Book Two · First Books Series

First Stories

Twenty-five familiar tales, freshly told for growing readers. Choose an age range inside each story: slide down for simpler words, or up for a richer telling. Every version has its own read-aloud recording.

Choose a story Listen to the audiobooks

An open storybook becoming a path through a watercolor world

Pick a tale

Story shelf

Choose any story. You can change its reading level at any time.

A child in a red hood walking along a woodland path toward a cottage

Little Red Riding Hood

Three cheerful pigs beside straw, sticks, and a brick house

The Three Little Pigs

Two children discovering a candy-covered cottage in the woods

Hansel and Gretel

A young woman in a blue gown near a glowing carriage and a glass slipper

A golden-haired child at the doorway of a cozy bear cottage

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

A child looking up a giant beanstalk that climbs into the clouds

Jack and the Beanstalk

A young gray water bird beside a pond with swans in the distance

The Ugly Duckling

A tiny pea beneath a tall stack of colorful mattresses in a royal bedroom

The Princess and the Pea

A proud emperor wearing a robe over ordinary clothes in a village parade

The Emperor's New Clothes

Tiny helpful elves making shoes on a moonlit workbench

The Elves and the Shoemaker

A donkey, dog, cat, and rooster singing together on a country road

The Bremen Town Musicians

A tortoise walking steadily while a hare rests by a woodland race path

The Tortoise and the Hare

A small mouse helping a lion beside a loose net

The Lion and the Mouse

An ant carrying grain and a grasshopper playing music in a meadow

The Ant and the Grasshopper

Two mice sharing a meal, with countryside and town in the background

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

A mirror and red apple before a small cottage in a sunlit forest

A long golden braid hangs from a stone tower in a green woodland

A traveler and golden goose lead a cheerful procession through a village

The Golden Goose

A little magic pot overflows with porridge in a cozy cottage kitchen

A brown nightingale sings beside a palace window and a jeweled toy bird

The Nightingale

Three billy goats cross a bridge while a troll peeks out below

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

A little red hen tends wheat beside a warm farmhouse

The Little Red Hen

A young shepherd looks over a safe flock from a green hillside

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

A clever crow drops a pebble into a water pitcher in a sunny orchard

The Crow and the Pitcher

A monkey watches a crocodile beside a fruit tree and a broad river

The Monkey and the Crocodile

These are new, gentle retellings inspired by older public-domain tales, not reproductions of modern adaptations. Suggested age ranges describe the language, not a child's ability.