Aesop's Fables for Kids
Aesop's fables are short moral stories handed down from ancient Greece and traditionally credited to Aesop, a storyteller of the 6th century BC; every fable here is our own retelling, in English and Chinese, with narration in both languages and its moral spelled out, free to listen to.
Aesop's Fables for Kids (6 stories)
- Ages 3-72 min
The Tortoise and the Hare龟兔赛跑
A boastful hare naps in the middle of a race, and the slow tortoise keeps going and wins. Aesop’s fable in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version read in Mandarin.
- Ages 3-72 min
The Boy Who Cried Wolf狼来了
A bored shepherd boy shouts “Wolf!” twice as a joke. When a real wolf comes, nobody believes him. Aesop’s fable in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.
- Ages 3-72 min
The Fox and the Grapes狐狸和葡萄
A hungry fox can’t reach the grapes, so he says they must be sour. The fable behind “sour grapes,” in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.
- Ages 3-72 min
The North Wind and the Sun北风和太阳
The North Wind and the Sun compete to get a traveler’s coat off. The wind blows hard and fails; the gentle sun wins. Aesop’s fable in simple English and in Chinese, both with narration.
- Ages 3-72 min
The Crow and the Pitcher乌鸦喝水
A thirsty crow can’t reach the little water left in a pitcher, so he drops in pebbles one by one until it rises. Aesop’s fable in simple English and in Chinese, both with narration.
- Ages 4-82 min
The Farmer and the Viper农夫和蛇
On a freezing day a kind farmer warms a frozen snake inside his coat, and when it wakes up, it bites him. Aesop’s fable, gently told, in simple English and in Chinese, both with narration.
About Aesop's Fables for Kids
Aesop's fables are very short, most of them are about animals, and each one teaches a single lesson: The Tortoise and the Hare is about keeping going, The Boy Who Cried Wolf is about honesty. The fables we know today were collected and written down by later hands, and there are several hundred of them. Because they are short and their lessons are clear, they make good bedtime stories, and a good first step for children starting a second language, English or Chinese.
Read this story to your child in your own voice
- Record your voice and confirm it's really you
- Pick any story, in English or Chinese
- A few minutes later, hear it in your voice; you can also download the MP3
From about $1.05 a story, or $1.99 for a first-order taster. Reading and listening are always free, and failed generations are refunded.
Questions about Aesop's Fables for Kids
- What age are Aesop's fables for?
- Children can start listening from age 3. Each fable is short, two or three minutes, which suits young children whose attention spans are still short.
- What is the difference between a fable and a fairy tale?
- A fable is shorter and uses a small story to teach one lesson, usually stated at the end as the moral. A fairy tale is longer and puts more weight on plot and imagination.
- Who was Aesop?
- By tradition, Aesop was a storyteller in ancient Greece in the 6th century BC. The fables told under his name were collected by later writers, and there are several hundred of them.
- Is the English in these fables easy for children?
- Yes. Our English versions use short sentences and common words, so they suit preschoolers and children in the early grades, including those just starting to learn English. Each fable also lists a few key English words.
- Are these Aesop's fables free to listen to?
- Yes. Every fable has an English version with a native-English narration and a Chinese version with a Chinese narration, with read-along highlighting and its moral. Reading and listening are free, with no sign-up.