Easy story to read
28 English Short Stories with Big Ideas for Thoughtful English Learners
By aromiekim and Dhritiman Ray Last updated:
When it comes to learning English, what if you can understand big ideas with just a little bit of text?
I’m talking about award-winning short stories in English.
Stories are all about going beyond reality, and these will not only improve your English reading but also open your mind to different worlds.
Contents
- 1. “The Bogey Beast” by Flora Annie Steel
- 2. “The Tortoise and the Hare” by Aesop
- 3. “The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse” by Beatrix Potter
- 4. “The Night Train at Deoli” by Ruskin Bond
- 5. “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury
- 6. “Orientation” by Daniel Orozco
- 7. “Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu
- 8. “The Missing Mail” by R.K. Narayan
- 9. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
- 10.
“The School” by Donald Barthelme
- 11. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
- 12. “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling
- 13. Excerpt from “Little Dorrit” by Charles Dickens
- 14. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London
- 15. “Evil Robot Monkey” by Mary Robinette Kowal
- 16. “The Boarded Window” by Ambrose Bierce
- 17. “The Zero Meter Diving Team” by Jim Shepherd
- 18. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs
- 19. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
- 20. “Little Red Riding Hood” by The Brothers Grimm
- 21. “A Tiny Feast” by Chris Adrian
- 22. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
- 23. “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams
- 24. “Paul Bunyan,” adapted by George Grow
- 25. “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde
- 26. “Cinderella” by Charles Perrault
- 27. “The Friday Everything Changed” by Anne Hart
- 28. “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
- How to Use Short Stories to Improve Your English
- Use Illustrations to Enhance Your Experience
- Listen to Recordings of Stories
- Explore Stories Related to a Theme
- Choose the Right Reading Level
- Practice “Active Reading”
- Choose Only a Few Words to Look Up
- Make Your Own Summary
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
A woman finds a pot of treasure on the road while she is returning from work.
Delighted (very happy) with her luck, she decides to keep it. As she is taking it home, it keeps changing.
However, her enthusiasm refuses to fade away (disappear or faint slowly).
What Is Great About It: The old lady in this story is one of the most cheerful characters anyone can encounter in English fiction.
Her positive disposition (personality) tries to make every negative situation seem like a gift, and she helps us look at luck as a matter of our view rather than events.
This classic fable (story) tells the story of a very slow tortoise (turtle) and a speedy hare (rabbit).
The tortoise challenges the hare to a race. The hare laughs at the idea that a tortoise could run faster than he, but the race leads to surprising results.
What Is Great About It: Have you ever heard the English expression, “Slow and steady wins the race”? This story is the basis for that common phrase.
This timeless (classic) short story teaches a lesson that we all know but can sometimes forget: Natural talent is no substitute for hard work, and overconfidence often leads to failure.
Timmie Willie is a country mouse who is accidentally taken to a city in a vegetable basket. When he wakes up, he finds himself at a party and makes a friend.
When he is unable to bear (tolerate or experience) the city life, he returns to his home but invites his friend to the village.
When his friend visits him, something similar happens.
What Is Great About It: Humans have been living without cities or villages for most of history.
That means that both village and city life are recent inventions. And just like every other invention, we need to decide their costs and benefits.
The story is precisely (exactly) about this debate. It is divided into short paragraphs and has illustrations for each scene. This is best for beginners who want to start reading immediately.
Ruskin Bond used to spend his summer at his grandmother’s house in Dehradun.
While taking the train, he always had to pass through a small station called Deoli. No one used to get down at the station and nothing happened there.
Until one day he sees a girl selling fruit and he is unable to forget her.
What Is Great About It: Ruskin Bond is a writer who can communicate deep feelings in a simple way.
This story is about our attachment to strangers and why we cherish (value or appreciate deeply) them even though we do not meet them ever again.
Earth has been destroyed by war and no one lives on it anymore.
The robots and the machines continue to function and serve human beings who have long ago died.
What Is Great About It: The title is taken from a poem that describes how nature will continue its work long after humanity is gone.
But in this story, we see that nature plays a supporting role and the machines are the ones who have taken its place.
They continue their work without any human or natural assistance. This shows how technology has replaced nature in our lives and how it can both destroy us and carry on without humanity itself.
This is a humorous story where the speaker explains the office policies, as well as gossip about the staff, to a new employee.
It is extremely easy to read as the sentences are short and without any overly difficult words.
Many working English learners will relate to it as it explains the absurdities (silly moments) of modern office life and how so little of it makes sense.
What Is Great About It: Modern workplaces often feel like theaters where we pretend to work rather than get actual work done. The speaker exposes this reality that nobody will ever admit to.
He over-explains everything from the view out the office window to the intimate details of everyone’s life—from the overweight loner to the secret serial killer.
It talks about the things that go unsaid; how people at the office know about the deep secrets of our home life, but do not talk about it.
Jack’s mother can make paper animals come to life.
In the beginning, Jack loves them and spends hours with his mom. But as soon as he grows up, he stops talking to her since she is unable to speak in English.
When his mother tries to talk to him through her creations, he kills them and collects them in a box.
After a tragic loss, he finally gets to know her story through a hidden message that he should have read a long time ago.
What Is Great About It: The story is a simple narration that touches on complex issues. It is about leaving your own country with the promise of a better life.
It is also about the conflicts that can occur between families when different cultures and languages collide. In this case, the tension is so high that it destroys the relationship between a mother and her son.
It also has a moving message about never taking your loved ones for granted.
This story is part of R.K. Narayan’s “Malgudi Days” short story collection.
Thanappa is the village mailman who is good friends with Ramanujam and his family. He learns about a failed marriage and helps Ramanujam’s daughter get engaged to a suitable match.
Just before the wedding, Thanappa receives a tragic letter about Ramanujam’s brother. He decides not to deliver it.
What Is Great About It: Despite the best of intentions, our actions can cause more harm to our loved ones than we ever intended.
The story is about the complicated relationships and feelings which are always present in our social circles, but we are often ignorant of them.
The year is 2081, and everyone has been made equal by force.
Every person who is superior in any way has been handicapped (something that prevents a person’s full use of their abilities) by the government.
Intelligent people are distracted by disturbing noises. Good dancers have to wear weights so that they do not dance too well.
Attractive people wear ugly masks so they do not look better than anyone else.
However, one day there is a rebellion, and everything changes for a brief instant.
What Is Great About It: Technology is always supposed to make us better. But in this case, we see that it can be used to disable our talents.
Moreover, the writer shows us how the mindless use of a single value like equality can create more suffering for everyone.
A school teacher is narrating all the recent incidents that have happened on campus.
First, they mention a garden where all the trees died. Pretty soon deaths of all kinds begin to occur.
What Is Great About It: Most of the adults do not know how to deal with death, even though they want to teach children about it.
