The Proud Boy THERE was once a very proud boy. He always walked through the village with his eyes turned down and his hands in his pockets. The boys used to stare at him, and say nothing; and when he was out of sight, they breathed freely. So the proud boy was lonely, and would have had no friends out of doors if it had not been for two stray dogs, the green trees, and a flock of geese upon the common. One day, just by the weaver's cottage, he met the tailor's son. Now the tailor's son made more noise than any other boy in the village, and when he had done anything wrong he stuck to it, ... read more

There lived once, an old man and an old woman. And all they had in the world was one rabbit and one jaguar. They kept the rabbit in a cage. One day, the Jaguar came to the cage: ‘Oh, Rabbit..? Conejo..? The old man and the old woman are preparing a pan of hot water. They are going to boil you. They are going to eat you. They are going to give some to me.’ ‘Oh no,’ said Conejo. ‘No indeed. They are going to make hot chocolate. And if you come in the cage with me, they will bring some for you, Jaguar.’ Jaguar opened the door of the cage and slinked inside. With a hop and a skip, Ra ... read more

THE LITTLE PINE TREE Once there grew a little pine tree deep in the forest. It had needles that were evergreen. Yet it was glum. It said, "My needles are not as pretty as leaves. I wish I had golden leaves." Next morning, it found its wish had been granted. It had shining golden leaves. A man passing by saw the golden leaves and started plucking them. Soon the little pine tree was stripped bare. It again said, "I was wrong. I wish I had glass leaves. They would look pretty and no one would steal them. " The next morning the tree saw that it was covered with glass leaves. They sp ... read more

Two Brave Women Karan Singh was all set to go to the fields. Among the other things he carried with his agricultural tools, were his sword and a gun. A merchant, who always noticed this, could not but help satisfy his curiosity. One day as Karan set out to go the fields, the merchant asked him why he always carried his weapons along with his other agricultural tools. Karan Singh went to his shop and told him that even if he told him the reason, he might not understand it. Hence, he advised him to concentrate on his shop's accounts, rather than focusing on matters that did not concern him ... read more

This is a story about Akbar, the Emperor of India, and his loyal and witty advisor Birbal. It was a fine morning in the palace. The royal courtroom was buzzing with conversation as Akbar’s advisors awaited the arrival of their Emperor. Soon enough Akbar arrived, but he was not in his usual pleasant mood. He seemed bothered and frustrated. The advisors quietened on seeing the Emperor’s stern face. ‘What is the problem, Your Majesty? Is something bothering you?’ asked one of the advisors. ‘Today someone dared to pull on my moustache!’ exclaimed Emperor Akbar. ‘What punishment do you thi ... read more