Random Fairy tales Podcasts

Since this series of books is intended for all young people from one to one hundred, it opens with about eighty of the old MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES. Nothing better was ever invented to tell to little folks who are young enough for lullabies. Their rhythm, their humor, and their pith will always cause us to prize them as the Babies’ Classics. Editors: Hamilton Wright Mabie, Edward Everett Hale, William Byron Forbush.(Gutenberg Text)

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, various

Original musical audio plays and adaptations of classic stories for all ages. Each episode features a new story.

Categories: Fiction, Kids & Family, Music

Tags: Audio Plays, Children, Education, Fairy tales, original musicals, plays, theater

Many of us are familiar with Grimm’s Fairy Tales, or children’s stories from France, England, China, India and Germany, but are less aware of similar folk tales and children’s stories from Japan. Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki captures the exotic flavor, traditions and customs of this ancient land. Published in 1903 entitled the Japanese Fairy Book, the title was changed in the 1908 edition to Japanese Fairy Tales. Theodora Ozaki was the daughter of a wealthy Japanese aristocrat Baron Ozaki, the first Japanese man to study in the West, and his wife, an American schoolteacher’s daughter. The couple separated after a brief marriage and Theodora lived with her father in Japan. She worked as a secretary and spent much of her spare time collecting traditional Japanese stories. She was encouraged to publish the collection by the Scottish writer Andrew Lang, who was himself an accomplished writer of children’s literature. The twenty-two stories contained in this volume include one of the best-known Japanese tales, The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, which tells of a vengeful old woman who cruelly cuts off the tongue of her husband’s talking sparrow. The charming details in this story are indeed very interesting, as many of the architectural and cultural features of Japanese houses and traditions are provided in it. The Ogre of Rashomon is another macabre tale, while the delightful Adventures of Kintaro the Golden Boy is sure to charm young and old. An interesting feature is that the author often gives the meaning of Japanese words and terms and explains many of the customs for the benefit of non-Japanese readers. In the preface she states that her aim is to bring these beautiful tales to those outside her country so that they may love and enjoy them too. The original edition had some superb illustrations and wood-cuts by Japanese artists.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Japanese Fairy Tales, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Yei Theodora Ozaki

A comedy podcast that exposes the absurd side of folklore. Each week we read a story, fix plotholes and create new ones, and invent unintended connections between tales.

Categories: Arts, Comedy, TV & Film

Tags: comedy podcast, creepy fairy tales, fairy tale analysis, fairy tale origins, Fairy tales, fantasy podcast, folklore, folklore podcast, literature podcast, mythology, nerd podcasts, new podcasts, original fairy tales, weird fairy tales

The three charming stories contained in The Frog Prince and Other Tales include a less-known fairy-tale called Princess Belle-Etoile besides the title story and Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp. Published in 1874, the tales are re-told by the famous illustrator Walter Crane, who has also provided some of the most lovely illustrations in the book. The book makes an ideal gift and both parents and children will certainly enjoy it. It’s perfect for bedtime story-reading sessions and kids would love gazing at the beautiful Greek-style illustrations that are scattered throughout the book. The Frog Prince is a German fairy-tale, which was part of the Grimm’s Fairy Tales collection. It tells of a beautiful and spoiled young princess who is taught one of life’s most important lessons by a hideous frog. Princess Belle-Etoile was originally a French story written by Baroness d’Aulnoy who coined the term “fairy tale.” It tells of an exiled queen who brings up her three daughters in poverty. An old woman visits them one day and they show her great kindness and hospitality. She, being a fairy, rewards them with boons. The rest of the story follows the adventures of the three sisters. Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp is another old favorite featured here. Though the story is set in “an Eastern city” the illustrations seem to follow an Asian theme but are nevertheless very charming. Walter Crane was an art scholar and artist who had made a detailed study of many artistic traditions like the Japanese and European. His father was a well-known portrait painter. Walter himself was inspired by ancient artistic traditions and also worked diligently to bring art to the common masses. The Frog Prince and Other Tales is one of those delightful keepsake volumes that will certainly be treasured by generations in your family!

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Short stories, The Frog Prince and Other Stories, Walter Crane

Children’s Radio Show featuring the Adventures of Bucky and Betty, Beantown’s two main characters and featured children’s entertainers as guests.

