Stories from Around the World

Traditional tales often take on a life of their own, traveling the world and finding new interpretations within the cultures they encounter. This collection brings together several stories from different traditions.

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The Go Ahead Boys and the Racing Motor-Boat

The Go Ahead Boys and the Racing Motor-Boat is an adventure story about boys who enter a boat race.

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The Grey Fairy Book

This book is a collection of traditional tales. The collection was assembled by Scottish folklorist Andrew Lang although authorship of the stories is unknown. Lang published several collections of traditional tales, collectively known as Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books.

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The Light Princess

A princess is cursed to have no gravity.

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The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat

The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat tells the story of Jerry, a young muskrat, and his adventures in escaping the Farmer and his son, and saving the Laughing Brook and his home at the Smiling Pool from drying up. The story also features Grandfather Frog, Joe Otter, Billy Mink, and Paddy the Beaver

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Little Bear at Work and at Play

Little Bear at Work and at Play is about the adventures of Little Bear and his friends.

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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is set in the 1840’s in the fictitious town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, where Tom lives with his deceased mother’s sister, Aunt Polly, and his half-brother, Sid. After Tom plays hooky from school, he is made to whitewash Aunt Polly’s fence as punishment, but persuades his friends to do it for him. Tom’s real trouble begins when he and Huck Finn witness a murder committed by Injun Joe. They swear to never tell, and the wrong man, Muff Potter, is accused of the crime. Tom, Huck, and a friend run away to be pirates, but become aware that the whole town is searching for their bodies. Each of the boys make an appearance at their own funerals, where they are greeted with open arms. As Muff Potter’s trial begins, Tom is overcome with guilt and testifies against Injun Joe, who quickly flees the courtroom. Later, on a class field trip to a cave, Tom and his love interest, Becky Thatcher, get lost. As they run out of food and candles searching for a way out, Tom and Becky come upon Injun Joe, who is using the cave as a hideout. Tom finds a way out just as the search party is giving up. The town rejoices and Judge Thatcher, Becky’s father, has the cave sealed, unknowingly trapping Injun Joe inside where he starves to death.

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Aesop’s Fables

Aesop’s Fables is a collection of tales by the Greek storyteller Aesop. Most of the tales included here were translated and edited by Reverend George Fyler Townsend (1814-1900) in England and published under the title, Aesop’s Fables. Townsend’s translations were influential on many subsequent collections of fables. Some of the tales included here were taken from the book How to Tell Stories to Children and Some Stories To Tell, by Sara Cone Bryant and published in London in 1918. In some cases, we have included both Townsend’s version and Bryant’s version of the same tale.

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The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms or Lost in the Wilds of Florida

The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms or Lost in the Wilds of Florida is a story of adventure following the DeVere girls on a journey through the Florida Swamps while filming a movie.

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