Free short fairy tales
Choose Stories By Age, Reading Time...
Fairy Tales to Enchant You…
Welcome to our huge fairy tales library!
Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood, and stories of Cinderella… Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen… Arabian Nights, Aesop’s Fables, Greek myths and Norse legends…
Browse our most popular fairy tales collections
Famous Fairy Tales
Little Red Riding Hood is going to enjoy some delicious food with her Grandma… but meets big slobbery Oscar on the way!
Ella is invited to a fancy dress ball – but she has no pretty dress! Luckily a fairy dogmother is nearby…
A picky Prince must marry – what happens when a mechanic Princess arrives at his door?
The story of beautiful Snow White, the seven dwarfs and the evil Queen.
A mother goat leaves her seven kids at home alone… are they smart enough to outwit a visiting wolf ?
A shoemaker and his wife have magical assistance from some elves every evening when they go to bed. But do the elves need…
View More
Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
A Prince called Desire seeks a bride in warmer lands.
This marvellous musician has a strange way of making friends and keeping them!
Three Dwarfs meet a poor girl who shares the last of her bread with them.
A younger brother is a wise dwarf who teaches his brothers kind things.
A little tailor tricks two giants and a King, winning against all odds.
The story of beautiful Snow White, the seven dwarfs and the evil Queen.
View More
Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
A butterfly takes his time in deciding which flower he should marry.
A beautiful story of a much loved Grandmother who dies, by Hans Christian Andersen.
A snow man falls in love with a hot stove…
Five peas in a shell discover their destinies…
A sick boy goes on a magical adventure of the imagination…
A Prince offers a Princess gifts that she refuses.
View More
English Fairy Tales
A witty wife helps her husband solve his problems in all sorts of sticky situations!
A Prince steals a magical ring from a fairy queen in order to defeat a wicked dragon.
A little weed feels worthless, until it helps some hungry birds.
A giant keeps Jack prisoner for seven years… until finally he makes his escape!
A prince learns how to have empathy with the help of a fairy and a ring.
A young man wants to marry a silly girl… but must find three sillier people first!
View More
French Fairy Tales
A Princess, by enchantment, transforms into a white doe. Will true love prevail and help her break the spell?
A handsome courtier begs a princess marry a king, but the princess falls in love with him instead.
A prince has a red hat that makes him invisible, and uses it to pursue Love.
A pair of lovers are separated when a king is turned into a blue bird.
A friendly frog helps a queen and a princess to escape a lion witch.
A yellow dwarf forces a queen and her daughter to make a promise they cannot keep…
View More
Chinese Fairy Tales
Molo goes to great lengths to help others and become a sword hero.
A family of human-ogres shows strength in the difficulties they face being both.
When the king’s daughter is taken by a bird with nine heads, who will save her?
Rose of Evening is beautiful and kind, but what is she keeping secret?
Giauna is beautiful but also kind, and can heal the sickness of others.
A boy called Bamboo helps a turtle escape a temple, and goes on a big adventure.
View More
Oscar Wilde Fairy Tales
The status of a Prince begs a sparrow to help him bring happiness to the sad and poor of his city.
A short story about a beautiful child of the stars, who learns about humility.
The tale of a selfish giant who closes his beautiful garden to children.
The tragic tale of a selfish miller, and his poor and generous friend.
The haunting story of a nightingale who creates a red rose for a lover.
View More
Norse Myths and Legends
A plump pancake manages to escape being eaten by 7 children!
A boy keeps meeting a rat who promises they will soon be married.
A child called Minnikin conquers three trolls to save two captured princesses.
It all seems like a perfectly normal wedding… or is it?!
Cinderlad is lazy, until he meets a King that will put him to the test!
The story of a cat who literally eats everything in sight, even the moon!
View More
Aesop’s Fables
A wordless counting picture book based on the Aesop fable.
A raven tries to copy an eagle, but finds it’s not so easy! An Aesop fable.
A collection of Aesop’s fables in short poetry form – along with vintage illustrations.
A town mouse and a country mouse visit each other’s home, to find they like their own best.
View More
Japanese Fairy Tales
A story of the Sun, the Moon and an Empress all working together for peace.
A hare deceives some crocodiles, and learns to tell the truth.
A hero fights an ogre, and steals his arm.
An old man loves his dog, who brings him tragic heartache and good luck.
The story of Prince Yamato Take and his protector the Sun Goddess.
Princess Hase has a cruel stepmother, but she remains kind.
View More
Scottish Fairy Tales
A Prince meets a strange ghost in an inn, who asks him to do her a favour.
Lady Janet acts courageously to rescue her True Love from a fairy queen’s grasp.
The fairy tale of a Princess, a boy, a magical Grandmother and an army of Goblins.
When a Princess is caused by a spell to be as light as air, a Prince discovers the way to make her happy.
Janet must trust a fairy named Tamlane, in order to return him to human form.
View More
Russian Fairy Tales
A Princess trusts a wicked old witch, who turns her into a white duck.
