Mother’s Nursery Tales

Katharine Pyle (1863 - 1938)

Perhaps you did not know that fairy tales were ever truths, but they are—the best and oldest of them. That does not mean they are facts like the things you see around you or learn from history books. Facts and truths are as different as the body and the spirit. Facts are like the body that we can see and touch and measure; we cannot see or measure the Spirit, but it is there.

No one knows who first told them, nor where nor when. Perhaps none of them was told by any one particular person. Perhaps they just grew upon the Tree of Wisdom when the world was young, like shining fruit, and our wise and simple first parents plucked them, and gave them to their children to play with, and to taste. These are not new fairy-tales, the ones in this book that has been newly made for you and placed in your hands. They are old fairy-tales gathered together, some from one country, and some from another. They are old, old, old. As old as the hills or the human race,—as old as truth itself. Long ago, even so long ago as when your grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother was a little rosy-cheeked girl, and your grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather was a noisy shouting little boy, these stories were old.They could not harm the children, these fruits from the tree of wisdom, for each one was a lovely globe of truth, rich and wholesome to the taste. Magic fruit, for one could eat and eat, and still the fruit was there as perfect as ever to be handed down through generations, until at last it comes to you, as beautiful as in those days of long ago - Summary from the introduction

Genre(s): Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Introduction Phil Chenevert
00:03:36
Play 01 The Sleeping Beauty Bekaroo
00:13:15
Play 02 Jack and the Bean Stalk Lydia
00:14:29
Play 03 Beauty and the Beast Emily Tisheuar
00:18:47
Play 04 Jack-the-Giant-Killer Lynne T
00:26:12
Play 05 The Three Wishes alicethefairy
00:04:08
Play 06 The Goose Girl Lydia
00:12:17
Play 07 The Little Old Woman and Her Pig Scott Bennett
00:09:12
Play 08 The White Cat Lydia
00:12:46
Play 09 Brittle-Legs Scott Bennett
00:11:51
Play 10 “I Went Up One Pair of Stairs,” etc Bekaroo
00:03:49
Play 11 The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean Bekaroo
00:04:15
Play 12 The Water-Sprite Sonia
00:05:44
Play 13 Star Jewels Lydia
00:04:28
Play 14 Sweet Porridge Reeses118
00:05:03
Play 15 Chicken-Diddle Jade Hjelstrom
00:06:12
Play 16 A Pack of Ragamuffins Georgann Fennell
00:09:13
Play 17 The Frog Prince Kana McKay
00:08:50
Play 18 The Wolf and the Five Little Goats Scott Bennett
00:10:52
Play 19 The Golden Goose Jude Ellis
00:17:13
Play 20 The Three Spinners chelstex
00:07:37
Play 21 Goldilocks and the Three Bears Larry Wilson
00:09:50
Play 22 The Three Little Pigs Emily Tisheuar
00:14:00
Play 23 The Golden Key Lydia
00:01:57
Play 24 Mother Hulda Reeses118
00:10:08
Play 25 The Six Companions Georgann Fennell
00:15:16
Play 26 The Golden Bird Reeses118
00:29:46
Play 27 The Nail Reeses118
00:03:11
Play 28 Little Red Riding-Hood alicethefairy
00:06:11
Play 29 Aladdin, or the Magic Lamp James K. White
00:35:26
Play 30 The Cobbler and the Fairies Reeses118
00:05:55
Play 31 Cinderella Kana McKay
00:18:04
Play 32 Jack in Luck anjpatel
00:13:02
Play 33 Puss in Boots Emily Tisheuar
00:14:01
Play 34 The Town Musicians Georgann Fennell
00:09:41