The Brothers Grimm

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm gathered these stories from friends, neighbours and older books between 1812 and 1857, and the retellings here keep the shape that made them last: three attempts, a task that must be finished before morning, and a kindness that is repaid later. The frightening parts are trimmed for a bedtime reader; the endings are the ones the brothers wrote down.

11 stories retold here, 9–15 minutes each — read aloud or read alone.

A girl in a simple dress kneels by a small hazel tree on a grassy grave, a white bird perched on a low branch above her, with a castle glowing in the distance.

Retold classicFolk tale10 min read

The Hazel Tree and the Golden Slipper

Ages 8-12

A girl is left with a hard stepmother and two unkind stepsisters. With help from a hazel tree on her mother's grave, she goes to the king's festival three nights, and the last night changes everything.

Retold from Cinderella

An illustration of two children standing before a small cottage with walls of golden bread and a roof of sugar, moonlight falling through dark pine trees behind them.

Retold classicFolk tale13 min read

The Breadcrumb Trail

Ages 8-12

When a hungry family can no longer feed two children, Hansel and Gretel leave a trail of breadcrumbs through the night forest. A house made of sweets waits at the end of the path, and Gretel must find the courage to act.

Retold from Hansel and Gretel

A girl in a red hood stands on a forest path, holding a basket, while a grey wolf watches from behind a tall tree.

Retold classicFolk tale10 min read

The Red Hood and the Wolf

Ages 8-12

A girl in a red hood is sent through the wood to her grandmother's house, where a wolf waits with clever tricks and sharp teeth. Help arrives from an unexpected place, and she learns to listen for what a wolf sounds like.

Retold from Little Red Riding Hood

A tall stone tower with a single window, a long golden braid hanging down, and a young woman leaning out under a wide night sky.

Retold classicFolk tale10 min read

The Girl in the Tower

Ages 8-12

A woman's craving for a neighbour's garden plant leads to a daughter locked in a tower, a prince who climbs her hair, and a long separation healed by tears.

Retold from Rapunzel

A young woman sits at a spinning wheel in a moonlit room filled with straw, while a tiny man watches from the shadows.

Retold classicFolk tale11 min read

The Miller's Daughter and the Little Man

Ages 8-12

A miller's boast traps his daughter in a room of straw, and a strange little man offers help for a price. When he returns for her firstborn, she must guess his name to keep her child.

Retold from Rumpelstiltskin

A princess in a simple dress reaches toward an old wooden spindle in a stone tower room, her face curious, while a pale old woman watches from the shadows.

Retold classicFolk tale9 min read

The Sleeping Castle

Ages 8-12

A king and queen long for a child, but a forgotten guest at the christening lays a curse on their baby daughter. Years later, a princess finds a hidden tower and a spindle that changes everything.

Retold from Sleeping Beauty

A young girl with dark hair sits on the floor of a small forest cottage, surrounded by seven small bearded men who listen as she speaks, a wooden table and tiny chairs behind them.

Retold classicFolk tale11 min read

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Ages 8-12

A queen's mirror tells her a young girl is fairest, so the girl flees to the forest and finds a home with seven dwarfs. Three visits from the queen test the girl's courage and the dwarfs' care.

Retold from Snow White

A young princess kneels at the edge of a stone well, her golden ball resting on the mossy rim, while a small green frog watches from the water below.

Retold classicFolk tale10 min read

The Promise at the Well

Ages 8-12

A princess drops her golden ball into a well and promises a frog anything to get it back. But when he comes to collect, her father insists she keep her word.

Retold from The Frog Prince

An illustration of a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster stacked on each other's backs, silhouetted against a moonlit window, with a warm glow from inside the house.

Retold classicFolk tale13 min read

The Four Old Friends

Ages 8-12

Four ageing animals, too old to work, run away together to become musicians. When they find a house full of robbers, they must use their wits and their friendship to find a home.

Retold from The Bremen Town Musicians

A fisherman in a small boat on a darkening sea, looking down at a shimmering flounder, while a storm gathers on the horizon.

Retold classicFolk tale13 min read

The Fisherman and His Wife

Ages 8-12

A poor fisherman spares a talking flounder and his wife's wishes grow, each granted as the sea turns darker. A quiet tale of home, courage, and the price of wanting more.

Three unusual women sit at a spinning wheel in a moonlit room, one with a broad flat foot, one with a huge lower lip, and one with a broad thumb, while a young girl watches with wide eyes.

Retold classicFolk tale15 min read

The Three Spinning Women

Ages 8-12

A girl who hates spinning is helped by three strange women with odd feet, lips, and thumbs. They spin her flax on one condition: she must invite them to her wedding.