Stories for children

Now you’re about to meet a Troll called Trulls the. You may already have met him one rainy day when you were in the woods. Have you ever seen a high mountain that is covered with soft moss? If there is a big stone in front of it, then you have come to the right place. It may be here that little Trulls lives. Because if you look behind the stone, you can see a large hole, which leads straight into the mountain, Troll Mountain.

There was once upon a time, an old goat who had seven little kids. She loved them with all the love of a mother for her children. One day she wanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called all seven to her and said: 'Dear children, I have to go into the forest, be on your guard against the wolf; if he comes in, he will devour you all—skin, hair, and everything.

This is a story about The Ugly Duckling.

It was so beautiful out in the country; it was summer – the wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and down among the green meadows the hay was stacked. There the stork minced about on his red legs, clacking away in Egyptian, which was the language his mother had taught him. Roundabout the field and meadowlands rose vast forests, in which deep lakes lay hidden. Yes, it was indeed lovely out there in the country.

A soldier came marching along the high road: "Left, right-left, right." He had his knapsack on his back and a sword at his side. He had been to the wars and was now returning home.

As he walked on, he met a very frightful-looking old witch on the road. Her under-lip hung entirely down on her breast, and she stopped and said, "Good evening, soldier; you have a wonderful sword, and a large knapsack, and you are a real soldier; so you shall have as much money as ever you like."

"Thank you, old witch," said the soldier.

Once upon a time, there were three billy-goats. They were to go up to the hillside to make themselves fat. The name of all three was “Gruff.”

On the way up was a bridge over a stream they had to cross. Under the bridge lived a great ugly Troll, with eyes as big as saucers and a nose as long as a poker.

So, first of all, came the youngest billy-goat Gruff to cross the bridge.

“Trip, trap! trip, trap!” went the bridge.

“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” roared the Troll.

Once upon a time, many, many years ago, there was a horrible old witch named Pomperipossa. It’s not a very beautiful name, but it’s much more beautiful than she was. Can you imagine how she looked?

Two kings' sons once upon a time went into the world to seek their fortunes; but they soon fell into a wasteful foolish way of living, so that they could not return home again. Then their brother, who was a little insignificant dwarf, went out to seek for his brothers: but when he had found them they only laughed at him, to think that he, who was so young and simple, should try to travel through the world, when they, who were so much wiser, had been unable to get on. However, they all set out on their journey together and came at last to an ant-hill.

Once upon a time, there was a miller who left no more riches to the three sons he had than his mill, his ass, and his cat. The division was soon made. Neither the lawyer nor the attorney was sent for. They would soon have eaten up all the poor property. The eldest had the mill, the second the ass, and the youngest nothing but the cat.

The youngest, as we can understand, was quite unhappy at having so poor a share.

Once upon a time, a little girl lived with her mother in a small cottage, next to a large forest. They were very poor. At this time, many people were poor.

Each day, the mother travelled the long way into the city searching for work. Sometimes she helped someone wash clothes, sometimes it was someone who needed help to clean the house, but often she had to go home without having earned a penny.

Deep in the forest was a small grey cottage. There was smoke coming from the chimney, and beautiful smells came from the window slot. It smelled like Christmas! It was Mother Christmas, who was about to bake gingerbread. She had several Christmas children who helped her. They were in an awful hurry, and that was not strange since there were only two days left until Christmas Eve – and then everything had to be ready.

– Why doesn’t Dad ever come? He has been in the Christmas workshop almost all day, said a small Christmas girl with long blond hair.

One beautiful evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cold spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herself down to rest awhile. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her favorite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into the air, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball bounded away, and rolled along upon the ground, till at last, it fell into the spring.

Many years ago there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on being well dressed. He cared nothing about reviewing his soldiers, going to the theatre, or going for a ride in his carriage, except to show off his new clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day, and instead of saying, as one might, about any other ruler, “The King’s in council,” here they always said, “The Emperor’s in his dressing room.”

Once upon a time, there was a dragon who lived in a magnificent castle high up on a mountain. The dragon had lived there for thousands of years, but no one had seen him. In the village that was located just below the hill, they talked much about what it might be like in the castle, but no one dared to visit it. The dragon had been in the village several hundred years before but had been frightened by a strange noise. It was a shepherd boy who had blown his flute. The dragon had never heard music before, and he thought it was terrible.

It was the middle of winter, and the snowflakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery frame was of ebony. And as she worked, gazing at times out on the snow, she pricked her finger, and there fell from it three drops of blood on the snow. And when she saw how bright and red it looked, she said to herself, "Oh that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame!"

A long time ago, there were a king and queen who said every day, “Ah, if only we had a child,” but they never had one.

But one day when the queen was bathing, a frog crept out of the water and said to her: “Your wish shall be fulfilled. Before a year has gone by, you shall have a daughter.”

Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess. Only a real one would do. So he travelled through all the world to find her, and everywhere things went wrong. There were Princesses aplenty, but how was he to know whether they were real Princesses? There was something not quite right about them all. So he came home again and was unhappy because he did so want to have a real Princess.

One evening a terrible storm blew up. It lightened and thundered and rained. It was really frightful! In the midst of it all came a knocking at the town gate. The old King went to open it.

Once upon a time, there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her. Most of all, by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a little cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red-Cap.'

In a small cottage near a country village, there once lived a poor woman who had only one child, a lad named Jack. Jack was a heedless young fellow, sound and good at heart, but much given to acting without thinking. Moreover, his mother had rarely corrected him as he grew up, so the consequence was that he worked when he chose and followed his pleasure when he chose. As Jack's mother was far from rich, and the lad worked so irregularly, she was obliged to support herself and him by selling everything she had. At last, nothing remained except one cow.

Hard by a vast forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. He had little to bite and to break, and once when great dearth fell on the land, he could no longer procure even daily bread. When he thought over this, by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned and said to his wife:

'What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?'

'I'll tell you what, husband.' answered the woman.

THERE was once a merchant that had three daughters, and he loved them more than he loved himself. Now it happened that he had to go on a long journey to buy some goods, and when he was starting, he asked them, “What shall I bring you back, my dears?” And the eldest daughter asked to have a pearl necklace, and the second daughter wished to have a gold chain; but the youngest daughter said, “Bring back yourself, Papa, and that is what I want the most.”

“Nonsense, child,” said her father, “you must say something that I may remember to bring back for you.