The Twelve Days of Christmas
The traditional song about Christmas presents.
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.
Posts tagged ‘Funny’
Topsy Turvey World
A delightful poem by William Brighty Rands
If the butterfly courted the bee,
And the owl the porcupine;
Audio Length 1:04
Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse
A short story by Joseph Jacobs.
Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse do everything at the same time, but this time, it is not so. Follow the long series of events that equalisethe balance.
Continue reading ‘Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse’ »
There was and Old Lady
The funny nonsense rhyme.
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she’ll die.
Continue reading ‘There was and Old Lady’ »
The Willow-Wren and the Bear
A children’s story by the Grimm Brothers.
A bear insults the young of the wren he believes is king and the wren declares war. All four footed animals prepare to fight all winged animals. Find out who are victorious.
Continue reading ‘The Willow-Wren and the Bear’ »
The Walrus and the Carpenter
A poem from Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
Audio Length 5:33
The Valiant Little Tailor
A Brothers Grimm short story.
‘Seven in one Blow’ becomes this tailor’s motif after he swats seven flies at once. But thinking he is capable of killing seven men in one blow, people start to fear and respect him. One emperor puts him to the test. Continue reading ‘The Valiant Little Tailor’ »
The Turnip
A funny short story from the Grimm Brothers.
This poor brother grows the biggest turnip ever seen and offers it to the King, who in return awards great wealth. His rich brother is jealous and tries his own luck.
Continue reading ‘The Turnip’ »
The Travelling Musicians
A great story for kids by the Brothers Grimm.
Donkey, dog, cat and cock leave home as they are too old to work. They plan to become musicians in the town, but on the way they find a house that takes their fancy.
Continue reading ‘The Travelling Musicians’ »
The Three Sillies
A funny short story by Joseph Jacobs.
The Gentleman had never met such silly people as his fiancee’s family, so he sets off to find some even sillier than them before marrying the daughter.
Continue reading ‘The Three Sillies’ »
The Straw, The Coal and The Bean
A strange trio in this short story for kids by the Brothers Grimm.
These three make a narrow escape from death just to find themselves at the rivers brink. Find out why beans have black seams!
Audio Length 4:22
The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
An children’s short story from the Brothers Grimm.
This youth doesn’t know very much and can’t make a living. He is interested in what it is to ‘shudder’ and when his father sends him away to look after himself, he resolves to find out.
Continue reading ‘The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was’ »
The Three Little Pigs
The original story of the famous fairy tale by Joseph Jacobs.
The Big Bad Wolf meets his match with the third little pig who lives in a house of bricks, so he tries to lure him out earlier and earlier each day…
Continue reading ‘The Three Little Pigs’ »
The Three Bears
The original fairy tale by Joseph Jacobs.
Three Bears leave their morining porridge to cool as they take a walk in the forest. Meanwhile a naughty old woman ventures inside and helps herself to whatever she can find. What will the bears do when they get back?
Continue reading ‘The Three Bears’ »
The Spider and the Fly
The cautionary poem by Mary Howitt.
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly, ‘Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
Continue reading ‘The Spider and the Fly’ »
The Salad
Another Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale.
With the help of a magic cloak and bird heart, this poor huntsman becomes wealthy and sets off to see the world. But when he meets a beautiful woman with a greedy witch mother, things change very quickly. Can he restore his wealth and keep the woman he loves?
Continue reading ‘The Salad’ »
The Rock and the Bubble
A lovely moral poem by Louisa May Alcott.
Oh! a bare, brown rock, Stood up in the sea,
The waves at its feet, Dancing merrily.
Audio Length 3:17
The Owl and the Pussycat
The famous poem by Edward Lear.
The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea,
In a beautiful pea-green boat.
Audio Length 1:56
The Old Woman and Her Pig
A funny short story by Joseph Jacobs.
This woman goes to great lengths to get her pig home; requesting the help of a host of strangers who all need a little persuasion.
Audio Length 5:42
The Night before Christmas
The famous Christmas Poem by Clement Clarke Moore.
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house…
Audio Length 4:45
The New Vestments
A very funny poem by Edward Lear.
There lived an old man in the kingdom of Tess,
who invented a purely original dress;
Audio Length 3:24
The Mouse, the Cock and the Cat
A cautionary tale by Richard Scrafton Sharpe.