Categories: Kids & Family

Tags: beantown, beantown pals, bedtime stories, bucky and betty, Comedy, fables, Fairy tales, family, Kids, tom hayes

Published in 1910, The Lilac Fairy Book is the last book in the series of fairytale collections known as Andrew Lang’s “Coloured” Fairy Books and features stories from various folklores and cultures including Welsh, Portuguese, Scottish, Italian, and many other foreign literary branches. Moreover, the collection is a gem in the short story genre due to the fact that Lang collected some of the featured stories from foreign languages and made them available to English audiences. Featuring 33 stories, The Lilac Fairy Book offers a different perspective to the happy-ever-after fairytales most people are accustomed to and expect. The compilation combines faeries, animals, giants, ogres, kings, mermaids, and troubled characters, as it offers not just entertainment, but also enlightens with its allusions. Awe-inspiring for children with its vibrant characters and vivid descriptions, the short stories are equally engaging for adults who want to revive some childhood memories, while being open to some unexpected twists.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, Short stories, The Lilac Fairy Book, Unknown

This collection of fantasy stories was originally serialized in regional newspapers, prior to being published as a complete volume. The stories, as critics have noted, lack the high-fantasy aspect of the best of Baum’s work, in Oz or out. With ironic or nonsensical morals attached to their ends, their tone is more satirical, glib, and tongue-in-cheek than is usual in children’s stories; the serialization in newspapers for adult readers was appropriate for the materials. (Introduction by Wikipedia and Matthew Reece)

Categories: Arts, Comedy, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, American Fairy Tales, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, humor, Kids, L. Frank Baum, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Short stories

A podcast starring a father and his two sons as they explore mythological creatures, fairy tale monsters and everything in between. Join my monsters and I as we discuss a new creature each and every Monster Monday.

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Categories: Kids & Family, TV & Film

Tags: creatures, Fairy tales, Monsters, mythology

The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Real Princess and a host of other wonderful tales which form so much a part of childhood are part of Andersen’s Fairy Tales, by Hans Christian Andersen. This volume contains eighteen selected stories. Some of them are old familiar friends, while others maybe new to some readers, but all of them equally enchanting and enthralling. Today, these stories are known almost everywhere in the world and have been translated into hundreds of languages. Their appeal is not just for children or young readers. As folktales and typical Scandinavian legends, they are a fascinating glimpse into the myths and legends, culture and ethos of the Northern Lands. Since their publication in 1835, they have continued to inspire and delight generations of children and adults. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author whose work included plays, poetry, travelogues, novels and stories. Born in a noble Danish family, he was inspired to transcribe the tales he had heard as a child from people around him. The stories he selected were interesting, imaginative and unique. Some of them like The Little Mermaid were poignant and were not strictly just for a young audience. In fact, the story went on to capture public imagination to such an extent that today one of the most iconic monuments of Copenhagen is the statue of the Little Mermaid on the Langeline Promenade, which draws thousands of visitors every year. Andersen’s first foray into writing fairytales did not meet with much success because translating them from the original Danish was quite difficult and it had only restricted readership. However, in 1845, he reached out to the rest of the world through a brilliant translation of The Little Mermaid in Bentley’s Miscellany magazine. Great success followed as his stories began appearing in various English magazines and journals and a whole generation of young English speaking children discovered the treasures of Scandinavia. The stories have continued to enthrall people in many fields. Music, opera, art, literature, drama, film and television have become richer by the addition of various versions of Andersen’s tales and his name has become a byword for the genre. He also inspired hundreds of other writers to come out with folktales and stories designed to captivate the imagination of young and old. Stories like The Tinder-Box convey a feeling of mystery and awe, while The Nightingale provides pathos and beauty. As an invaluable addition to any library shelf, Andersen’s Fairy Tales can provide hours of reading pleasure to both young and old.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Andersen's Fairy Tales, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Hans Christian Andersen, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, Short stories

