Welcome to Folk Tales!
This collection brings together folk stories from many different cultures.
In each section you can read a different story. Then try out the activities to practise your comprehension and creative writing skills. Tap on the words in blue to see some synonymsother words meaning the same.
This story comes from Central, Southern and East Africa.
Hare has a problem: he needs to dig the fields, but he doesn't want to do any hard work. But maybe there's another way to get the work done...
This story comes from Mali, a large country in West Africa. The famous city of Timbuktu is in Mali.
The tale begins when the earth is still young. The different parts of the body haven't joined together yet, which means that ears, eyes, legs and arms are all happily going about their own business apart from each other. What will happen to make the parts of the body team up and stick together?
This story comes from Indonesia, a country in South East Asia made up of thousands of islands.
The tale begins when Dog and Cat find a delicious piece of meat, but soon they start arguing over it. What will Monkey do to help them stop fighting?
This story comes from Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean Sea.
A little old man travels around, leaving his things with lots of different people. But when they aren't kept safe, he has an unusual punishment in store...
This story comes from Korea.
Mother Rat and Father Rat are looking for a suitable husband for their daughter. Only the strongest person in the world will do. But where can they find him?
This story comes from Brazil, the largest country in South America.
It begins at the very start of time, when the earth was still finding its shape. A fight between a husband, a wife and a lot of angry wasps leads to some unexpected visitors...
This story comes from Jamaica, an island in the Caribbean.
In this story, Fox and Rabbit need to travel from their town to the market. There's only one problem... the huge river in their way, and the hungry alligator who lives there! Can Fox and Rabbit outsmart Alligator? And can they outsmart each other?
This story comes from India.
Four brothers leave their family farm and set out on adventures. On their travels, they meet a three-legged cat, some angry farm animals and a very puzzling elephant. But what rewards are in store for them?
This story comes from Botswana, a country in Southern Africa.
The lion is the king of all the animals. Surely he can't be fooled by a small but clever hare...