It makes us realize how weak our education systems are because they can not help us deal with life’s most basic issues.
Eventually, the students start to lose faith in everything, and the adults have to put on a show of love to make themselves less frightened.
It shows how adults can fail to explain and understand death, and so they just pretend that they do. In this way, the cycle of misunderstanding and avoiding life’s issues continues.
11. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
A mother is telling her daughter how to live her life properly. The daughter does not seem to have any say in it.
What Is Great About It: This may not be technically a story since there is no plot. “Girl” talks about how girls are taught to live restricted lives since childhood.
The mother instructs (tells) her to do all the household chores, indicating that it is her sole purpose (only aim or duty).
Sometimes the mother tells her to not attract attention, to not talk to boys and to always keep away from men.
On the other hand, she hints that she will have to be attractive to bakers and other suitable males in society to live a good life.
This story is about these conflicting ideas that girls face when growing up.
“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is about a Mongoose who regularly visits a family in India.
The family feeds him and lets him explore their house, but they worry that he might bite their son, Teddy.
One day a snake is about to attack him when the Mongoose kills it. Eventually, he becomes a part of the family forever.
What Is Great About It: This is a simple story about humans and animals living together as friends. It is old, but the language is fairly easy to understand.
It reminds us that animals can also experience feelings of love and, like humans, they will also protect the ones they love.
“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is part of Kipling’s short story collection “The Jungle Book,” which was famously made into a movie by Disney.
If you enjoy the story but need a break from reading, check out this captivating trailer for Disney’s newer version of the movie.
Dorrit is a child whose father has been in prison ever since she could remember. Unable to pay their debts, the whole family is forced to spend their days in a cell.
Dorrit thinks about the outside world and longs to see it (wishes to see it).
This excerpt introduces you to the family and their life in prison.
The novel is about how they manage to get out and how Dorrit never forgets the kindness of the people who helped her.
What Is Great About It: Injustice in law is often reserved for the poor. “Little Dorrit” shows clearly how it works in society.
It is about the government jailing people for not being able to return their loans, a historical practice the writer hated since his own father was punished in a similar way.
The story reveals how the rich cheat the poor and then put them into prisons instead of facing punishment.
A man travels to a freezing, isolated place called Yukon. He only has his dog with him for company.
Throughout his journey, he ignores the advice other people had given him and takes his life for granted.
Finally, he realizes the real power of nature and how delicate (easily broken) human life actually is.
What Is Great About It: The classic fight between life and death has always fascinated us. Nature is often seen as a powerful force that should be feared and respected.
The man in this story is careless and, despite having helpful information, makes silly mistakes. He takes the power of natural forces too lightly.
The animal is the one who is cautious and sensible in this dangerous situation. By the end, readers wonder who is really intelligent—the man who could not deal with nature or the dog who could survive?
Sly is a chimpanzee who is much smarter than the other chimpanzees. He loves to play with clay on a potter’s wheel all day and likes to keep to himself.
But one day when the school kids bully him, he loses his temper and acts out in anger. Seeing this, the teacher punishes him and takes away his clay.
What Is Great About It: Sly is a character who does not fit into society. He is too smart for the other chimps, but humans do not accept him. He is punished for acting out his natural emotions.
But the way he handles his rage, in the end, makes him look more mature than most human beings. Nominated for the Hugo award, many readers have connected with Sly since they can see similarities in their own lives.
“The Boarded Window” is a horror story about a man who has to deal with his wife’s death. The setting is a remote cabin in the wilderness in Cincinnati, and he feels helpless as she gets sick.
There’s an interesting twist to this story, and the ending will get you thinking (and maybe feeling a bit disturbed!).
What is Great About It: If you enjoy older stories with a little suspense, this would be a good challenge for you–in fact, until now, it’s still included in a lot of horror story compilations.
It talks about the event that made a hermit decide to live alone for decades, with a mysterious window boarded up in his cabin.
Aside from what actually happens in the story, there’s also a lot of emphasis on psychology and symbolism.
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was one of the most deadly accidents in the twentieth century.
This is a story about that event through the eyes of a father and his sons. The family was unfortunate enough to be close to the disaster area.
The story exposes the whole system of corruption that led to a massive explosion taking innocent lives and poisoning multiple generations.
The technical vocabulary and foreign words make this text a little more difficult. However, the story is relatively easy to follow.
What Is Great About It: It is no secret that governments lie to their own people. But sometimes these lies can cost lives.
Very often we accept this as normal, but this tale opens our eyes to the cost of our indifference (lack of concern).
The story is divided into small parts that make it both easy and exciting to read.
The various events are about life in general in what was then known as the Soviet Union. And just like any other good story, it is also about human relationships and how they change due to historic events.
A man brings a magical monkey’s paw from India, which grants three wishes to three people.
When the White family buys it from him, they realize that sometimes you do not want your wishes to come true.
What Is Great About It: Sometimes we wish for things, but we do not think about their consequences.
In this story, the characters immediately regret when their wishes come true because either someone dies or something worse happens.
They realize that they never thought about the ways their wishes could destroy people and their lives.
Mrs. Mallard has heart troubles that could kill her.
When her husband dies, the people who come to give her this news try to do so gently. When she is finally informed, she bursts into tears.
Eventually, she goes to her room and locks herself in.
However, while thinking about the future, she is excited by the idea of freedom that could come after her husband’s death.
After an hour, the doorbell rings and her husband is standing there alive and well. When she sees him, she has a heart attack and dies.
What Is Great About It: Marriages can be like prisons for women. The one in this tale definitely seems like a heavy burden. Despite her grief, Mrs. Mallard is able to keep herself healthy with the hope of freedom from her husband.
But as soon as she realizes that she will have to go back to her old life, her body is unable to take it.
The story explores the conflicting range of human emotions of grief and hope in a short span, and the impact it can have on a person’s mind and body.
This is a story that every English-speaking child knows. It’s about a little girl who meets a wolf in the forest while going to see her sick grandmother.
The wolf pretends to be her grandmother in order to trick the little girl. There are actually different versions of it, with different endings–the one I’ve linked above is the most popular.
What Is Great About It: “Little Red Riding Hood” is a fairy tale, which is a story for kids that has been traditionally told through generations.
It’s often used to teach children that it’s bad to talk to strangers, since the image of being eaten by a wolf can be very scary.
It has been adapted into different movies and media, and you’ll still hear mentioned in pop culture a lot.
The basic characters are taken from Shakespeare’s famous play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
However, in this story, the plot and the concept are entirely different.
Titania and Oberon are the rulers of fairies who have been dealing with problems in their marriage.
One day they find a human child and decide to adopt him. They hope that this child will help them save their relationship.
However, the child develops a deadly disease and the fairies have no idea what to do since they have never known illness or death.
This is a tragic tale about how they try to understand something they have never seen before and their deep love for a stranger who is so unlike them.
