Super Great Kids' Stories

A King and Queen living in a cold castle argue and their fire goes out, casting a chill and a gloom over the whole kingdom. They send a servant to fetch more hot coals from the neighbours. Will he succeed and return warmth to the castle in time for the winter festivities? Listen to Wendy Shearer tell this uplifting Christmas story and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A little fir tree, is not happy, he longs to leave his forest and go out to see the world like the bigger trees which are taken and decorated with sparkly things. Eventually his wish comes true, but does it make the tree happy? Listen to storyteller Anne Johnson's retelling of this Hans Christian Andersen tale to find out. (Note, this version has an upbeat ending.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Cinderella-style story is set in the Appalachian mountains and told by Storyteller from Dragon Fly Tales: Emily Hanna-Grazebrook. It has all the ingredients of a great fairytale: a witch-woman, a mistreated orphan, a kind doctor’s son, some mean stepsisters and some stonkingly good singing from Emily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tiernan Douieb is back with a fabulous fairytale from Finland about 3 brothers who are sent on a mission to find their bride. The youngest one heads for a forest and his brothers laugh, saying the only thing he'll find to marry there is a fox or a wolf. In fact, Veikko the youngest son finds something much more unlikely and wonderful. Listen to Tiernan tell this magical fairytale and discover how the youngest brother finds his true love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A story from our archive: The Best of Super Great Kids' Stories. This story is about a snow wolf and a boy who are friends. It was inspired by the Nenets people who live at the top of the world in the snowy Siberian Arctic. There is a scary moment in this story when the hunter comes along with his gun, but keep listening, because it has a twinkly, happy ending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Storyteller new to Super Great Kids’ Stories - Rosalind Buck tells this funny fairytale inspired by The Frog Prince. It’s got all the right ingredients: a princess, a prince, some fairies…. and a girl called Lettuce! Can a spoiled princess break her promise to a frog and still get to marry him when he turns into a prince? Listen to Rosalind Buck’s witty retelling and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Liisa Wilkinson tells a very witty trickster tale from Norway about a show-off squire who is determined to marry the farmers’ daughter, but the farmer’s daughter is equally determined not to marry him. Who will get their way? Listen to Sarah Liiisa and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Storyteller Tim Ralphs has fun with words in this old English Folktale. A new servant girl is told by her master to call things by rather silly names. The cat is a 'white-faced simminy' and the fire in the hearth is to be called 'hot cockalorum.' Will the young girl be able to remember all these daft names when there's an emergency? Listen along, join in the repetition and find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen to storyteller Liz Weir tell this stonkingly fun version of the English fairytale: ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. Before you know it, you’ll be clapping and tapping and rapping along to this lively telling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Cherokee 'How and Why' tale which explains why turtle's shell is cracked. It's beautifully told by storyteller from the Cherokee Nation, Gayle Ross. Warning: there are moments of violence, and things do not end at all well for the wolf in this story. Some listeners particularly younger ones might find it unsettling. You might prefer listening to our extra story this week: The Three-Bears Rap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This story is a selection from: ‘The Best of Super Great Kids’ Stories - What would you do if an angry fairy suddenly popped up beside you while you were taking a nap? In this Scottish fairy tale told by storyteller Amy Douglas that’s exactly what happens to an unsuspecting tramp with rather surprising results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The birds of the forest need to choose a king. Turkey wants to be the one to wear the crown, but his dull feathers are not impressive. A colourful bird lkindly lends her bright feathers to Turkey, who promises to return them after he becomes king. Does he keep his promise? Listen to storyteller Wendy Shearer share this thoughtful story and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s a beautiful quest story for those of you who aren’t keen on scary tales. It’s filled with magic and drama and told by veteran storyteller from Northern Ireland Liz Weir. It’s about a princess, a king, a horse with magic powers, and a boy who struggles to read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take one sad ghost, a haunted house and seven semi-brave brothers and you have the ingredients for a perfect Halloween story told by Cat Weatherill. Be a little bit afraid. This story is scary, but not too scary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A sweet old woman sets off on a quest to solve the mystery of some missing eggs. Her search leads her to Hecate the Queen of the Witches who sets the old woman trembling. What will she find there waiting in the shadows? A goddess with the face of a lion, the body of a snake, and the horns of a bull? And can she get the answers she’s seeking? Listen to storyteller Sarah Liisa Wilkinson and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we approach Halloween, here is a funny, witchy story for you from Germany. A young woodcutter has an accident with an axe and is healed by a girl who comes across him in the woods. Love blooms, but the woodcutter’s friends warn him that this strange girl may well be a witch. He follows her to a witch’s gathering and in a moment of fury, she turns the woodcutter into a donkey. But she doesn't know how to undo the spell. How can they untangle this tricky problem? Listen to talented storyteller Lucy Lill and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Molly and the Skeleton. This is a story from our archive. It was the first in our Super Great Scary Stories collection for owlets which we began in October 2022. It's our little gift for you this Halloween month. Recommended for ages 8 to 108! Molly is a traveler happily tramping the roads and sleeping under the stars, but when winter draws near she needs a warm place to sleep. She can stay in a big empty house on the hill - but there is a catch…it's haunted. Will Molly make it through the night? Listen to Nick Henessey tell this old ghost story from England and find out. We have a rating system for our scary stories. We rate this story 😱😱😱, which means pretty darn scary! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One stormy October a long time ago in Cornwall in the UK, the waves were so high that none of the fisherfolk dared to go out on the sea to bring back fish. So people in the village were going hungry. This is the story of one man who dared to brave the stormy seas to try to catch some fish. Did he make it safely back? Listen to Jason Buck tell this Cornish legend of ‘derring-do’ and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mãui the demigod and trickster is fed up with his big brothers who won't let him go fishing with them. So Mãui decides to teach them a lesson by catching a fish bigger than any they've ever caught before. But he will be able to keep hold of it? Listen to storyteller Emmy Bidois tell this Mãori myth, and find out what happens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you more like a fox, or more like a dog? Storyteller new to Super Great Kids’ Stories - Cara Silversmith, tells this moving tale from Scottish traveller the late Duncan Williamson. The story compares the freedom and danger of the wild outdoors, to the comfort, warmth and safety of the home. Listen to Cara tell this moving tale and decide which would you would rather be - a fox or a dog. Warning: This story could be a little unsettling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices