Once upon a time, there was an old man and an old woman. And all they had in the world was one cat and one rooster. They were very poor and they were very hungry. And they got into a terrible row and they decided that they would separate forever. And the old woman had the cat. And the old man had the rooster. Well, with the cat, the cat would catch small birds and she would roast the birds and she had something to eat. But the old man had nothing to eat at all. Time passed, and one day he went to the rooster and said, ‘I am sorry… I am going to have to cut you in half and eat ha ... read more

On the way to the Sun HE had journeyed a long way, and was very tired. It seemed like a dream when he stood up after a sleep in the field, and looked over the wall, and saw the garden, and the flowers, and the children playing all about. He looked at the long road behind him, at the dark wood and the barren hills; it was the world to which he belonged. He looked at the garden before him, at the big house, and the terrace, and the steps that led down to the smooth lawn it was the world which belonged to the children. "Poor boy," said the elder child, "I will get you something to eat." ... read more

The Tale Of The Clever Peasant Once upon a time in a village in Ukraine, there lived a rich landlord. He owned many farms, fields and forests. He owned so much land, that the peasants of the village treated him as their chief. The chief however was an arrogant and petty minded man, with very little regard for the peasants and poor men who depended on him. He was greedy, very proud of his wealth and considered the peasants, poor and filthy, who smelt like dung. He would never entertain any peasant in his mansion, nor let any poor farmer come near him. The poor farmers and peasants cons ... read more

There was once a farmer who had two sons. The older son was selfish and greedy, while the younger son was kind and generous. When the farmer died, the older brother took all of his land for himself leaving the younger brother with nothing except a basket and a sharp knife with which he could cut firewood. He would go into the forest and chop wood and sell it in exchange for a little rice in the marketplace. He was poor. He had nothing. One day, the young brother climbed through the forest to the top of the mountain, and there he sat upon a rock gazing out towards the west where the ... read more

The Camel and the Jackal A camel and a jackal lived together in a jungle. On the other side of the river flowing beside that jungle, there were fields having ripe sugar- canes One day the jackal came to the camel with a plan to cross the river and enjoy the sugarcanes. As he did not know how to swim, so he requested the camel to carry him on his back. The camel agreed to the jackal's request. They set out for the river and soon reached its bank. The camel carried the jackal on his back and crossed the river. On reaching the other side, they began to eat the sugarcanes. The jackal ... read more