Reading fairy tales, fables and folklore is fun and takes you to many places and cultures. When I was a child, some of my fondest memories are of my older sister reading fairy tales aloud to me. Hearing them made the stories comes alive to me. Audiobooks accomplish the same experience for me as an adult. Here are a selection of e-audiobooks of fairytales , fables and folklore to explore with your family.   

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter’s: An African Tale  by John Steptoe, read by Robin Miles

A modern fable of two sisters, spiteful Manyara and considerate Nysha, who go on a journey to meet a king and face various trials on the way.

 

 

 

Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm, read by Jim Dale

A classic collection of 21 Brother’s Grimm tales.

 

 

 

 

The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, read by Mike Ferrari

A collection of quirky renditions of classic tales. Stories include “The Princess and the Bowling”, “The Really Ugly Duckling,”  and “Jack’s Bean Problem.”

 

 

 

Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses by Mary Englebreit, read by Lynn Redgrave

Classic stories in this volume include Little Bo-Beep, Humpty Dumpty, Old King Cole, Jack and Jill and many more.

 

 

 

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton, read by Andrew L. Barnes

An anthology of retold American Black Folktales that will teach, move, and make one laugh.

 

 

 

 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, read by Janet Song

Young Minli goes on a journey to change her family’s fortune.

 

 

 

 

 

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown, read by Rodd Ross

Three soldiers trick a French village into giving them food and a place to stay during the time of Napoleon.

 

 

 

 

Anansi The Spider: A Tale from The Ashanti by Gerald McDermott, read by Dr. John J. Akar

In this West African tale, Anansi is saved from a terrible fate by his six sons. 

 

 

 

 

Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale by Gerald McDermott, read by Gerald McDermott

A Pueblo Indian myth of how the spirit of The Lord of the Sun came to earth. 

 

 

 

 

The Stone-Cutter: A Japanese Folk Tale by Gerald McDermott, ready by Gerald McDermott

Lowly stone cutter, Tasaku, yearns for power.