Short Stories for Children

Browse our collection of classic children's stories — fairy tales, fables, nursery rhymes, and bedtime stories — all free to read online. From beloved favorites like The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Goldilocks to folk tales from around the world, our library has hundreds of stories for kids of every age. Whether you're looking for a quick bedtime story to read aloud, a longer fairy tale for independent readers, or classroom reading for students, you'll find it here.

You may also enjoy Favorite Fairy Tales, Books for Young Readers, Children's Poems, Lullabies and Short Stories for Students

Children's Stories & Fairy Tales

Peter Rabbit is a naughty bunny who eats the vegetables in Mr. McGregor's garden, loses his coat and shoes, narrowly escapes back home. — The Tale of Peter Rabbit

The Elves and the Shoemaker is a wonderful story of giving to enjoy all year long! — The Elves and the Shoemaker

The old women is happy no matter what her pot (or life) brings. — The Bogey-Beast

Ruth Stiles Gannett's children's adventure about a baby dragon rescue, My Father's Dragon! — My Father's Dragon

The Tortoise and the Hare — The Tortoise & the Hare

A band of outcast animals each out-wit bumbling robbers in a home near Bremen. — The Bremen Town Musicians

Alice's Adventures Under Ground, with illustrations by Lewis Carroll — Alice in Wonderland *abridged*

Aesop's Fable The Ant and the Grasshopper — The Grasshopper and the Ant

Aesop's fables, 145 fables, many of them are illustrated! — Aesop's Fables

Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes — The Emperor's New Clothes

Fairy Tales from Hans Christian Andersen; The Ugly Duckling, The Little Match Girl, The Last Dream of Old Oak and more — Hans Christian Andersen

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair! — Rapunzel

The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose; Jack and Jill, Baa Baa Black Sheep and other favorites — Mother Goose Rhymes

Fairy Tales from The Brothers Grimm; The Brave Little Tailor, Cinderella, Briar-Rose, and more ... — Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Snow Image: A Childish Miracle — The Snow Image

How the Moon Became Beautiful: A Chinese Fairy Tale — How the Moon Became Beautiful

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Paradise of Children — The Paradise of Children

The Little Match Girl, a beautiful, poignant, and sad Christmas Story worthy of your time and thoughtful consideration throughout the holiday season — The Little Match Girl

Huckleberry, a fairy tale about two gnomes who tell riddles to humans — Huckleberry

Carl Sandburg, Rootabaga Stories — The Zigzag Railroad

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County — The Celebrated Jumping Frog

Hindu Tale: The Magic Pitcher — The Magic Pitcher

Just So Stories from Rudyard Kipling; How the Leopard Got His Spots, How the Camel Got His Hump, and other great stories for kids — Just So Stories

Woody Guthrie, This Land Is Your Land — This Land Is Your Land

Johnny Town-Mouse meets his friend from the country and they become lasting friends. — The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

Goldilocks makes herself feel 'just right' in the bears' home, they discover she's still there! — Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Dog Stories: Little-Girl-Afraid-of-a-Dog — Little Girl Afraid of a Dog

The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids — The Wolf & Seven Little Kids

Children will enjoy reading and counting with this Old English nursery rhyme. — This Old Man

One sister is sympathetic and helpful, the other is mean and selfish. One good turn deserves another. — The Two Sisters

The Brothers Grimm's Cunning Little Tailor is a bear of a story! — The Cunning Little Tailor

Perfect for young children, the unlikely pair of an owl and a pussy-cat set out for adventures over the sea. — The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

A young moth learned to care more for a warm heart and courage than for whole wings and straight feelers. — Night Moth With Crooked Feeler

Norwegian Tale: East of the Sun and West of the Moon — East of the Sun & West of the Moon

Find out how Jack sought his fortune on his adventure with a cat, rooster, cow, goat and dog. — How Jack Sought His Fortune

Henny-Penny runs to tell the King the sky is falling, gathering friends along the way — The Sky is Falling!