What Is Great About It: The story is able to explore human relationships through imaginary creatures. It explores the grief of parenthood and also the uncertainty of knowing whether your child will ever even know you.
It also beautifully captures the sense of the unknown and the helplessness which every human being faces when faced with it.
Every year, a small town holds an event known as “the lottery” that everyone attends.
During this event, someone from the community is randomly chosen…but for what reason?
What Is Great About It: The story makes you wonder about human behavior, particularly within a group of people.
Perhaps you may have heard of the term “mob mentality” and how it can allow for some pretty surprising things to happen.
This short story is considered to be one of the most famous short stories in American literature.
It shows an example of what is known as a dystopian society, where people live in a frightening way. To learn more, check out this TED-Ed video that tells you how to recognize a dystopia.
A simple, stuffed rabbit toy is given to a young boy as a Christmas present.
At first, the rabbit isn’t noticed, as the boy is distracted by much fancier gifts. While being ignored, the rabbit begins to wonder what it means to be “real.”
One day, a certain event brings the rabbit into contact with the boy. After that, the toy’s life changes dramatically (a lot).
What Is Great About It: Have you ever loved a toy or doll so much, that you treated it as if it were alive? This story shows the power of love from a very unexpected viewpoint: that of a fluffy stuffed rabbit.
The velveteen rabbit toy is loved dearly by its owner, regardless of how worn out he becomes.
Although this story was made for children, its message is for anyone of any age. The rabbit’s quest (journey) of becoming “real” can be understood in a very human way.
The story shows the importance of self-value, being true to yourself and finding strength in those who love you.
The story of Paul Bunyan has been around in the United States for many years. He’s the symbol of American frontier life, showing the ideal strength, work ethic and good morality that Americans work hard to imitate.
Some sources break down his story into even shorter versions.
What is Great About It: Paul Bunyan is considered a legend, so stories about him are full of unusual details, such as eating fifty eggs in one day and being so big that he caused an earthquake.
It can be a pretty funny read, with characters such as a blue ox and a dog that’s reversible.
This version of the story is also meant to be read out loud, so it’s fast-paced and entertaining.
In the middle of a city is a very fancy, decorated statue of a prince, and it is known as the Happy Prince.
One day, a swallow bird decides to rest on the statue, only to get wet by the tears of the crying statue.
The Prince, as it turns out, is not happy at all. When he was alive and living in his palace, he had no idea how much suffering was happening outside his home.
Now as a statue that stands high above the city, he can finally see the many injustices happening to the people.
At the Prince’s request, the swallow begins to take off pieces of the statue and give them away to the poor. Together, the two work to try and give what aid they can to the less fortunate.
What Is Great About It: It can be easy to ignore people who are struggling and having a hard time. However, it is not good to always “turn a blind eye” and pretend not to notice.
Sometimes, even one good deed (action) can make a big impact on both the person doing it and the person receiving it.
“The Happy Prince” is a story that shows the importance of charity and empathy. These two things can come with a lot of sacrifices, but you can gain a lot in other ways.
The story also points out that you should judge a person not by what they have, but by what they give.
You may already know the story of Cinderella; many people saw the Disney movie or read a children’s book of it.
However, there are actually many different versions of “Cinderella.”
This one by Charles Perrault is the most well-known one and is often the version told to children.
What Is Great About It: “Cinderella” is a loved story because it describes how a kind and hard-working person was able to get a happy ending.
Even though Cinderella’s stepsisters treated her awfully, Cinderella herself remained gentle and humble. It goes to show that even though you may experience hardships, it is important to stay kind, forgiving and mindful.
Because only “strong boys” are allowed to do this, the girls are teased for being “weaker.”
Not only that, but the boys also get more privileges than the girls, such as being the first to get magazines.
One Friday, a girl asks the classroom teacher why girls are not allowed to get water as well. This one question causes a big reaction.
What Is Great About It: One brave act, from one brave person, can cause a big change for the better. In this story, a single girl speaks out against what she thinks is wrong.
Her courage surprises everyone, but she inspires the girls to stand up for themselves against the boys who mistreat them.
The story reflects on gender equality and how important it is to fight for fairness. Just because something is accepted as “normal” does not mean it is right.
At a Spanish train station, an American man and a young woman wait for a train that would take them to the city of Madrid.
The woman sees some faraway hills and compares them to “white elephants.
”
This starts a conversation between the two of them, but what they discuss seems to have a deeper meaning.
What Is Great About It: This story is very well-known as a text that makes you “read between the lines”—in other words, you have to try to find a hidden meaning behind what you read.
Much of the story is a back-and-forth dialogue between two people, but you can tell a lot about them just from what they say to each other.
There is a lot of symbolism that you can analyze in this story, along with context clues. Once you realize what the real topic of the characters’ conversation is about, you can figure out the quiet, sadder meaning behind it.
How to Use Short Stories to Improve Your English
Short stories are effective in helping English learners to practice all four aspects of language learning: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Here’s how you can make the most out of short stories as an English learner:
Use Illustrations to Enhance Your Experience
Some short stories come with illustrations.
If you find a short story with illustrations, look at the pictures first to guess what the story is about.
What are they doing in the illustration? What part of the story is illustrated? The illustrations will help you to understand the meaning of the story.
You can even write your own caption or description of the picture. It can be a sentence or one word.
When you look at the story, go back to your image description. How do they relate?
Listen to Recordings of Stories
In our fantastic digital age, it is possible to find wonderful short stories online in audio or video form.
If you find a video with English-language subtitles, you can read while also listening to how a native speaker pronounces words.
Some of the short stories above are available in video format on FluentU, which is an online English immersion program.
In addition to short story video tellings, the program has many types of authentic videos like movie clips, music videos and inspirational talks.
These can help you work on your listening comprehension and pronunciation alongside your reading skills. Each video has interactive subtitles and a video dictionary for unfamiliar words.
For example, here’s a video retelling of “The Tortoise and the Hare”:
If you’re doing a review quiz for the content, you have the option of speaking in the answers for some speaking practice.
Explore Stories Related to a Theme
Like novels, short stories can be in any genre you can imagine. Do you like ghost stories? Science fiction? Romance?
You can find short stories, old and new, on the subject that you want. Some short stories teach a lesson, like fables do. Other short stories use a lot of metaphors or symbolism.
If you’re learning about hobbies, find a short story about something that you like to do. Are you learning about food? Find a short story with a lot of food vocabulary. The list goes on.
Choose the Right Reading Level
First, some short stories are over 5,000 words long while others can be as short as 50.
When you’re selecting the right short story for you, you have many different types and lengths to choose from.
If you choose a story that’s too difficult, you’ll spend too much time looking up vocabulary, missing the whole point of the story. If you choose a story that’s too easy, you’ll learn little to no new vocabulary and you may become bored.
