Fairy Tales & Folklore Audiobooks

Ladybird Favourite Fairy Tales

Penguin presents the audio download edition of Ladybird Favourite Fairy Tales read by Gemma Whelan and Nigel Pilkington. Listen to eight traditional, captivating fairy tales in this gorgeous audio treasury from Ladybird. Each classic tale has been retold for young readers and is perfect for your little one, whether you're curled up at home or on the move. Stories include: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, The Magic Porridge Pot, Little Red Hen and The Ugly Duckling.

Various Authors (Author), Gemma Whelan, Nigel Pilkington (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Creature of the Pines

A fully illustrated, globe-trotting new middle grade fantasy-adventure series about mythical creatures and their cultures of origin, from the Newbery Honor-winning author of The Inquisitor's Tale. Elliot Eisner isn't exactly excited about starting at a brand-new school in a brand-new town; he'd much rather stay at home and read a book

Adam Gidwitz, Christopher Smith, Jesse Casey (Author), Adam Gidwitz, January LaVoy, January Lavoy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Darkmouth #4: Hero Rising

"Ghostbusters meets Percy Jackson as written by Terry Pratchett." -Kirkus Reviews "Incredible." -Eoin Colfer, New York Times bestselling author of Artemis FowlFinn was born to stop the monsters from invading his town. But he'd really rather not. He dreams of having an ordinary life, and right now, things can't get any worse. Legends are running riot. Half-Hunters are out of control. And Darkmouth has been taken away from him. But something even more terrifying lurks beneath the surface: an ancient horror threatening both our world and the Infested Side. So scratch that. Things can get worse. Much worse. It's up to Finn to save Darkmouth. Too bad he'd rather be doing...anything else. Perfect for fans of How to Train Your Dragon, the final book in the Darkmouth series is a hilarious and action-packed adventure filled with beasts of the winged, fanged, and hungry variety.

Shane Hegarty (Author), Kevin Hely (Narrator)

Audiobook

Andersen's Fairy Tales, Volume 1

Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness. Readily accessible by children, they present lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity that appeal to mature listeners as well. This collection of eighteen tales includes The Emperor's New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, and The Snow Queen.

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook

Thisby Thestoop and the Black Mountain

Surrounded by all creatures gruesome and grotesque, Thisby Thestoop, the gamekeeper for the Black Mountain Dungeon, is getting roped into another job-saving the princess's skin-in the debut fantasy-adventure series by Zac Gorman, contributor to the hilarious Rick and Morty comic series. In the absurd land of Nth, Thisby Thestoop can be found within the forlorn walls of Castle Grimstone, down the precarious steps of the Black Mountain dungeon, up to her nose in griffon toenails, gnoll spittle, and troll meat (to give to them, not made of them). When the prince and princess arrive for a Royal Inspection, the much too good-looking Princess Iphigenia winds up lost in the tunnels of the dungeon-without her guards, her staff, or her younger twin brother-and it's up to Thisby to guide the princess safely past the hoards of minotaurs, wyverns, ghouls, and who-knows-what-else that would love nothing more than to nosh the royal highness for dinner. Thisby Thestoop and Princess Iphigenia have a dangerous adventure ahead of them. If they're going to a rescue the missing prince, stop a mounting war, and keep safe all the creatures who call the mountain dungeon home, they'll have to learn how to trust each other. Don't miss the first book in this rollicking new fantasy-adventure series from debut author Zac Gorman!

Zac Gorman (Author), Moira Quirk (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Little Match Girl

In "The Little Match Girl," a barefoot girl tries unsuccessfully to make money for her family by selling matches on the street. Afraid to go home empty-handed and face her father's wrath, she decides to take shelter in an alley for the night and lights matches to keep herself warm. The harsh realism of this story reminds listeners to be grateful and kind during the cold holiday season.

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Shadow

In this bleak fairytale, a kind and good-natured learned man on vacation sends his shadow to investigate a balcony across the street. When his shadow never returns, he notices that he has grown a new one and figures all is well.  However, five years later, he meets his original shadow, and it is now corporeal-but it doesn't share his principles. As the shadow grows in strength, the man weakens, raising the question of whether good always triumphs over evil.

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Old House

In "The Old House," a boy is invited to meet the old man across the street and offers him a gift of a toy soldier. The toy soldier, unhappy with his new surroundings, flings himself through a hole in the floor and disappears. After the old man dies, the old house is torn down, and a new one is built, but the toy soldier remains to be rediscovered.

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Swineherd

In "The Swineherd", a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, a prince who disguises himself as a swineherd woos an arrogant princess. Sending her a nightingale and a rose, the princess rejects the humble gifts preferring the man-made over the real. The prince/swineherd creates a musical pot and charges the princess ten kisses for it. The princess trudges through the mud to pay one hundred kisses for his next creation, a musical rattle. A parable about the shallowness of earthly things.

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Emperor's New Clothes

In "The Emperor's New Clothes," two weavers tell the emperor that they can make him a new suit of clothes that is invisible to people who are unfit for their positions or who are stupid or incompetent. Con men, the two weavers actually outfit the emperor in nothing, but will anyone be willing to tell the emperor that he is naked? As an idiom, the story's title refers to things that are accepted as common knowledge in spite of being obviously untrue.

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Red Shoes

In "The Red Shoes," a peasant girl named Karen is adopted by a rich old lady and grows up vain and spoiled. She is so enamored of a new pair of red shoes that she wears them to church in spite of a warning to only wear black shoes there. She soon learns that ignoring that warning was a bad idea: a mysterious old soldier at the church charms the red shoes with a tap of his hand. This cautionary tale has been adapted for various media including film.

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Shoes of Fortune

In "The Shoes of Fortune" a series of people who are dissatisfied with their lives, put on a pair of magic shoes that grants them the wishes. A civil servant who idealizes the middle ages, experiences all its inconveniences; a watchman lives the lonely life of his superior and endures a terrifying visit to the moon. The shoes pass from owner to owner until one exhausted wearer who wishes for rest and spiritual freedom, dies. Andersen concludes with a quote by Solon: "Call no man happy until he rests in his grave."

Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Emma Fenney (Narrator)

Audiobook