Bedtime stories to read aloud
Every evening at 8, the Trẻ học vui Facebook Page shares one story in its “Cả nhà vui vẻ” series. This page keeps all of them in one place, so you can open one and read it to your child any time, even offline once the page has loaded before.
Each one is an old folktale, fairy tale or fable that people have told for generations, from Vietnam, Japan, Russia, Greece and Ireland to Ghana and Brazil. The versions here are longer and fuller than the Facebook posts. Every story ends with a few notes for talking it over with your child, and the sources the retelling is based on.
All stories
Sweet Porridge A German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, no. 103
The Stonecutter A Japanese folktale, recorded by Andrew Lang in 1903
How the Monkey Got a Drink When He Was Thirsty A Brazilian folktale
The Frog in the Well and the Sea Turtle A Chinese fable from the Zhuangzi, chapter “Autumn Floods”
Fionn and the Salmon of Knowledge An Irish legend from the Fenian Cycle
The Merchant and the Parrot A Persian fable told by Rumi in the Masnavi
Timun Mas, the Golden Cucumber Girl A folktale from Central Java, Indonesia
Eat, Coat, Eat! A Nasreddin Hodja Tale A Turkish folktale about Nasreddin Hodja
The Princess and the Pea A Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen (1835)
Bunbuku Chagama, the Lucky Tea Kettle A Japanese folktale linked to Morinji Temple
Puss in Boots A French fairy tale by Charles Perrault (1697)
The Three Billy Goats Gruff A Norwegian folktale collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe
Anansi and Turtle A Ghanaian folktale from the Akan Anansi tradition
Kolobok, the Little Round Bun A Russian folktale collected by Alexander Afanasyev
The Lion and the Mouse An Aesop fable from ancient Greece
The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon A Korean folktale
The Little Red Hen An old English folk tale
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky An Efik folktale from south-eastern Nigeria
The Monkey King and the Crocodile An Indian Jātaka tale (Vānarinda Jātaka)
The Star Fruit Tree A Vietnamese folktale
The Elves and the Shoemaker A German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm
The Hare and the Tortoise An Aesop fable from ancient Greece
The Gigantic Turnip A Russian folktale (Repka)
Momotarō, the Peach Boy A Japanese folktale
The Boy Who Cried Wolf An Aesop fable from ancient Greece
How the stories are chosen and retold
- We only use long-established tales with a clear source: a public-domain collection, or a cultural or academic archive.
- Nothing is copied from anyone’s modern translation or retelling. Each story is written fresh, keeping the events and the ending of the original.
- Where the original is too frightening for small children, that part is told more gently without changing what happens. The illustrations are made with AI by Trẻ học vui for each story.