Make sure that you always challenge yourself, even if you’re only learning a few new words.
Here’s an easy way to determine if the reading level is right for you.
Choose a paragraph in the story that you want to read. How many words can you identify?
Try the “five-finger test.” Hold up your fist while you read over the paragraph. Put up one finger for each word you don’t know. If you have all five fingers up before the end of the paragraph, try to find an easier text.
What if you really want to read a story, but the level is too hard? Try to read the story anyway. If the subject interests you, you’ll be motivated to learn the vocabulary you need to understand the story.
Bring the story to your English teacher. He or she will be happy to help you understand the words you don’t know so you’ll be able to enjoy the story on your own.
Practice “Active Reading”
Your reading will only help you learn if you read actively. You are reading actively when you’re paying very close attention to the story, its words and its meanings. Think about the vocabulary and grammar.
Start by looking over the text to get an idea of what the story is about. Read the text. Try to remember some of the things you read about. Finally, review the text again to get the best understanding.
Afterwards, discuss the story with your teacher and your classmates. If there’s something you don’t understand, write down your questions to ask during the discussion.
Talk about the stories and share your own opinions about the language, culture and messages within the story.
Choose Only a Few Words to Look Up
You don’t need to look up every single word you don’t know.
Choose to look up only those words that will help you understand what the paragraph is about.
If there’s a word you don’t know but you know everything else in the sentence, try to guess what the word is about by looking at the whole sentence. You can look this word up later to see if you guessed correctly.
For stories longer than 500 words, take breaks while you’re reading, especially if the vocabulary gets overwhelming. Don’t make yourself too tired, or you’ll become frustrated and give up.
If you find things are getting to be too difficult, walk away for about 15 minutes and come back and try again.
Make Your Own Summary
When you’ve finished reading the story, review it again. Do this later in the same day or the next day to let your reading really sink in. Take notes while you’re reading.
Retell the story or make a summary of the story to get even more practice.
You can make this more challenging by actually using the story as a model for writing your own English story.
By writing your own stories, you get more practice in the use of vocabulary and creating your own sentences.
Why Short Stories Are Best for English Learning
Short stories are amazing resources for any English learner. That’s because:
- You can read a whole story in one sitting. Attention spans are very important for learning, and short stories are designed to give you maximum information with minimal effort.
- You get more time to focus on individual words. When a text is short, you can spend more time learning how every single word is used and what importance it has in the piece.
- It is best for consistency. It is far easier to read one story every day than trying to read a big novel that never seems to end.
- You can share them easily in a group. Since short stories can be read in a single sitting, they are ideal for book clubs and learning circles.
Most of the time these groups do not work because members have no time to read.
Short stories are the perfect solution.
- You can focus more on ideas and concepts. Language is less about words and more about the meaning behind them.
If you spend all your time learning vocabulary and grammar, you will never be able to fluently speak a language because you will have little to talk about.
These short stories give you the opportunity to understand big ideas in context.
You can choose almost any short story and get something useful out of it. Each story has its own special features that you can appreciate.
The best kind of story will be one that is interesting, has a strong message and, of course, helps you to both practice and learn English.
It will be one that leaves an impact, both in your English education and in your imagination.
I hope you have fun with these stories while improving your English.
Happy reading!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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18 Great Short Stories You Can Read Free Online
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(Editor’s note: this post was updated in August, 2021, with current links to all stories.) When I have no idea what to read, I find a bunch of free short stories online, save them onto the Pocket app, and read them as if I’ve compiled my own short story collection. Like a music playlist I create to match a mood, I create short story playlists to break a book slump, or to sample a bunch of different authors’ writing.
As to where to find great stories, The New Yorker stories are generally best, but require a subscription if you read too many in a month. I also like Narrative Magazine, which will ask you for an email, but their stories are free too.
Tor of course has some great free stuff, and you can find most of the classics through Gutenberg. The stories on this list that are not from any of these publications, I found through simple Google searches. If I’m interested in an author, but don’t necessarily want to read a whole book, I look to see if they have any short fiction available that I can read first.
From this list, my favorites are Zadie Smith and Italo Calvino’s stories. I’d never read Zadie Smith, but after loving “The Embassy of Cambodia” I started On Beauty (a 500 page book) and I absolutely love it. Both stories satisfied a reading itch I needed scratched.
Here are a few of my favorite free short stories you can read online right now.
“
The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis BorgesThe world is a library that contains all the books that have ever been written, but most of them are indecipherable. Many people venture to the library to find the meaning of life. It reminded me of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld library.
“Perhaps my old age and fearfulness deceive me, but I suspect that the human species—the unique species—is about to be extinguished, but the Library will endure: illuminated, solitary, infinite, perfectly motionless, equipped with precious volumes, useless, incorruptible, secret.”
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
This used to be my favorite short story, and I might only think that because I read it when I was a freshman in high school and I remember being shocked by the ending. It’s always stayed with me.
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
Another story with an ending that you won’t forget anytime soon. O’Connor was a master. If you’ve never read any of her work I would start here.
“In the Penal Colony” by Franz Kafka
It’s a chilling story. A man known as the Traveller is visiting a foreign penal colony where he is shown a special machine used to execute prisoners. The machine inscribes the prisoner’s crime onto their body until they die (kind of sounds familiar if you’ve read the fifth Harry Potter book).
It takes twelve hours of torture before the prisoner dies. I told you it was chilling!
“The Devil in America” by Kai Ashante Wilson (Tor)
Kai Ashante Wilson has quite a talent. This ties present day police brutality towards African Americans to post-emancipation America and a family of freed slaves that are living with the Devil that followed them from Africa.
“The City Born Great” by N.K. Jemisin (Tor)
Cities, once they are old enough, must be born. New York City is ready to be born, and must be led into the world by a reluctant midwife.
“Spider the Artist” by Nnedi Okorafor (Lightspeed Magazine)
Okorafor is a wonderful storyteller, and if you’ve never read her books, this would be a great place to start. And if you like this short story, Binti: The Complete Trilogy was released in February!
“Exhalation” by Ted Chiang (Lightspeed Magazine)
Oh, you’ve never read Ted Chiang? Well, you must go out now and read this story and then read Stories of Your Life and Others and his new collection Exhalation: Stories, which comes out in May.
I was shocked by how good and complex his writing was. I had no idea that the movie The Arrival was based on one of his short stories.
“The Daughters of the Moon” by Italo Calvino (The New Yorker)
I don’t know. It’s either Zadie Smith’s “The Embassy of Cambodia” or this story that is my favorite on the list… I can’t decide. I think it’s this story. A story about the people of Earth deciding to throw away the Moon. It’s a story of consumerism. Luckily, I own “The Complete Cosmicomics“, so I can continue reading Calvino’s magnificent short story collection.