A Silly young Mouse, Ventur’d out of the house,
In spite of his mother’s advice;
Audio Length 2:32
The Miser in the Bush
The short story by the Brothers Grimm.
A poor peasant goes on his travels with just three pennies. But he offers them to a bird who rewards him with three wishes. Find out how he makes use of them!
Continue reading ‘The Miser in the Bush’ »
The Master and His Pupil
A story by the Grimm Brothers.
A silly servant to the great ‘know-all master’ decides to gather some secrets while the master is away.But not knowing the language, he speaks a spell that sends things spiralling out of control!
Continue reading ‘The Master and His Pupil’ »
The Lobster-quadrille
The funny poem by Lewis Carroll.
Will you walk a little faster? said a whiting to a snail,
There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.
Audio Length 1:19
The Little Peasant
A short story by the Brothers Grimm.
This poor Peasant uses his cunning to make a little money. His trickery proves very lucrative!
Continue reading ‘The Little Peasant’ »
The Frog Prince
The famous tale by the Brothers Grimm.
A frog fetches a princess’ ball out of the pond, but she doesn’t keep her side of the promise. So he finds her castle and insists on eating and sleeping there for three nights, as agreed.
Continue reading ‘The Frog Prince’ »
The Fox and the Horse
An animal story by Brothers Grimm
Having been sent away by his master for being too old to work, the horse wanders into a wood where he meets a fox…
Continue reading ‘The Fox and the Horse’ »
The Fox and the Cat
A short story by the Brothers Grimm.
Honoured to meet Fox, Cat starts a polite conversation, only to be belittled and embarrassed. But then, fate steps in to make a point.
Continue reading ‘The Fox and the Cat’ »
The Emperor’s New Clothes
The funny fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.
This emperor loves clothes and commissions two men to make him one of their famous suits. It is said that it can only be seen by clever people, so why can no one see it?
Continue reading ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ »
The Duck and the Kangaroo
A great poem for kids by Edward Lear.
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo, ‘Good gracious! how you hop!
Over the fields and the water too, As if you never would stop!’
Audio Length 2:17
The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly
A funny poem by Edward Lear.
Once Mr. Daddy Long-legs, Dressed in brown and gray,
Walked about upon the sands, Upon a sumer’s day;
Continue reading ‘The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly’ »
The Cock and the Jewel
Another of Aesop’s Fables.
Moral: The disharmony between needs and possessions.
Continue reading ‘The Cock and the Jewel’ »
The Boy Hunting Locusts
One of Aesop’s Fables.
Moral: Carelessness has consequences.
Continue reading ‘The Boy Hunting Locusts’ »
The Blue Light
Another fairytale by the Grimm Brothers.
Having been fired by the king for being too wounded to work, this Soldier wanders into a wood, hungry and thirsty, whereupon he meets a witch. While working for her, he finds a very special blue light! How his life changes!
Continue reading ‘The Blue Light’ »
The Beginning of the Armadillos
A wonderful Just-So story by Rudyard Kipling.
The hedgehog and the tortoise have avoided being ‘lunch’ for the young jaguar as he just can’t tell which is which. Until now. They must learn each others skills if they are to further confuse him and avoid being eaten.
Audio Length 20:11
The Bat and the Weasels
An animal fable by Aesop.
Moral: It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.
Continue reading ‘The Bat and the Weasels’ »
The Golden Goose
The fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
Dummling is the youngest son and is not as strong or clever as his brothers. But he is kinder and this trait leads him on a journey his brothers could only dream of.
Continue reading ‘The Golden Goose’ »
Teeny-Tiny
A lovely little story from Joseph Jacbos
This teeny-tin woman lives in a teeny-tiny world and a teeny-tiny voice has frightened her.
Continue reading ‘Teeny-Tiny’ »
Snowdrop
Another version of ‘Snow White’ from the Brothers Grimm.
Snowdrop is so beautiful that her jealous, evil step-mother tries to kill her. So she runs away and meets an interesting group who look after her. But the step-mother finds out where she is…The Story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Continue reading ‘Snowdrop’ »
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The famous story by the Brothers Grimm.
Snow White is so beautiful that her jealous, evil step-mother tries to kill her. So she runs away and meets an interesting group who look after her. But the step-mother finds out where she is…
Continue reading ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ »
Old Sultan
A great story of friendship by the Grimms Brothers.
The wolf helps Old Sultan win the love of his family, only to request help of his own. But Old Sultan cannot help and their friendship takes a knock. Thank goodness the three-legged cat turns up!
