Explore every episode of the podcast Rebecca Reads

A quick tale from Czechia (Bohemia).

The Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus.

Another wonderful story from the Brothers Grimm. Because it's an original Grimm story, beware of a few things that are a bit icky (a dead horse's head talking and a terrible fate for the imposter). But it is a fun story and the basis for one of my favorite books.

A fun short story from Hans Christian Andersen. The ending is not quite what you will expect.

The oldest story written in English. It is a story of fighting monsters and a great hero.

Another wonderful story from William Shakespeare, as adapted by Edith Nesbit.

Another wonderful story from the Brothers Grimm. It was actually one of their favorites. Today's poem is The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt.

Another Norse myth. It is another way how Loki makes trouble for the Gods in Asgard.

A different kind of trickster's tale from the Brothers Grimm.

A nice little tale from Iceland. The poem for today is Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Another story and poem from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories. This one tells how the Elephant got his trunk.

One of the beloved stories from A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh.

Another wonderful story collected by the Brothers Grimm. Not the Snow White you're used to, but a lot of magical elements.

Today's story comes from Iceland. It is a great story of kindness and friendship.

We continue the story of Don Quixote. Today he encounters two armies...of sheep.

We continue the story of Don Quixote. Today he encounters some monks and sleeps with goatherds.

In today's story, our hero is knighted and encounters some windmills.

We are embarking on some of the stories of Don Quixote de la Mancha. This week is how he came to be Don Quixote and his first foray into the world.

The conclusion of The Golden Beetle, an origin tale from China.

An origin story from China.

Six more of Aesop's Fables. Then I share the longer poem The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

An adaptation of the Shakespeare play.

A classic tale from The Brothers Grimm.

This is a cautionary tale from the Brothers Grimm. It teaches us to be grateful for all we have. This is a lesson I have been learning the last couple weeks. A fun story.

A fun trickster tale from Africa. Ananzi is a well known trickster that can take many forms. His stories are called spider tales. This story is very well known in many parts of the world.

A fun tale from England. Is the fool really a fool? The poem for today is I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud by William Wordsworth.

A classic tale from Hans Christian Andersen. We can all have a laugh at the Emperor who pretends to see clothes that aren't there. The poem for today is Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards.

A great story from the Brothers Grimm. Most know this story but it's such a good one. I also share a short original story and share a big announcement. Make sure you listen all the way to the end!

The concluding part of The Marriage of Sir Gawayne. Find out if Gawayne is loyal to his promise to Arthur and what he learns from his choices. A happy conclusion to the events set up from last week. The poem today is Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare.

One of the stories surrounding King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. It is pretty long, so I have broken it up into two parts. Find out what happens when Arthur blazes into a situation without thinking and learns he can't solve all his problems with a sword or by himself.

A bit of a sad story from Hans Christian Andersen. It is quite a famous story, and although sad, it has a wonderful message. It is a wonderful story to make you think for the beginning of a new year. Poem today is Ring Out Wild Bells by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

A short part pulled from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This is one of the memories the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Ebenezer Scrooge on his path of remembering where he came from. The poem today is also called Christmas Carol, but its subject is different from Scrooge and it is authored by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

A fun Christmas story by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. A scarecrow is pretty miserable in the winter: it's cold and he has nothing to do. A kind girl tries to make sure he isn't forgotten, and his misery finds a solution with Santa Clause. A lesser known story, but a good one.

A Native American story that tells where corn came from. A young man wrestles for the answer to how feed his people aside from hunting. The poem for today is Laughing Corn by Carl Sandburg.

A fun story I found of all the months, holidays, and other calendar events gathering for a Thanksgiving feast. It's a perfect story for this time of year, and it is quite fun picking out all the holidays. Bonus points if you catch the name of July's eagle's name.

A Scandinavian tale of a young brother whose wonderings benefit him in the end.

Two wonderful stories from Beatrix Potter.

A spooky story for Halloween. (Not too spooky; it's more suggestion and using your imagination than actually scary.)

The famous tale of a Russian witch.

A Grimm fairy tale with a good moral (and a mean witch).

The sad tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin (it is called The Ratcatcher in the Red Fairy Book).

Three short stories this week, all with the same theme. We will read Henny Penny, The Shepherd and the Wolf (an Aesop story), and Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Another Norse myth. This is how Odin, All Father, came to only have one eye.

Another Grimm story, but this version is just a little different from the Grimm version. One of my favorites.

An English fairy tale that is a lot like the German story Rumpelstiltskin.

A fun story from the Brothers Grimm.

A heroic story from Africa.

A favorite story from Hans Christian Andersen.

Another story from L. Frank Baum's Mother Goose in Prose.

The famous English folktale of Richard (Dick) Wittington