“The Embassy of Cambodia” by Zadie Smith (The New Yorker)
After you read “The Devil in America” read this story and see if you can find the parallels. This was my first time reading Zadie Smith because I’d always heard mixed reviews, but if her longer fiction is anything like this short story, I’m in love. If you need help figuring out where to start with Zadie Smith’s books, check out our Reading Pathway guide to Zadie Smith.
“Sweetness” by Toni MOrrison (The New Yorker)
A prelude to Morrison’s book God Help the Child, this is the story of Bride’s mother, and her rationale for raising her daughter in a loveless home.
“Girls, At Play” by Celeste Ng (Bellevue Literary Review)
“This is how we play the game: pink means kissing; red means tongue. Green means up your shirt; blue means down his pants. Purple means in your mouth. Black means all the way.”
The first four sentences of this short story sent chills down my spine. A superbly told story of the extremes of girlhood and adolescence; the pressures girls face as they get older.
“On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” by Haruki Murakami (Genius)
Love at first sight, if you believe love is predestined rather than a choice. Fated love, to me, no matter how hard my heart becomes, still seems ridiculously romantic. I haven’t read Murakami in a long time but now I’m itching to pick up one of his books (I really want to read 1Q84, but it’s soooo long!).
“Chechnya” by Anthony Marra (Narrative Magazine)
This was Anthony Marra’s first published short story, and works as an outline for his novel A Constellation of Vital Phenomenon. It’s the kind of story you read while holding your breath.
“The Fruit of My Woman” by Han Kang (Granta)
This story was written in 1997 before the publication of The Vegetarian. The two stories share many of the same themes, and it’s evident that this story served as a blueprint for the later book. In “The Fruit of My Woman” the wife is slowly turning into a tree (something that also comes up in The Vegetarian). The allusions to Daphne turning herself into a laurel tree to escape the advances of Apollo are hard to miss, but there’s no clear indication that Daphne was an actual influence on either story. Han Kang can do no wrong in my eyes.
“A Lady’s Maid” by Sarah Gailey (Barnes & Noble)
I love Sarah Gailey. This is a great introduction if you’re unfamiliar with her work.
It’s Victorian London with androids—so much to love!
“A Bruise the Size and Shape of a Door Handle” by Daisy Johnson (American Short Fiction)
A hot and bothered story about a house falling in love with the girl who lives in the attic. I loved everything about this story. This is included in Johnson’s short story collection, Fen, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Also, the writing style reminded me of Samantha Hunt.
“Hollow” by Breece D’J Pancake (The Atlantic)
Breece D’J Pancake died when he was 26. He was from West Virginia, and I would label his writing “grit-lit”. This story was almost too gritty for me. He’s the kind of writer that other writers love. His short story collection has a blurb from Joyce Carol Oates.
Want more short stories? Check out our post on the 100 best short story collections!
10 interesting books to read on the weekend: what to read on the weekend
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1
Oscar and the Pink Lady
Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is a world celebrity, one of the most widely read French writers.
Many of his novels and short stories are short and easy to read in a weekend. However, it is best to start acquaintance with the writer's work with his little masterpiece "Oscar and the Pink Lady", which made him famous all over the world. "Oscar and the Pink Lady" is a touching, beautiful and poetic philosophical parable about a seriously ill boy who writes letters to God. In funny, sometimes sad, but very life-affirming messages, Oscar tells how his adult life could have turned out. This story is about the inspiring power of friendship, about faith, about the value of absolutely every day lived, and about how much love and kindness even a short life can contain.
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2
Woman with paper flowers
Donato Carrisi is known to readers as one of the most brilliant modern detective writers. To get to know the Italian writer from a new perspective, pay attention to his short novel Woman with Paper Flowers. This is not a detective story at all, but the plot in it is so exciting that it is in no way inferior to other works by Carrisi.
The novel takes place during the First World War. A captive soldier waits in a cold alpine cave for dawn, when he is to be shot. He is visited by a military doctor, hoping to convince the prisoner to speak and thus save his life. The doctor does not yet guess what an amazing story the captive will tell him. A story in which the lives of these two people who met by chance will be connected in the most extraordinary way ...
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3
A year in Provence
Once an English couple decided on a risky act: discarding all prudent arguments, they bought an old farmhouse in the south of France. Since then, they have begun a completely new life, full of gastronomic adventures, funny discoveries and unexpected, but pleasant acquaintances. The first year lived in Provence turned out to be so eventful that Peter Mayle decided to write a book about it.
"A Year in Provence" immediately became a world bestseller and brought the author not only world fame, but also the respect of the French.
The work is still considered the best travel book about France, thanks to which the flow of tourists to the south of the country has significantly increased. For outstanding services to the French Republic, Peter Meil was even awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. You can not only read the charming “A Year in Provence” over the weekend, but also, inspired by the book, plan a whole trip to this beautiful region.
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4
Patrick Melrose. Book 1
In the UK, the Patrick Melrose novels have cult status, and their author Edward St Aubyn is considered a modern classic. In his works, a rich language, and an easy and relaxed manner of narration is combined with deep psychologism and subtle British humor. He is often placed on a par with Britain's greatest writers: as Zadie Smith so aptly remarked, Edward St Aubyn's books have "the wit of Wilde, the lightness of Wodehouse and the causticity of Waugh."
When Edward was 8 years old, his parents divorced, but the psychological trauma received in childhood affected his entire future life.
In his youth, he suffered from a severe form of drug addiction. After undergoing treatment, St. Aubin gave himself an ultimatum: either he would write a book about his difficult life, or he would commit suicide. So he came up with Patrick Melrose, his literary alter ego. There are three novels in the first book about Patrick Melrose - It's OK, Bad News and Timid Hope. If desired, all three parts can be read over the weekend. Or stop only at the very first novel, "It's OK," which has just over 140 pages. In this book, we learn about Patrick's childhood, his relationship with his tyrannical father and alcoholic mother, his experience of violence and its consequences.
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5
Time noise
Booker Prize winner and one of the most elegant stylists of modern British literature Julian Barnes is a big fan of Dmitri Shostakovich. It was to him that he dedicated his novel The Noise of Time, written for the 110th anniversary of the world-famous composer.
The book cannot be called a fictionalized biography of Shostakovich. Barnes is well versed in Russian literature and culture, therefore, having an excellent command of the context, he builds his own narrative based on Soviet history and events from the life of Shostakovich. If you're thinking about reading on your day off, Barnes's novel is a great choice to not only get to know the writer's work, but also perhaps look at familiar events in a new way.
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6
The Great Gatsby
Francis Scott Fitzgerald is one of the iconic prose writers of the 20th century. His main novel, The Great Gatsby, is a sparkling story that tells the world about the "roaring" twenties of the last century and the great "American dream". The image of the mysterious protagonist Jay Gatsby, a millionaire who arranges chic parties and is quixotically in love with his old friend Daisy, is one of the brightest in world literature. Despite the fact that Fitzgerald described his contemporaries and the well-known atmosphere of the Jazz Age in the novel, The Great Gatsby is a timeless book about broken destinies and the senselessness of a man's pursuit of an unattainable dream.