Continue reading ‘Old Sultan’ »
My Shadow
A poem for kids by Robert Louis Stevenson.
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
Audio Length 1:54
Mr. Vinegar
A Story by Joseph Jacobs.
Upon finding some money, this poor couple decide to purhcase a cow and sell the milk and cheese. But when Mr.Vinegar buys the cow, he becomes distracted and makes a few bad decisions.
Continue reading ‘Mr. Vinegar’ »
Mr and Mrs Spikkey Sparrow
A lovely poem by Edward Lear.
On a little piece of wood,
Mr. Spikky Sparrow stood;
Audio Length 3:40
Mouse and Mouser
A play by Joseph Jacobs.
It seems some friendships are never meant to be; as the Mouse and the Cat show here.
Continue reading ‘Mouse and Mouser’ »
Lazy Jack
A story by Joseph Jacobs.
Jack’s mother is fed up with his laziness and sends him out to get work. Each day he finds work and each night manages to ruin his reward.
Audio Length 5:10
King Grisly-Beard
A funny story by the Brothers Grimm.
When the princess is to choose a husband, she stands her suitors in a line and mocks each of them, calling one ‘Grisly-Beard’. Embarassed by her arrogance, her father determines to marry her to the next man to enter the castle. As it happens, it is a poor fiddler, who walks her through King Grisly-Beard’s beautiful kindom before arriving at his dirty hole.
Continue reading ‘King Grisly-Beard’ »
Johnny Cake
The original Gingerbread Man story by Joseph Jacobs.
This Johnny Cake hops out of the oven and rolls off down the lane, scoffing as he goes. Is anyone he meets faster than him?
Audio Length 5:52
Jack Hannaford
A Joseph Jacobs Story.
After Jack Hannaford’s visit, we are all left wondering who is silliest; the man or his wife!
Continue reading ‘Jack Hannaford’ »
Jabberwocky
A wonderful Lewis Carroll poem for kids.
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves,
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
An Anonymous Rhyme.
It’s raining, it’s pouring; The old man is snoring.
Audio Length 0:23
How the Leopard Got its Spots
The Just-so Story from Rudyard Kipling.
The leopard and the Ethiopian go off in search of their run-away food. They come across the jungle and learn to adapt to their new surroundings.
Continue reading ‘How the Leopard Got its Spots’ »
How Pleasant to know Mr Lear
A funny poem about and by Edward Lear.
How pleasant to know Mr. Lear,
Who has written such volumes of stuff.
Audio Length 2:19
How Jack Went to Seek his Fortune
A funny story by Joseph Jacobs.
Jack accumulates animal friends on his journey to seek his fortune. Needing a place to rest, he makes a plan to see off some robbers living in a house.
Continue reading ‘How Jack Went to Seek his Fortune’ »
How doth the Little Crocodile
The funny poem by Lewis Carroll.
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
Audio Length 0:34
Hans in Luck
A funny story from the Grimm Brothers.
Hans has a very different view on luck and when he sells his silver for a horse, he embarks on a journey that leaves him feeling like the luckiest man in the world! Continue reading ‘Hans in Luck’ »
Frederick and Catherine
A fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers.
Catherine is very silly and makes many mistakes, exasperating her poor husband. When she gives away the last of thier gold, they head out to get it back, one mistake at a time!
Continue reading ‘Frederick and Catherine’ »
Doctor Knowall
The fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers.
Seeing how well a doctor could live, this poor peasant decides to call himself one too! Now Dr Knowall, he receives a request for help from a rich lord…but does he really know all?
Continue reading ‘Doctor Knowall’ »
Clever Hans
A kid’s story by the Brothers Grimm.
Clever Hans is not so clever after all. Follow his visits to his fiancee, Gretel, and see how he carries home his gifts. He always does as mother says, but should he? Watch out for an unexpected ending!
Continue reading ‘Clever Hans’ »
Clever Gretel
A Funny Fairytale from the Brothers Grimm.
This greedy cook finds she has eaten all her masters dinner and comes up with a clever way to hide it!
Continue reading ‘Clever Gretel’ »
Clever Elsie
A Funny Story by the Brothers Grimm.
Hans marries Elsie because of how clever she is. But he soon finds out that she is not so clever as everyone thought.
Continue reading ‘Clever Elsie’ »
