Book Smart! Stories for Kids (& GrownUps)

The tale concerns an emperor who has an obsession with fancy new clothes, and spends lavishly on them, at the expense of state matters. One day, two con-men visit the emperor's capital. Posing as weavers, they offer to supply him with magnificent clothes that are invisible to those who are incompetent or stupid. The gullible emperor hires them, and they set up looms and pretend to go to work. A su...

The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess but is having difficulty finding a suitable wife. He meets many princesses, but is never sure that they are real princesses—until one stormy night, when a mysterious young woman drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince's castle. She claims to be a princess, but the prince's mother, the queen, has doubts.

The Tale of Mrs Tiggy Winkle tells the tale of a hidden home high in the hills. It is discovered one day by a little girl called Lucie, who is in search of her missing pocket handkerchiefs. She knocks on the tiny door, and meets Mrs Tiggy-winkle who does all the washing and ironing for the neighbouring animals.

The tale begins in a farmyard which is home to a duck called Jemima Puddle-duck. She wants to hatch her own eggs, but the farmer's wife won't let her. So Jemima takes matters into her own hands....and meets a fox on the way... The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck is the importance of trusting one's instincts and not being easily swayed by others . Jemima's trusting nature leads her into dangerous situat...

The Tale of Tom Kitten is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in August 1903. The story is about manners and how kids manage to play with them! Subscribe for more wonderful short stories or support the podcast at https://www.alexmctavish.com/tall tales

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter and first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in August 1903. The story is about an impertinent red squirrel named Nutkin and his narrow escape from an owl called Old Brown. Subscribe for more wonderful short stories or support the podcast at https://www.alexmctavish.com/tall tales

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter , The book is a sequel to The Tale of Peter Rabbit and tells of Peter's return to Mr. McGregor's garden with his cousin Benjamin to retrieve the clothes he lost there during his previous adventure.

Peter Rabbit made his first appearance in 1902 in The Tale of Peter Rabbit where Peter disobeys his mother's orders and sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden (where his father had once had "an accident" involving his being put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor). He eats as many vegetables as he can before Mr. McGregor spots and chases him. Peter manages to escape, but not before losing his jacket and shoes, w...

Milly-Molly-Mandy's real name is Millicent Margaret Amanda, but she was given the nickname because it is much easier to say. Her adventures are the everyday events of village life: running errands, going to school, making presents, fishing, picnicking, and so on. She lives in "the nice white cottage with the thatched roof" on the edge of a small village. Her parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle a...

The Magic Pudding: Being The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and his friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff is a 1918 Australian children's book written and illustrated by Norman Lindsay. It is a comic fantasy, and a classic of Australian children's literature. It is said that The Magic Pudding was written to settle an argument: Lindsay's friend said that children like to read about fairies, while Lin...

Milly-Molly-Mandy's real name is Millicent Margaret Amanda, but she was given the nickname because of the length of her full name. Her adventures are the everyday events of village life: running errands, going to school, making presents, fishing, picnicking, and so on. She lives in "the nice white cottage with the thatched roof" on the edge of a small village. Her parents, grandparents, aunt and u...

Come read the comical tale of Henrietta Hen! Follow this humble fowl of the farm as she finds the fattest grubs, lays the most beautiful eggs and chatters loudly all her wise counsel. Truly there is not another hen in all the world with more beautiful speckled feathers than she—at least if you ask her! First published in 1921 The Tale of Henrietta Hen is the third instalment in Arthur Scott Bailey...

The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real), is a much-loved classic book from 1922, written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner and proves that you don't need to be shiny, new or trendy, for to love and be loved in return makes you real indeed. Don't forget to subscribe to he...

Welcome to Tall Tales & Other Stories: Classics for Kids of All Ages! This is the place you can come to listen to all sorts of tall tales – from wicked giants, to naughty hens, boring badgers or brave knights…there will be some stories you already know and so many others you are soon to discover. If you fancy a bedtime story, we’ll have those, as well stories for looong bo-ring car journeys…or...