World of Tales
Stories for children, folktales, fairy tales and fables from around the world

Welcome to the Asian folktales page!

Asia is the world's largest continent. A place with unique cultural heritage, Asia is home to more than 3.8 billion people, making it the most populous continent on Earth. Even today people around Asia hold festivals celebrating the deeds of heroes and animals from ancient folklore.

The collection of folktales from Asia consists of fourteen books with 353 stories: 55 Arabic folktales, 104 Chinese folktales, 69 Indian folktales, 69 Japanese folktales and 61 Filipino folktales.

The Arabian Nights /One Thousand and One Nights/

Notes: This book holds some of the folktales form the Arabian Nights Entertainments. Selected and edited by Andrew Lang, these folktales are simplified and shortened, making them more suitable for children.

Author: Anonymous
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published: 1918
Publisher: Longmans, Green and Co

Folk-Lore and Legends: Oriental


Notes
: Contains 13 folktales from the Orient.

Author: Charles John Tibbitts
Published: 1889
Publisher: W. W. Gibbings, London

The Oriental Story Book


Notes
: Contains seven long Oriental folktales.

Author: Wilhelm Hauff
Translator: G. P. Quackenbos
Published: 1855
Publisher: D. Appleton and Company, 346 & 348 Broadway, New York

A Chinese Wonder Book

Notes: Read 15 Chinese folktales

Author: Norman Hinsdale Pitman
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published: 1919
Publisher: E. P. Dutton & Co., 681 Fifth Avenue, New York


The Chinese Fairy Book

Notes: The Chinese Fairy Book contains 74 Chinese folktales, sorted into several categories.

Author: Various
Editor: Dr. R. Wilhelm
Published: 1921
Publisher: Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York

Chinese Folk-lore Tales

Notes: Features 11 Chinese folktales

Author: Rev. J. Macgowan, D.D.
Editor: Andrew Lang
Published: 1910
Publisher: Macmillan And Co., Limited, London


Indian fairy tales


Notes: Selected and edited by Joseph Jacobs, the book holds 29 Indian folktales.

Author: Various
Editor: Joseph Jacobs
Published: 1910
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, London

Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit

Notes: The nine stories in this book were translated from Sanskrit - an ancient Indian language.

Translator: S. M. Mitra
Editor: Nancy Bell
Published: 1919
Publisher: Macmillan and Co., London

Tales of the Sun or Folklore of Southern India


Notes: The book holds 26 Indian folktales.

Author: Mrs. Howard Kingscote and Pandit Natesa Sastri
Published: 1890
Publisher: W. H. Allen & Co. 13 Waterloo Place, London & Calcutta

Japanese fairy tales



Notes: Contains 22 Japanese folktales

Author: Yei Theodora Ozaki
Published: 1908
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, Ney York

Green willow and other Japanese fairy tales



Notes: Contains 38 Japanese folktales

Author: Grace James
Published: 1912
Publisher: Macmillan And Co., Limited, London

Child-Life in Japan and Japanese Child Stories


Notes
: This book features seven Japanese folktales.

Author: Mrs. M. Chaplin Ayrton
Editor: William Elliot Griffis
Published: 1901
Publisher: D.C. Heath & Co., Boston, USA

Philippine Folk Tales

Philippine Folk Tales

Notes: This book features 61 folktales from the Philippines.

Author: Mabel Cook Cole
Published: 1916
Publisher: A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago



Book Spotlight
Bechstein book cover
The Book of German Folk- and Fairy Tales