A boy is stolen by a wicked witch, and recovered by a kind and brave girl.
View More
Read Our Complete Fairy Tale Library !
Famous Fairy Tales | Bedtime Stories
Skip to content
The most popular fairy tales throughout the ages.
Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and more!
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All All Fairy Tales Animals Dogs Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales Feel Good Fairy Tales Picture Books
Little Red Riding Hood is going to enjoy some delicious food with her Grandma... but meets big slobbery Oscar on the way!
20 Mins+ Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales
The story of beautiful Snow White, the seven dwarfs and the evil Queen.
10 Min Stories Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales Animals Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales German Fairy Tales
A mother goat leaves her seven kids at home alone.
.. are they smart enough to outwit a visiting wolf ?
5 Min Stories Age 7-12 All All Fairy Tales Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales Fairies Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales German Fairy Tales Illustrated Bedtime Stories Magic
A shoemaker and his wife have magical assistance from some elves every evening when they go to bed. But do the elves need help too?
10 Min Stories Adventures Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales German Fairy Tales Magic Princes & Princesses
A king suspects that his twelve daughters go dancing every night... and a young prince takes the challenge to discover them.
20 Mins+ Adventures Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales Arabian Nights Fairy Tales Arabic Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales
Ali Baba discovers a wonderful cave of riches... but will the forty thieves discover him?
10 Min Stories Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales Animals Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales Monsters Norse Fairy Tales
Three Billy Goats Gruff try to cross a bridge - and outwit a Troll who wants to eat them!
20 Mins+ Adventures Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales German Fairy Tales Magic Princes & Princesses
The classic tale of a beautiful girl, a wicked Queen, a magic mirror, and seven dwarves!
10 Min Stories Adventures Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales English Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales Magic Picture Books Vintage Stories
Tom Thumb is a boy the size of a thumb - imagine what adventures he has! Reading time: 10 mins.
error: We have different permissions on our website. Feel free to contact us if you\'d like to use a story!
Short fairy tales - read fairy tales online
Short tales, Instructive tales, Tales for girls, Tales for children 3-6 years old, Tales for boys, Tales from Nosova N.N., Tales about childrenOne winter, Fedya Rybkin came from the skating rink. There was no one at home. Fedya's younger sister, Rina, has already done her homework and went to play with her friends. Mother also left somewhere. - That's good! Fedya said. At least no one will interfere with doing homework. He turned on the TV, took out a task book from his bag and became ...
Read more
Short fairy tales, Fairy tales in verse, Fairy tales for children 3-6 years old, Tales of Mikhalkov S.A. There was a Lock on the doors.
The Puppy was sitting on the floor. All left And one In the house They locked him up. We left Trezor Unattended, Unsupervised, And so the puppy spoiled everything he could. He tore the doll's dress, Tore out a tuft of wool from the hare, Dragged our shoes out from under the bed into the corridor. He drove a cat under the bed - the cat was left without a tail. Found on …
Read more
Short fairy tales, Fairy tales in verse, Fairy tales for children 3-6 years old, Tales of Mikhalkov S.A.- What happened to Aunt Valya? Her glasses are gone! The poor old woman is looking for Behind the pillow, under the pillow, Climbing with her head Under the mattress, under the blanket, She looked into buckets, into the lids, In boots, into felt boots, boots, Turned everything upside down, Sat, rested, Sighed, grumbled And went to look again. Again fumbling under the pillow, Again looking for the tub. …
Read more
Short fairy tales, Fairy tales in verse, Fairy tales for kids, Tales of Mikhalkov S.
A. And our granddaughter has small hands, And fingers on her hands - Girls and boys. Fingers live together, They are called by name: Finger Zina, Finger Nina, Misha, Grisha, Nikolai, Finger Sasha, finger Masha, Vova, Lyova, Yermolai. Granddaughter counts fingers: ONCE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! And, counting, falls asleep, Because he wants to sleep.
Read more
Short fairy tales, Fairy tales for children 3-6 years old, Tales about animals, Tales of Sladkova N.I. - So that you, slush, dry up completely! - the Bear scolded. - Here I am now! Water was frightened, murmured in a quiet voice: - It's not me, Medvedushka, it's my fault. The snow is to blame. Began to melt, let the water. And my business is water - I flow downhill. “Ah, so it’s Snow’s fault?” Here…Read more
Short tales, Instructive tales, Fairy tales in verse, Tales of Mikhalkov S.A. Along the steep mountain path A black lamb was walking home And on the bridge with a hunchback He met his white brother.