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7
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany's is Truman Capote's most famous work, not least thanks to the adaptation of the book starring Audrey Hepburn. The main character of the story, Holly Golightly, is one of the brightest and most unusual women in American literature. Capote admitted that he imagined Holly a little differently when he wrote "Breakfast at Tiffany's": according to him, the prototype of the main character was a platinum blonde, more like Marilyn Monroe. But all over the world, the image of Holly Golightly is associated primarily with Audrey Hepburn.
In Breakfast at Tiffany's, the eccentric, vibrant young Holly is drawn to the world of the rich, sparkling with bright lights. Combining childish naivety with charming charm, she embodies the very essence of New York - a city where dreams lie at arm's length, right behind the glass of an expensive shop window.
"Breakfast at Tiffany's" is worth reading over the weekend to finally find out how Capote's famous work differs from the no less famous film adaptation.
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8
Call of Cthulhu
Howard Phillips Lovecraft did not publish a single book during his lifetime, but thanks to his short story "The Call of Cthulhu" he became a recognized master of horror literature and an idol for both the general readership and refined intellectuals. His influence on his work was recognized by such masters as Borges and Stephen King. The writer's stories were repeatedly filmed, and his name became a household name. Lovecraftian horrors are now called works in which the fear of the unknown is much stronger than the fear of vampires, zombies or other monsters that are familiar to us. "The Call of Cthulhu" is a short work that can tickle your nerves on a day off.
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9
Moscow-Petushki (with comments by Eduard Vlasov)
Venedikt Erofeev is a bright and ambiguous phenomenon in Russian literature. His famous poem "Moscow - Petushki", written back in 1970, is a kind of philosophical parable, a timeless work, because Erofeev created his own world, his universe in the book, in the center of which is a man and his journey to amazing, utopian Petushki.
First published in the pages of Sobriety and Culture magazine, the book became a real revelation for readers, and later acquired a cult status. When choosing what to read on the weekend, we advise you to opt for Erofeev's poem and go from the Kursk railway station along the Moscow-Petushki route, following all the stops along the Venechka route.
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10
Hunting drama
First of all, we think of Anton Pavlovich as the author of plays and short stories, but not many people know that Chekhov also wrote a real detective story. “Drama on the Hunt” is a revolutionary work for the detective genre. In the end, Chekhov uses such an unusual device, which in the novel of the recognized queen of the genre, Agatha Christie, will appear only 40 years later.
Former judicial investigator Ivan Petrovich Kamyshev brings the manuscript of his story to the editor of the newspaper. What does a journalist learn by reading it? What terrible secret will be revealed to him? Drama on the Hunt is a great choice if you're having a hard time deciding what to read on your day off.
This story combines a magnificent Chekhovian style and an exciting plot. Several pleasant evenings guaranteed!
Stories for children 7-8-9-10 years old. Stories for grades 2-3.
This section of our site contains stories of favorite Russian writers for children 7-8-9-10 years. Many of them are included in the main school curriculum and extracurricular reading program for grades 2 and 3. However, these interesting stories for children are worth reading not for the sake of a line in the reader's diary. Being classics of Russian literature, the stories of Tolstoy, Bianchi and other authors have educational and educational functions. In short children's stories, the reader is faced with good and evil, friendship and betrayal, honesty and deceit. Younger students learn about the life and way of life of previous generations.
The stories of the classics not only teach and edify, but also entertain. Funny stories of Zoshchenko, Dragunsky, Oster are familiar to every person since childhood.
Plots understandable to children and light humor made the stories the most readable works among junior schoolchildren aged 7-10.
Read interesting stories by Russian writers online on our website!
Dragunsky's funny and instructive story about how Deniska imagined himself as an adult. The boy dreamed about how he would scold his father, mother and grandmother for misbehavior: being late, walking without a hat, talking at dinner, etc. This ...
Grade 3An interesting and informative story about two friends who bought two toy phones to talk to each other. Yes, only Mishka decided to disassemble his apparatus and see how it works. And to collect, as it was, and ...
A story about two friends who were left alone at the dacha for two days. When leaving, my mother explained how to cook porridge and soup. Yes, only the boys did not listen to advice at all. Read how friends caught fleeing porridge, got out a bucket...
Dragunsky's story about Denisk and Mishka, who did their homework together.
At the same time, Deniska tells a friend about lemurs. Then the boys decide to check each other's work and find many mistakes - everything needs to be redone. After…
A funny story about how the yard dog Bobik came to visit his master's Barbos. Bobik was surprised by everything in the house: a wall clock, a hairbrush, a mirror, a TV set. Watchdog, as a hospitable host, explained to a friend about the purpose of objects. And then…
Grade 2A funny story about a boy who didn't want to eat semolina. Mom promised to take him to the Kremlin if he ate all the porridge. Deniska adds sugar, salt, water and even horseradish to the porridge to make it more…
Dragunsky's story about Denisk, who came to visit his friend Mishka. Mishka gathered a lot of guys. And then it was decided to play hide and seek. Deniska decided to outsmart everyone and hide in one of the communal rooms….
Grade 1 Dragunsky's story about three guys who didn't pronounce the letter Sh. It all started when a truck with a Christmas tree drove into the courtyard of the house.
Alyonka says: “Look, there are detectives hanging on the Christmas tree.” This is where it started…
A story about rescuing a dog and a kitten on the river during ice drift. The guys threw a board on the ice floe and the dog in its teeth with the kitten moved to the shore. She missed her master very much and was very happy when he…
An instructive story about the blacksmith's son Vasya. The boy was very fond of riding a cart drawn by his father's horse. The blacksmith did not approve of this. Once Vasya took a cart and went to the forest. A branch got into the wheel and started whipping the boy...
A story about how a teacher witty weaned Fedya Rybkin from laughing in class. The boy was smeared with mascara, the whole class could not look at him without laughing. This made Fred very happy. The teacher, discovering the reason for the fun, said that on ...
Nosov's instructive story, which teaches that one should not take someone else's. Pavlik and Kotka once picked cucumbers in the collective farm garden.
Kotka's mother saw cucumbers in her son's pocket and found out how he got them. This is strong for her ...
A story about a boy, Kotka, who was sitting at home and did not want to build a hill. However, when the guys built a slide and went home, Kotka went out into the yard to skate. And he wanted to ride from a new mountain. Climb up…
An instructive story about honesty. Minka got an A at school and got so upset that he forgot his diary on a park bench. They brought him a new diary and again put a unit there. In the evening a guest came and brought a forgotten diary...