Sleeping Beauty, also known as Briar-Rose — Sleeping Beauty (Briar-Rose)

Basho's poetry is short and beautiful, with wonderful pictures too. — Haiku Poetry - Basho

The Forest Bride: The Story of a Little Mouse Who Was a Princess — The Forest Bride

The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar: A Japanese Fairy Tale — The Wise Monkey & the Boar

The Farmer and the Badger: A Japanese Fairy Tale — The Farmer and the Badger

Hinky Pinkie answers are two rhyming words, two syllables each — Hinky Pinkie Riddles

Children's Stories: Mother Bear's Call — Mother Bear's Call

The Wind in the Willows featuring Mr. Toad, Badger and friends — The Wind in the Willows

The Last Dream of Old Oak, a wonderful Christmas story that can be enjoyed any time of the year. — The Last Dream of Old Oak

Soup On a Sausage Peg, Andersen's version of 'Stone Soup' — Soup on a Sausage Peg

Winter Sports Stories: The Rover Boys: Fun on the Ice — Fun on the Ice

Two boys set out along on a hunt adventure that doesn't turn out quite as they thought it would. — How They Ran Away

How Theseus Slays the Minotaur — Theseus Slays the Minotaur

An allegory about a boy who admires who his friend has, and doesn't realize he has it too, just depends on where you're standing — The Golden Windows

Join Queen Telphassa and her son-princess on their quest in search of Europea, carried off by a snow-white bull — The Dragon's Teeth

An allegory about working together to improve our environment, king or no king — The Coming of the King

An allegory about making the best out of what you have — The Great Feast

Two storks migrate in Spring to a Viking warrior's rooftop and tell the story of the wicked Marsh King's daughter. — The Marsh King's Daughter

Celtic Fairy Tale about a Sea-Maiden who grants a poor fisherman plenty of fish for a promise; there is a three-headed beast to fight. — The Sea-Maiden

L. Frank Baum tells familiar Mother Goose nursery rhymes in prose. — The Story of Little Boy Blue

Mother Earth's Children, Fruit and Vegetables Rhymes — Mother Earth's Children

What a surprise, left on their door-step ten years ago. What will they decide? — Little Benjamin

The Master Cat; or, Puss in Boots tells the story of a cat from humble beginnings who becomes a great lord. — Puss in Boots

Folk Hero Paul Bunyan and Babe the Big Blue Ox — Paul Bunyan & the Big Blue Ox

Kids Halloween Stories: A magical collection, featured story is about two deserving children who dance with witches, pumpkins and vegetables on Halloween night for good luck! — Fun Halloween Stories

The Pumpkin Glory is about two seeds who want to be the best pumpkin pies ever! — The Pumpkin Glory

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Thankful, the Thanksgiving turkey story — Thankful

Favorite Christmas Stories for Children — Christmas Stories

Frequently Asked Questions about Children's Stories

What are the best short stories for children?

Our most popular stories include The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen — like The Little Match Girl, The Ugly Duckling, and The Emperor's New Clothes — are also perennial favorites. For fables with moral lessons, try Aesop's The Tortoise and the Hare or The Ant and the Grasshopper.

Are these children's stories free to read online?

Yes! Every story in our collection is completely free to read online. No account, subscription, or download is required — just pick a story and start reading. We've been sharing classic literature with readers since 2000.

What age group are these stories appropriate for?

Our collection spans ages 2 through 12. Nursery rhymes and simple tales like The Three Billy-Goats Gruff are great for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2–5). Fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Hansel and Gretel are perfect for early readers (ages 5–8). Longer stories like Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and the Just So Stories suit independent readers (ages 8–12).

What are good bedtime stories for kids?

For bedtime, we recommend shorter stories with gentle endings: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Velveteen Rabbit, Thumbelina, and The Elves and the Shoemaker are all wonderful choices. Nursery rhymes and lullabies also make perfect bedtime reading — see our Lullabies collection for soothing songs and rhymes.

What kinds of stories are in this collection?

You'll find classic fairy tales (Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty), Aesop's fables, Brothers Grimm tales, Hans Christian Andersen stories, Beatrix Potter tales, nursery rhymes from Mother Goose, folk tales from around the world (Japanese, Finnish, Hindu, Norwegian), American tall tales like Paul Bunyan, and holiday stories for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Can I use these stories in the classroom or for homeschooling?

Absolutely. Our stories are widely used by teachers and homeschooling parents. All texts are in the public domain, so they can be read aloud, printed, or shared freely. Many of these stories appear in school reading curricula. For older students, see our Short Stories for Students page, which includes study guides and comprehension resources.