A widow named Hong-Mo lived in a small house near the market. Every year, she raised hundreds of chickens to earn money for herself and her two children. Every day, the chickens walked to the nearby fields to look for food like bugs, rice, and green plants. The biggest chicken was called the king of the chickens because he was the strongest. He led the flock to new feeding places, and he crowed the loudest. None of the other chickens dared to argue with him. ...
Once upon a time, in the middle of a sunlit kitchen, a great glass jar of wild clover honey stood on the edge of a wooden table. The honey inside was thick and golden and sweeter than sugar, and it caught the light in a way that made the whole jar glow. Then a playful gust of wind came through the open window and caught the curtains. WHOOSH! The curtain swung forward, bumped the jar — and TILT… CRASH! ...
Once upon a time, in a small mountain town surrounded by green hills and Wi-Fi signals, there lived three brothers known far and wide as the Billy Goats Gruff. They weren’t ordinary goats. They were clever, ambitious, and slightly obsessed with snacks. The youngest Billy Goat Gruff, called Byte, loved video games. The middle one, Gig, loved gadgets. And the oldest, Terra, was the practical one — he ran a small online business selling organic grass smoothies. ...
Once upon a time, a man and a lion found themselves walking along the same dusty path through the high rocky hills. Since they were both brave travellers, they decided to walk together for safety. But it was not a peaceful walk. To pass the time, they began to talk about which was the most powerful creature in the world — and very quickly, that talk turned into a great contest of boasting. ...
Once upon a time, in a valley full of golden sunlight and swaying clover, there lived a magnificent horse named Silver. Silver was the luckiest animal in the whole forest. He had a private meadow all to himself, where the grass was sweet as honey and the stream ran as cool and clear as glass. He spent his days galloping, and grazing, and watching the clouds roll by. But one morning, the peace was broken. ...
Once upon a time, in the deep blue ocean, there lived three little sharks named Sammy, Sally, and Sid. The three of them were brother and sisters, adventurous and endlessly curious, forever exploring the wide underwater world. One day they decided it was time to build homes of their own, where each of them could live safely and happily. Sammy, the youngest, was playful and in a great hurry to finish. He found a thick bed of seaweed swaying in the current and decided that would do nicely. “This will be cosy, and it will be fun,” he thought, weaving the long green ribbons into a little hut. ...
A very long time ago, before cities and cars and lights, the night sky was as dark as velvet, and the stars shone like diamonds. High on a mountain in ancient Greece lived seven sisters, known for their beauty, kindness, and sparkling laughter. Their names were Maia, Electra, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno, Sterope, and Merope. They were the daughters of a gentle giant named Atlas, who held up the sky on his strong shoulders, and a kind goddess named Pleione, who loved to watch over them. ...
In the highlands of Tonkin in Vietnam there lived two brothers whose mother and father died in quick succession. A funeral was held, and while the younger brother was away burying his parents, the elder stayed at home to settle the inheritance. And he, being very greedy, concealed all that was valuable. When the younger brother returned, he looked at him in surprise. “Tell me, honoured brother,” he asked, “where is our parents’ fortune? I see nothing of it here.” ...
Once upon a blocky night in the world of Minecraft, there were three little pigs who were very excited to build their own houses. They waved goodbye to their mum, a very wise pig who wore a diamond helmet, and set off to find the perfect building spots. But they forgot one important thing: when the sun goes down, zombies come out. First Pig — The Wooden Hut The first little pig loved to build quickly so he could spend more time riding his boat and fishing. ...
Once upon a time, in a quiet village, there lived a man named Thomas. He wasn’t always poor, but he wasn’t honest either. Thomas was a greedy man who always wanted more than he had. He didn’t like to work hard on his farm. Instead, he spent his nights sneaking into rich men’s houses, stealing gold and treasures. One night, Thomas crept into the grand house of a wealthy merchant who was away on a long trip. Inside the house, Thomas found piles of gold, sparkling jewels, and fine silverware. He stuffed his bag full, but just as he was leaving, something caught his eye: a goose, sitting calmly in a golden cage. ...