A humorous story about Denisk and Mishka, who were assigned to sing a duet with satirical verses at a concert. The boys rehearsed for a long time, but during the performance Mishka got excited and repeated the first verse three times. The whole hall fell from ...
Grade 2-3 Dragunsky's story about the boy Deniska's sympathy for a circus performer. One day he went to the circus with his class.
He liked the show very much. Especially the number with a huge blue ball on which a little girl danced. After Denis's speech was...
The commander left the horse wounded in the leg in the village and the miller Pankrat cured him. But he could not feed the horse, so the horse walked around the village and everyone fed him little by little. But once an unkind boy Filka hit ...
One day Deniska and Mishka played hockey and were late for the lessons. They came up with a good reason, but never agreed. As a result, the deceit came out. A fire in an outhouse or a feat in the ice read We are with ...
3-4 gradeA funny story about how three friends went on a trip around the world, taking a dog and a whole bag with things: plates, forks, pencils, pillows and other utensils . Read how their campaign ended and Styopka succeeded...
Pyotr Terentyev, preparing to go to war, received from his son a beetle, which he found in the garden, as a gift. Peter put him in a box, fed him and let him fly.
The beetle went through the whole war with the soldier. Adventures of the Rhinoceros Beetle…
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Wives in the mirror
Chinese fairy tale
In a small village there lived a mother with two sons, extremely smart and reasonable. They just didn't want to get married. And then one day at midnight, the mother came out of the house, looked at the starry sky and said: “Children ...
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Fearless Giovannino
Italian fairy tale
A fairy tale about the fearless guy Giovannino, who decided to spend the night in a castle from which no one had ever left alive in the morning. Giovanino not only survived, but also became rich. "Fearless Giovannino" read Once upon a time there was one guy ....
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The Orange Princess
Italian fairy tale
A fairy tale about a prince who could not choose a princess for himself, they all seemed ugly to him.
And so he sat on a good horse and rode around the world to look for a bride for himself ... "Princess of Orange" read Once upon a time there was a prince in the world, ... -
Parsley
Italian fairy tale
Once upon a time there was a husband and wife. When the wife was expecting a child, she really wanted parsley and she tore it in the witches' garden. For this, the sorceresses ordered to give them the child when he grows up ... "Petrushechka" read Once upon a time there was a husband and ...
A story about how a goose and her goslings got into a polynya on the Yenisei. The hero of the story and his friends saved the geese from death, they risked themselves. "Geese in the polynya" read Freezing on the Yenisei comes gradually. First…
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Smell of hay
Astafiev V.P.
Two boys, cousins, are eager to help their grandfather and uncle bring hay from distant mowing.
However, they are not taken with them, the road is hard, the work is difficult. But in the evening, when the hay is already in the yard, the guys are eager and ... -
Autumn sorrows and joys
Autumn is a hot time. It is necessary to collect and prepare the entire crop. A story about how a large amount of cabbage is salted for the winter in one of the Siberian villages. It is in some way a mystical and interesting ritual and process….
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A photograph where I am not present
Astafiev V.P.
A story about true friendship, sincere love for the native land and shows what a real teacher should be like. It is important to remember those who were with you as a child. These people can be an important part of your life. And together…
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Russian women
Nekrasov N.A.
Contents: ♦ I. Princess Trubetskaya ♦ Part one ♦ Part two ♦ Princess M.
N. Volkonskaya ♦ Chapter I ♦ Chapter II ♦ Chapter III ♦ Chapter IV… -
Tam Glen
Burns R.
Ah, aunt, I ask for advice! With such a young man, I don't have to be afraid of the fate of change. I'll be glad of poverty, - If only I would be with me...
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Lines about war and love
Burns R. I give my blood In that life-creating battle, What we call love. I glorify the triumph of the world, Contentment and prosperity. It is more pleasant to create one Than to destroy a dozen!
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What's a girl to do
Burns R.
What's a girl to do? What shall I do, little girl? How shall I, little girl, live with my hubby? He is grouchy and sick, always dissatisfied. There is cold in his chest, ice in his hands. He groans, ... has analogues in the tales of many other peoples. Our site presents a version of a folk tale in the processing of A.
N. Tolstoy. "Kolobok" read Once upon a time there was an old man with an old woman. Here ... -
2 - Little Red Riding Hood
Charles Perrault
A short story about a trusting girl and a cunning gray wolf. Disobeying her mother, the girl turns off the road and talks to a stranger - a gray wolf ... "Little Red Riding Hood" read Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her mother loved her without memory, and her grandmother…
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3 - Three little pigs
Mikhalkov S.
A fairy tale about three pig brothers who built houses for themselves. One brother built a house out of straw, another out of twigs and twigs, and a third out of bricks. "Three Little Pigs" read Once upon a time there were three little pigs in the world. Three brothers. All…
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4 - Turnip
Russian folk tale
Turnip is a famous fairy tale for the little ones with a lot of repetitions.
The child quickly remembers the sequence of presentation and a simple plot. "Turnip" read Grandfather planted a turnip and says: - Grow a turnip, sweet, sweet! Grow big, big! A turnip has grown, sweet and big, big…. -
5 - Bremen Town Musicians
Entin Yu.S. and Livanov V.B.
The story of the animals and the young Troubadour who went to the city of Bremen to become street musicians. In the city they stopped in front of the royal castle. The king and princess came out onto the balcony of the palace, the townspeople ran to the square and it began ...
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6 - A wolf and seven kids
Russian folk tale
A fairy tale tells about an evil wolf who changed his voice, sneaked into a goat's house and ate little kids. But the mother goat will be able to save her children and get rid of the wolf. "The Wolf and the Seven Kids" read Once upon a time there was a goat with kids .
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7 - The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Pushkin A.S.
The tale of Tsar Saltan, of his son, the glorious and mighty hero Prince Gvidon Saltanovich, and of the beautiful Swan Princess was created on the basis of the folk tale "Wonderful Sons". Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin enriched the folk work with new plot twists, ...
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8 - Flower of seven flowers
Kataev V.P.
A fairy tale about a girl Zhenya, who was presented with a magic seven-flower flower. It had seven petals and could grant any seven wishes. Zhenya spent the first six wishes, but did not get any pleasure and only made her last wish ... test and melt even an icy heart! "The Snow Queen" read Table of contents: ♦ The first story, which tells about ...0005
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10 - Three Bears
Russian folk tale
Three Bears is a fairy tale about a girl who got lost in the forest and ended up in a house of bears.
There she behaved very rudely: without permission, she ate from every cup, sat on every chair, lay in every bed, ... -
11 - Geese-swans
the swan geese carried the boy away and the little sister went to look for him. The stove, apple tree and river helped the girl save her brother. Read the fairy tale in the processing of A.N. Tolstoy. "Geese-swans" read There lived a man and a woman. At… -
12 - Wizard of the Emerald City
Volkov A.M.
