There was, once upon a time, a man and his wife fagot-makers by trade, who had several children, all boys. The eldest was but ten years old, and the youngest only seven. They were...
There was once an old couple named Peder and Kirsten who had an only son called Hans. From the time he was a little boy he had been told that on his sixteenth birthday he must go o...
Some fairies once lived in a dark glen in a pine forest. They were real fairies, many of them not higher than a pin. Their greatest treasure was a magic cap which had been in the f...
The most wonderful sight I ever did see Was an owl on the branch of our old oak-tree; His eyes were so large and his head was so small That he seemed all eyes and no head at all.
All round the green gravel the grass grows so green, And all the pretty maids are fit to be seen, Wash them in milk, dress them in silk, And the first to go down shall be married i...
ADAPTED BY CECILIA FARWELL Once upon a time there was a little boy whose task it was to drive the goats to and from the hills. One morning, as they went along the road, the first g...
BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM There was once a poor Widow, who lived alone in her hut with her two children, who were called Snow-White and Rose-Red, because they were like the flowers whi...
Once upon a time there lived a man called Simon, who was very rich, but at the same time as stingy and miserly as he could be. He had a housekeeper called Nina, a clever capable wo...
Lathom House is an old English castle. When the war broke out between King Charles I and his people, the Earl of Derby, who was the master of this castle, went away to fight for th...
The king had just awakened from his midday sleep, for it was summer, and everyone rose early and rested from twelve to three, as they do in hot countries. He had dressed himself in...
There was once a forester who went into the forest to hunt, and as he entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were there. He followed the sound, and at last c...
A little boy and a little girl Lived in an alley; Said the little boy to the little girl, "Shall I, oh! shall I?" Said the little girl to the little boy, "What will you do?" Said t...
I always buy at the lollipop-shop, On the very first day of spring, A bag of marbles, a spinning-top, And a pocketful of string.
A monkey once found some chestnuts, which he put on the hot coals of a fire to roast. He was puzzled, however, as to how he should get them again without burning himself. Seeing a...
It is not generally known that many of our popular riddles are centuries old. Yet such is the fact, and those whose course of reading has made them acquainted with ancient collecti...
Once upon a time there was a king and queen who lived happily and comfortably together. They were very fond of each other and had nothing to worry them, but at last the king grew r...
The Ox-eye Daisy or Marguerite Do you know that "Daisy" means "day's eye," because the old country Daisy opens its eyes when day comes, and shuts them every night. But our Daisy is...
There was once an old castle, that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood, and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take any shape she pleased. All the day lon...
BY LAURA E. RICHARDS This is little Tommy Thumb, Round and smooth as any plum. This is busy Peter Pointer: Surely he's a double-jointer. This is mighty Toby Tall, He's the biggest...
Yes; Hens talk somewhat as we do; only they haven't so many words, and don't depend on them as we have to. There are only ten words in ordinary hen-talk. The cluck, cluck of the mo...
THERE was once a Darning-needle who thought herself so fine that she came at last to believe that she was fit for embroidery. "Mind now that you hold me fast," she said to the Fing...
THE HARES waged war with the Eagles, and called upon the Foxes to help them. They replied, "We would willingly have helped you, if we had not known who you were, and with whom you...
Over mountains and valleys Psyche journeyed alone until she came to the city where her two envious sisters lived with the princes whom they had married. She stayed with them only l...
Well, there was once a very rich gentleman who had three daughters, and he thought he'd see how fond they were of him. So he says to the first: "How much do you love me, my dear?"...
There was once a poor Prince. He possessed a kingdom which, though small, was yet large enough for him to marry on, and married he wished to be. Now it was certainly a little audac...
BY JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY My mother she's so good to me, Ef I was good as I could be, I couldn't be as good--no, sir!-- Can't any boy be good as her. She loves me when I'm glad er sa...
THE HARES harangued the assembly, and argued that all should be equal. The Lions made this reply: "Your words, O Hares! are good; but they lack both claws and teeth such as we have...
The Wicked Hoptoad and the Little Yellow Dragon Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little Yellow Dragon, who lived a happy and innocent life on the high banks of a prattling s...
The earliest and simplest form in which the nursery song appears is the lullaby, which may be defined a gentle song used for the purpose of inducing sleep. The term was generally,...