First published in 1863, The Water Babies by Rev Charles Kingsley became a Victorian children’s classic along with J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and Lewis Caroll’s Alice books. It is an endearing and entertaining novel that can equally be enjoyed by adult readers as well. However, it fell out of favor in later years since it contained many ideas that are considered politically incorrect and offensive today from a humanitarian perspective. The Water Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby to give the book its complete title tells the story of Tom, a young orphan chimney-sweep in Victorian London. Tom is apprenticed to the mean Mr Grimes, who employs such children to work in inhuman and often dangerous conditions, sweeping out the chimneys of large houses. When Tom is assigned to work at Harthover House, a stately mansion, he is dazzled by the luxury and elegance of the place. He stumbles into the bedroom of the daughter of the house and his appearance startles her so much that she “screams like a peacock!” Tom is equally frightened and he rushes out of the house, falls into a river and drowns! But this is only the beginning of a great underwater adventure. Scholars have described The Water Babies as a didactic fable. Kingsley expresses many of the prevailing attitudes and prejudices against different races, countries and customs. He also expected the book to be read as a satire against the cruel and inhuman child labor laws of the time. Kingsley was himself a contradiction. He was a devout churchman who was one of Charles Darwin’s greatest supporters. He was also profoundly influenced by the scientific thinkers of the day like Thomas Huxley and Sir Roderick Murchison. The Water Babies was first published as a serial in Macmillan’s Magazine. It reflects some of the issues that concerned Victorians of the time. Problems like sanitation, health reforms, Christian Socialism, child abuse and primary education are discussed at various points in the book. After his studies at Cambridge, he chose to go into the Church and was ordained as a minister, from whence he rose to become the chaplain of Queen Victoria. He also wrote several other popular books like Westward Ho! Hypatia and Two Years Ago. A prolific writer and speaker, Kingsley’s works were received with great admiration during his lifetime. In fact, a town in England was named Westward Ho! It is the only town with an exclamation mark in the country and perhaps the world! The Water Babies is indeed an interesting slice of an era long past and a great addition to your collection. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Charles Kingsley, ebooks, Fairy tales, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Water-Babies

Not your common fairy tales, this collection is a mixture of morals, quirkiness, and sarcasm. In it one finds ironic derivatives (if not roots) of well known fairy tales such as “The Brave Little Taylor” and “Beauty and the Beast,” as well as some more unusual settings to impart the popular fairy tale themes of justice and happily ever after. Most stories are told with wry humor and often shocking irreverence for the expected fairy tale turn out. This is NOT a book for children, but one for adults who love fairy tales, and enjoy making fun of them. DISCLAIMER: Story 09 contains some racially offensive material in its ending. Due to the mission of reading, rather than rewriting, literature in the public domain, it has not been omitted from this anthology. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Key of Gold: 23 Czech Folk Tales, Unknown

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (also sometimes called The Happy Prince and Other Stories) is an 1888 collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde. It is most famous for The Happy Prince, the short tale of a metal statue who befriends a migratory bird. Together, they bring happiness to others, in life as well as in death. The stories included in this collection are:The Happy PrinceThe Nightingale and the RoseThe Selfish GiantThe Devoted FriendThe Remarkable RocketThe stories convey an appreciation for the exotic, the sensual and for masculine beauty.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, Oscar Wilde, Short stories, The Happy Prince and Other Tales

King Alfred and the Cakes. Damon and Pythias. The Sword of Damocles. Bruce and the Spider. These are stories that many people who grew up in the last century would be familiar with. They were included in our text books or to be found in anthologies in our school libraries. However, for a new generation growing up, some of these may be new and unknown. Hence, Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin would indeed be a great addition to your children’s bookshelf. James Baldwin, who shares his name with another famous American author was an editor, author and gifted teacher. He worked as a textbook editor and also wrote more than fifty books for children concerning mythology, legends and the stories of famous historical figures. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his works were extremely popular and had a considerable influence on the reading habits of generations of youngsters. He retired as the Editor in Chief of the American Book Company and compiled the much acclaimed Baldwin Readers and co-authored the Expressive Readers. These went on to set the standard for textbooks for nearly a century, at a time when education was undergoing huge systemic reform. Fifty Famous Stories Retold contains a preface by the author, in which he describes the motives behind such an anthology. “…that the reading of them will give not only pleasure but also lay the foundation for broader literary studies…” he opines. Some of the stories were selected for their historical value, others for the moral truths they convey, while some are intended solely to amuse. They are taken from a variety of sources. Folktales, legends and ballads also are a rich source. Baldwin remarks that he took care not to include myths, fairytales and fables. Hence we find old favorites like Dick Whittington’s Cat, The Story of Robin Hood and George Washington and His Hatchet alongside less familiar ones like Inchcape Rock, Doctor Goldsmith or Diogenes the Wise. The original contains charming illustrations. In Baldwin’s own words, the encounter with good literature and good books was what spurred him to develop the reading habit. For a new generation which is fast losing the pleasure that books can bring, perhaps Fifty Famous Stories Retold could serve as a springboard and encourage them to rediscover the joy of reading.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, Fifty Famous Stories Retold, free audio books, History, james baldwin, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

A fairy has become bored with her life, and convinces some young girls to transform her into a human boy so she can go on adventures. The adventures come fast and furious, as the newly-named Prince Marvel explores the surrounding kingdoms. A masochistic squire accompanies Marvel, helping him with assorted kings, knights, dragons, and other medieval menaces along the way. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Kids, L. Frank Baum, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Teen/Young adult, The Enchanted Island of Yew