"The Wizard of the Emerald City" - a fairy tale story by Alexander Volkov written in 1939 based on the fairy tale by the American writer Frank Baum "The Wise Man of Oz" with some changes. In 1959, a new edition of the book was published, significantly revised ...
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13 - The Frog Princess
Russian folk tale
The Frog Princess is a Russian folk tale where the main character, Ivan Tsarevich, married a frog by the will of fate.
Ivan had no idea that his wife was Vasilisa the Wise, turned by Koshchei into a frog. Ivan hurried, burned the frog skin and had to ... -
14 - The Fox and the Crane
Russian folk tale
The Fox and the Crane is a fairy tale about friendship between a cunning fox and a clever crane. The crane could not eat the semolina porridge, which the Fox smeared on a plate. He invited her to his place and treated her to a delicious okroshka, which he put down…
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15 - Winnie the Pooh and everything
Alan Milne
A cheerful and beloved fairy tale about Winnie the Pooh does not obey the laws of the fairy tale genre. The tale is devoid of negative characters, the struggle between good and evil forces. The main characters of the tale are the toys of the boy Christopher, with whom funny situations happen in a magical ...
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16 - Masha and the Bear
Russian folk tale
Masha and the Bear is a fairy tale about a girl who got lost in the forest and ended up in a bear's hut.
The bear did not let Mashenka go home, however, the girl came up with a way to return to her grandparents. Masha and ... -
17 - The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish
Pushkin A.S.
A tale about a poor fisherman who caught a golden fish in his net. The old man took pity on the fish, released it into the sea. For this, the fish promised to fulfill his every desire. The old man didn’t ask for anything, but when he returned home, he told about…
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18 - Hen Ryaba
Russian folk tale
Hen Ryaba is the first fairy tale that mothers read to their babies. Children quickly grasp a simple plot and remember it by heart. Hen Ryaba read Once upon a time there was a grandfather and a woman. And they had a Ryaba Hen. The hen laid an egg, yes…
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19 - The Little Mermaid
Hans Christian Andersen
A touching tale about the Little Mermaid's strong love for the prince.
The little mermaid is ready to give up everything that is dear to her for the sake of the human soul and the love of the prince ... The fairy tale formed the basis of the plots of many films, cartoons and musicals. Little Mermaid read In the open… -
20 - Thumbelina
Hans Christian Andersen
The fairy tale about Thumbelina is loved by children all over the world. A tiny girl born from a flower goes through many trials on the way to her happiness. Fate rewards Thumbelina for her kind heart. The swallow, which she saved earlier, endures…
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21 - Puss in Boots
Charles Perrault
The tale of an unusual cat, which was inherited by the younger brother from the miller's father. The young man was not very happy at first with his share of the inheritance, but the cunning and intelligent cat made him the richest man and son-in-law of the king ... The cat in ...
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22 - Sleeping Beauty
Charles Perrault
A fairy tale about a beautiful princess who was cursed by an offended fairy at a celebration in honor of her birth.
The old fairy predicted the girl's death from a spindle prick, but the good fairy was able to commute the sentence. The girl did not die, but fell asleep on… -
23 - Porridge from an ax
Russian folk tale
Porridge from an ax is a small fairy tale about a witty soldier. The greedy old woman did not want to feed the soldier, but he outwitted her and got porridge with butter ... Read porridge from an ax The old soldier went on a visit. Tired in…
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24 - The ugly duckling
Hans Christian Andersen
A fairy tale about the miraculous transformation of an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. The duckling was born unlike his brothers, the inhabitants of the poultry yard disliked him for his dissimilarity to the others. The duckling had to leave the house and go through many trials before he…
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25 - The Princess and the Pea
Hans Christian Andersen
A short story about how the prince wanted to marry a real princess.
One day, a girl knocked on the gate, who was soaked to the skin, but assured that she was a real princess. She was allowed to sleep, and the old queen gave her a check…… -
26 - Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka
Russian folk tale
Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka - this is a fairy tale about how the younger brother disobeyed his sister, got drunk from a hoof and turned into a kid goat to read ... Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka lived -there was an old man and an old woman, they had ...
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27 - Fear has big eyes
Russian folk tale
Fear has big eyes - a short tale about the fact that from fear you can see what was not really ... ( from the collection of M.M. Serova) Fear has big eyes to read Once upon a time there was an old grandmother, a laughing granddaughter, a chicken-klokhtushka and a mouse-leaf. Each…
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28 - Bean seed
Russian folk tale
The cockerel and the bean seed is a Russian folk tale about a rooster who was always in a hurry when he pecked at the seeds.
The hen warned him all the time and asked him to peck more slowly. One day he choked on a bean seed and fell down. But the chicken... -
29 - Sivka Burka
Russian folk tale
Sivka-Burka is a fairy tale about the adventures of Ivan the Fool and his gallant horse. Sivka Burka read The old man had three sons: two smart ones, and the third Ivanushka the Fool; day and night the fool is lying on the stove. The old man sowed wheat, and it grew ...
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30 - Baba Yaga
Russian folk tale
A fairy tale about a girl who was able to get out of the clutches of Baba Yaga, thanks to the advice of her own aunt and a kind cat ... Baba Yaga read Once upon a time there was a husband and wife, and they had a daughter. The wife fell ill and died. Grieved, grieved…
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31 - Crocodile Gena and his friends
Uspensky E.N.
Tale of a lonely crocodile Gena.
Coming home from work from the zoo, he was left alone and bored. Crocodile Gena decided to make friends with someone. He wrote an ad that he was looking for friends, hung them around the city and ... -
32 - Teremok
Russian folk audio tale
Listen to the Russian folk tale "Teremok" online on the Mishkina Books website!
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33 - Twelve months
Samuil Marshak
Do you know how many months there are in a year? - Twelve. And what are their names? — January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. As soon as one month ends, another immediately begins. And…
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34 - The tale of the priest and his worker Balda
Pushkin A.S.
The tale of the stingy priest and resourceful worker Balda. Somehow Balda was hired for the service for three clicks on the forehead of the priest.
When the time of reckoning was approaching, the priest decided to give Balda an impossible task in order to get rid of him. But Balda… -
35 - Little Humpbacked Horse
Ershov P.
There lived an old man in a village and he had three sons. They grew wheat and sold it in the market. But then someone got into the habit of trampling wheat in the field at night ... Table of contents: ♦ Part one. Starting…
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36 - Alice in Wonderland
Carroll L.
A fascinating story about a girl Alice who met a talking White Rabbit and ended up in amazing worlds where she met very unusual characters ... Chapter 1. Down the rabbit hole Alice got bored of sitting with his sister on the shore…
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37 - The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
A fairy tale about how a pilot, who remained a child at heart, met the Little Prince in the desert, who arrived from another planet.
