Prompts and a small shelf
What should she read?
Two answers. The first is a story only she can tell — no book needed, and the one nobody else could ever record. The second is a small shelf of stories that are free to read aloud and free to keep, for the nights when a prompt feels like work.
You don't have to do any of this. She can pick up the phone and
read whatever is already on her shelf. This page is here for when nobody can think
of anything.
Stories only she can tell
Ask for "your life story" and you'll get a polite no. Ask about the time the dog ate the turkey and you can't stop her. Send one, the day before she records — enough time to remember, not enough to write a script. Here are 18 to show the shape of it:
About when you were small
- Your bedroom at seven, down to the wallpaper.
- The walk to school, and where you dawdled.
- Your first pet and the trouble it caused.
About their mom or dad (this is you)
For the kids, the crown jewels: proof their parent was once small, ridiculous, and in trouble.
- The day their mom or dad was born, starting with the weather.
- Their parent at their exact age.
- A rule their dad broke and thought he got away with.
Family lore
- How our family got here: boat, border, or bus.
- The relative everybody has a story about.
- The house everyone remembers, room by room.
How things used to work
To a six-year-old this is science fiction. Lean into their disbelief.
- One telephone on the wall, the whole house sharing it.
- Waiting a week for your song on the radio.
- School shoes and the one-pair rule.
The silly ones
Kids love a grandparent who commits. Dignity is optional.
- Your best animal noises, with commentary.
- Every nickname you've ever had, and who's to blame.
- The most trouble a sibling got you into.
For reading aloud, not telling
On nights when a prompt feels like work, the book does the thinking and her delivery does the loving. (Modern books can be under copyright; unsure about one? Ask us. Fairy tales, classics, and her own stories are always safe.)
- The book you loved at their age.
- A fairy tale you can tell without the book.
- The poem you memorized in school. It's still in there.
A small shelf, free to read
21 stories we checked one by one. Every one is old enough to be in the public domain, which means anyone may read it aloud, record it, and keep the recording — so a Fablewood audiobook made from any of these is yours without an asterisk. They open in a new tab; she can read from the screen or print a copy.
Chosen to be read cold, out loud, by someone who has never
seen the page before: nothing frightening at bedtime, no tongue-twisters, and
nothing with the dated attitudes that rule out a lot of old favourites.
Ages 2–4
Short, gentle, and forgiving. Two hundred words is a whole story at this age.
- The Princess and the Pea A prince tests a bedraggled visitor's claim to be a real princess with a pea under twenty mattresses. The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Edmund Dulac. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Story of Miss Moppet A kitten and a mouse take turns teasing each other in a silly game of chase. The Story of Miss Moppet by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
Ages 5–7
A proper plot with a joke in it. The sweet spot for a first recording.
- The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle A little girl finds a hedgehog washerwoman doing laundry for the forest animals. The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Tom Kitten Three kittens dressed for a tea party lose their fine clothes in the garden. The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Two Bad Mice Two mice ransack a doll's-house dinner that turns out to be painted plaster, then make amends. The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Benjamin Bunny Peter Rabbit and his cousin sneak back into Mr. McGregor's garden for Peter's lost clothes. Worth knowing: A brief tense scene hiding from a cat, resolved safely. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse A very tidy wood-mouse tries to keep muddy, buzzing visitors out of her clean burrow. The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes A squirrel is wrongly blamed for stealing nuts and gets stuck in a woodpecker's hole. Worth knowing: Squirrels briefly cuff and squeeze Timmy; no lasting harm, happy ending. The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit Peter disobeys his mother and sneaks into Mr. McGregor's garden, then must find his way out. Worth knowing: Father's fate (baked in a pie) is mentioned in one line; Peter's own chase ends safely. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin A cheeky young squirrel taunts the owl who guards his nutting island with riddles, day after day. Worth knowing: The owl grabs Nutkin and his tail tears off escaping; he survives, minus his tail. Archaic nonsense riddles — worth reading once first. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher A tidy frog sets off fishing from his lily-pad boat and gets more than he bargained for. Worth knowing: A trout snaps Mr. Jeremy up whole, then spits him out unharmed a moment later. The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck A duck determined to hatch her own eggs finds a charming stranger offering the perfect nesting spot. Worth knowing: A fox spends the story scheming to cook her for dinner; a dog intervenes before he can. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies Benjamin and Flopsy's sleepy, lettuce-drunk children are gathered up in a gardener's sack. Worth knowing: Mr. and Mrs. McGregor discuss skinning and eating the bunnies; all escape unharmed. The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse A country mouse visits his city cousin's house and decides town life isn't for him. Worth knowing: A cat killing the family canary is mentioned once in passing, not shown on the page. The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- Millions of Cats An old man sets out to find one pretty cat for his wife and can't help bringing home millions. Worth knowing: Cats quarrel and are implied to eat each other up; one shy kitten is left unharmed. Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág, illustrated by Wanda Gág. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
Ages 8–10
Long enough to need a bookmark. Split across two calls if it runs on.
- The Emperor's New Clothes Swindlers convince a vain emperor his invisible suit is real, until a child speaks the plain truth. The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Edmund Dulac. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Ginger and Pickles A cat and a terrier run the village shop, giving every customer endless credit. The Tale of Ginger and Pickles by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan A cat and a dog secretly swap dinners before a fussy tea party, with a comic mix-up. Worth knowing: A pie is jokingly said to be "mouse and bacon" — played for comedy, never shown. The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tailor of Gloucester A poor tailor falls ill before Christmas with one coat still unfinished for the Mayor. Worth knowing: Archaic vocabulary and inset nursery rhymes — worth a look before reading it cold. The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Tale of Samuel Whiskers; or, The Roly-Poly Pudding Two rats move into the attic of a big old house and take a very unusual interest in Tom Kitten. Worth knowing: Rats truss up Tom Kitten planning to cook him; he's rescued unharmed. The Tale of Samuel Whiskers; or, The Roly-Poly Pudding by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
- The Steadfast Tin Soldier A one-legged tin soldier loves a paper dancer across the nursery floor, through several ordeals. Worth knowing: The soldier and the dancer both end up consumed by a stove fire, described briefly. The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Edna F. Hart. Public domain in the USA. Source: Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org).
Where these come from
Project Gutenberg (Public domain (USA)). Credit lines are printed with each story above, as their licences ask. We didn't write these and we don't own them — we only checked that you're free to read them.
Reading a story to your own grandchild is a private family reading, and the recording we make of it is yours. If you'd rather read a book you own from your own shelf, do — you'll just tell us what it was when you name the recording.