Silver footed, fair haired Thetis, Ares the God of War, Nike the Goddess of Victory, The Furies and The Muses, Zeus the presiding deity of the Universe and the magical, mysterious Olympus, are some of the amazing, mythical Greek and Roman deities you’ll encounter in this book. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by EM Berens was originally intended for young readers. Written in an easy and light style, the author attempts to bring the pantheon of gods into a comprehensible format. He organizes them into different dynasties and chronologies to make it easier for the reader to understand the labyrinthine relationships and connections between the various gods, heroes, minor divinities, mythical figures and legendary creatures. Greek and Roman legends form the base of all European art, literature and civilization itself. Since the advent of Christianity, the so called Pagan religion which dominated all of Europe for thousands of years were eclipsed but the study of the Classics as part of the education in Greek and Latin kept them alive. Today there’s hardly a serious student of English or art who does not encounter some reference to an ancient Greek or Roman myth or deity somewhere in literature and the Western languages. A visit to any of the museums or classical art galleries in Europe would be one that’s filled with allusions and depictions of Greek or Roman legends. For modern day readers, the book is a mine of information about the lineage of the gods, forms of worship, festivals and temples devoted to them. It is interestingly chronicled, right from the primordial legend of Uranus and Gaia to the Creation of the Earth, through the dynasties of the Gods, heroes and divinities of the Night and the Sea, right up to the Trojan War where the Gods played a most important role in the destiny of humans. The section on temples and worship is especially interesting for students of archeology and history. It also includes statues, augurs, soothsayers, temple architecture, altars, priests and sacrifices. The extensive footnotes and author’s notes for each chapter add value and interest while the charming illustrations make it attractive for younger readers. Anyone who is interested in exploring the ancient legends of two of the oldest Western civilizations would certainly find Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E.M. Berens a source of hours of reading pleasure and a valuable addition to their bookshelf. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), E.M. Berens, ebooks, Fairy tales, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, instruction, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, Myths/Legends, religion, Teen/Young adult

As children, our first experience of the magic of talking animals, the conflict between good and evil, the battle of wits between the cunning and the innocent most probably came from Aesop’s Fables. These delightful, pithy and brief narratives are simple, easy to understand and convey their message in a memorable and charming fashion. Aesop’s Fables by Aesop consists of about 600 tales, some well-loved and familiar, others less known but just as entertaining and educative and help us map the perimeters of our moral universe. Fables have existed almost since the dawn of time. They hark back to a time when humans and animals lived in harmony and mutual respect. We humans could learn a great deal from the uncomplicated justice and the commonsense values of the animal kingdom. Animals are endowed with immutable personal traits like foxes being cunning, donkeys being patient, lions being proud and wolves being cruel. There is very little biographical information about Aesop. He is reputed to have been born a slave in Samos in ancient Greece in about 600 BC. He earned his liberty through his learning and wit and went on to become a respected diplomat and traveler. Ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, historians like Plutarch and Herodotus mention Aesop’s fables in their works. Today, these immortal fables have come down to us, as fresh and pristine as they were when they were first told. Aesop’s fables were known at the time of Socrates in the 5th century BC, when they were recounted in oral form. However, they were systematically compiled sometime in 300 BC by a Greek philosopher Demetrius Phalereus. The fables gradually vanished from popular literature till the 14th century AD when they re-surfaced in Byzantine Constantinople. Since then, they traversed with traders and diplomats to Europe and then to the rest of the world. Generations of children have enjoyed old favorites like The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Bear and Two Travelers, The Hare and the Tortoise, The Hen who laid Golden Eggs, The Thirsty Crow, The Lion and the Mouse and many others found in this volume along with less familiar ones. Their charm lies in their simplicity and the plain, straightforward way in which they deliver universal values of honesty, compassion and justice and teach us to shun pride, greed, envy and other negative qualities. They provide an enduring foundation for inculcating values and ethics in children and are at the same time, amusing and entertaining. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Education, Kids & Family

Tags: Aesop, Aesop's Fables, animals, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Languages, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Philosophy, satire

Kids Only Podcast features snappy stories for kids aged 6+

Warning: material not suitable for adults. May contain underpants, fluff bombs and excessive mucus.

All stories written by Krys Saclier. Find out more at kryssaclierstories.com

Produced by audio wizard, Kyle Hopkins, at Canberra Podcast and Voice

Opening title whiz kids Alexandria, Nova, Alli and Sophia

Categories: Education, Kids & Family

Tags: Children, Fairy tales, fantasy, Humour, Kids, narrative, Stories, storytelling