And the white lamb said: "Brother, here's the thing: You can't go through here together, You're standing in my way." The black brother replied: "Me, are you out of your mind, ram? May my feet wither if I go out of my way!” One shook his horns, He rested his feet on the other... No matter how you turn your horns, But you can't get through together. The sun is baking from above, …
Read more
Short fairy tales, Fairy tales in verse, Fairy tales for children 3-6 years old, Tales of Mikhalkov S.A.Who is covered in bed with Quilts on wadding? Who lies on three pillows In front of a table with food And, barely dressed, Without making his bed, Carefully washes his cheeks With boiled water? This, right, is the decrepit grandfather of One hundred and fourteen years old? No. Who, having filled his mouth with cake, Says: - Where is the compote? Give it, Give it, Do the opposite! This is, right, a disabled person …
Read more
Short tales, Fairy tale cars, Instructive tales, Fairy tales for girls, Fairy tales for children 3-6 years old, Fairy tales for kids, Tales for boys, Tales of Prokofieva S.
L. Once upon a time there were two girls in the world. One girl was named Masha, and the other was Zoya. Masha loved to do everything herself. She eats her own soup. She drinks milk from a cup. She puts the toys in the box herself. But Zoya herself does not want to do anything and only says: - Oh, I don’t want to! Oh, I can't! Oh, I won't! All "oh" yes "oh"! …
Read more
Short Tales, Fairy Tale Machines, Tales of Prokofieva S. L.Masha and Oyka built a house from cubes. The Mouse came running and said: - What a beautiful house! Can I live in it? - Oh, nasty little mouse! Get out of here!” Oika said in a rough voice. The Mouse was offended and ran away. Masha cried: - Why did you drive the Mouse away? The mouse is good. - Oh, and you go too, Masha! Oika said in a rough voice. …
Read more
Short fairy tales, Tales for children 3-6 years old, Tales of Suteeva V.G. The girl was sitting at the table and drawing pictures. Suddenly a striped cat came and began to watch what the girl was doing.
— What are you doing? asked the curious Cat. "I'm drawing a house for you," said the Girl. - Look: here is the roof, here is the chimney on it, and this is the door ... - And what will I do there? — You will…
Read more
Bedtime stories for children. Read online with pictures.
In this section we have collected interesting fairy tales from all over the world that are suitable for reading before bed. These small instructive and kind stories will help children calm down after a stormy day and tune in to rest.
In bedtime stories you will not find cruelty and frightening characters. Only light plots and pleasant characters.
At the bottom of each fairy tale there is hint for what age it is intended, as well as other tags. Be sure to pay attention to them when choosing a product! You do not have to spend time reading a fairy tale to find out if it suits your child or not. We have already read everything, sorted and compiled short descriptions of fairy tales.
Enjoy reading and good dreams :)
bedtime stories for children read
An interesting fairy tale is that part of childhood that stays with us forever, even when childhood is gone. This is a magical world that is wide open in front of the baby, and acquaintance with it begins with a short and sweet bedtime story.
At what age to read fairy tales to a child
There is no strict age limit in reading fairy tales to a child. Reading for a child is primarily an opportunity for emotional intimacy with an adult. Even if not a word is clear yet, the familiar timbre of the voice, the measured rhythm soothe the baby and stimulate its development. That is why psychologists recommend reading fairy tales even to babies. The main condition: the process should bring pleasure to both the adult and the baby.
The benefits of reading fairy tales
A bedtime story read by a parent is a powerful stimulus for the development of the child, the child has ample opportunities in the following areas:
- imagination;
- fantasy;
- creative thinking;
- speech skills;
- emotional development;
- the ability to find a way out of problem situations.
Unlike cartoons, a fairy tale does not present the child with ready-made images and the world invented by the artist, but invites him to think, think out and imagine what is not in the illustrations.
Simply put, we read to children at night and at the same time unleash their creativity. The next step is the first children's tests of themselves as an author and artist, but that will come later. And now such familiar and at the same time amazing short bedtime stories come to the aid of parents.
Bedtime stories - what should they be?
It often happens that every day a baby asks for the hundredth time to read a familiar fairy tale to him, not wanting to listen to any others.
Do not argue and try to read something new - a bedtime story exists for this, to cradle and give pleasant dreams. So, it should be:
- short;
- calm;
- kind;
- without dynamic details in the plot, but with a happy ending.
The repeated repetition of the same situation (a familiar room, a favorite blanket and a soft toy, next to it is a mother reading a familiar fairy tale) turns into a kind of ritual for the baby, which has a calming effect.
It helps relieve the emotional stress that has accumulated over a long day.
Short stories on our website
The Short Bedtime Stories section presents famous works by Russian and foreign authors that have become favorites for children all over the world.
Magic little men created by Astrid Lindgren, Donald Bisset's kind tigers, Sergey Kozlov's inseparable Hedgehog and Bear cub - these and other characters are looking forward to meeting young readers.
Here you will also find folk tales and illustrated works by Vladimir Suteev. Kids will be delighted with simple instructive stories and colorful pictures created by a real Master.
Tips on the site
The free bedtime stories presented on our site are so diverse that sometimes it can be difficult to find the right one. To help parents, we have developed a convenient search engine that allows you to view the parameters of a fairy tale without opening it:
- age of readers;
- reading time;
- short description;
- popularity indicator;
- illustration.
Learn more
