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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if kindness and courage matter more than strength or riches?
In The Story-Teller, Maud Lindsay brings young listeners into twelve fairy tales where wonder belongs to everyday life. Small heroes stand at the heart of this gentle world. Simple plots and clear feelings give children room to follow each story, while small lessons invite thought without weighing down the pleasure.
Lindsay draws on her work as a kindergarten teacher and her understanding of what holds a child's attention. These tales welcome the spoken word and the closeness of sharing a story. Their central themes—kindness, courage, and wonder—offer parents and children something to talk about when the telling pauses.
What you’ll discover
- Tales for the voice Discover short stories whose simple plots and clear feelings welcome the youngest listeners.
- Small heroes, quiet courage Explore a fairy tale tradition that values kindness and courage above strength or riches.
- Wonder with a gentle lesson Enjoy the pleasure of wonder, with a small lesson held lightly within each tale.
- One story at a time Leave room around each tale for questions, quiet thought, or simply enjoying the moment.
- Stories to share together Bring gentle tales to bedtime, a quiet afternoon, or the familiar classroom circle.
Who will love it
Readers who love fairy tales about kings and fairies will enjoy this collection, as will those who delight in Christmas stories, recurring refrains, and old-fashioned tales for children that suit reading aloud beside the fire.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Stories teach children to feel
- Honest work serves great purposes
- Love asks more than money
- Small choices test good sense
- Kindness moves from hand to hand
- Words reveal what people carry
- Care means taking responsibility and waiting
- Fear tests a trusted word
- Small choices carry the tales
Who’s who
- The Story-TellerA traveling teller with a harp, welcome at every door, who carries tales of smiles and tears to children.
- The Blacksmith and his brotherTwo brothers who choose different lives, one at the king's court and one at the forge, and later meet on a lonely road.
- The Little PrinceA young prince who goes out alone at night with his favorite ball to find the one gift his mother wants.
- The HarperA gifted singer who has promised his wife, child and little brown dog to be home by Christmas Day.
- KarlA small boy who wants to carry pancakes through the Enchanted Wood to his father but keeps getting stopped.
- HansA faithful servant of the king who can understand every creature and helps ants, birds and fish on his road home.
- Pease-BlossomA tiny fairy who falls asleep at his post and must find the queen's stolen nightingale.
- The Old WomanA cheerful old woman who sets out with a basket of plums in search of one apple for her dumpling.
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The Story-Teller in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Story-Teller
by Maud Lindsay · 1915
A harper braves wind and snow to honor a promise in this collection of twelve tales for children.
Easy readUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with easy classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
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“One good turn deserves another.”
In short
Imagine a knock at the door on a winter night. Outside stands a traveler with a harp at his side, and every child in the house runs to the fire.
The Story-Teller at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 5 min50 min fast, 1 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 15,100 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1915by Maud Lindsay
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A traveling teller brings tales to every hearth
Before the first tale comes a greeting. Maud Lindsay pictures olden times, when the Story-Teller knocks at the door of a cottage or a hall. He comes at Christmas, at New Year, or on All Hallows Eve when chestnuts roast in the coals, and he is always welcome.
He has traveled many miles and knows many tales of the wide world.
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Which edition is right for me
- eBook
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1915
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Lindsay, Maud. The Story-Teller. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-teller.
Lindsay, M. (2026). The story-teller. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-teller (Original work published 1915)
Lindsay, Maud. The Story-Teller. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-teller.
@book{lindsay2026storyteller,
author = {Lindsay, Maud},
title = {The Story-Teller},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-story-teller},
note = {First published 1915}
}
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What is The Story-Teller by Maud Lindsay about?
It is a collection of twelve short fairy tales for children, with kings, blacksmiths, fairies, goblins and knights. The stories, many set around Christmas, teach kindness, courage and keeping faith, and some have songs.
Which stories are in The Story-Teller?
The twelve tales are The Two Brothers, The Jar of Rosemary, The Promise, The Plate of Pancakes, Little Maid Hildegarde, The Apple Dumpling, The King's Servant, The Great White Bear, The Song That Traveled, The Quest for the Nightingale, The Magic Flower and The Lions in the Way.
What is the Enchanted Wood in these stories?
It is a wood where some people believe fairies and mischievous goblins live. It appears in The Plate of Pancakes, Little Maid Hildegarde, The Great White Bear and The Quest for the Nightingale.
The author
Maud Lindsay
American children's author
Ghanaian entrepreneur.
“One good turn deserves another.”
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