: a home and friends.
Ages 6–87 min readFriendship
The Hedgehog and the Little Lantern
Little Timko the hedgehog is afraid of the dark, but one evening he has to walk home by himself with a little lantern.
Ages 2–53 min readBedtime