Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Peter Pan

The Secret Garden

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

fairy tale

Sesson 1

Black Beauty

The Call of the Wild 

Wild Adventures: Stories of Animal Heroes

This story was originally published on Dec 10, 1905 in The New York Sunday World as "Gifts of the Magi." It was subsequently published as The Gift of the Magi in O. Henry's 1906 short story collection The Four Million.

The Gift of the Magi

The Cop and the Anthem

The Furnished Room

Hearts and Hands was originally published under his pseudonym, Sidney Porter, in 1902. The story is full of twists and wordplay, as was O.Henry's own life. He was sentenced to serve five years in federal prison for embezzlement of $854.08, after fleeing to Honduras, then returning to Austin to be with his sick wife, where he turned himself in. O. Henry was released shortly before this story was published, which makes its unexpected sources of compassion particularly poignant. This story is featured in The Unreliable Narrator.

Hearts And Hands

O. Henry's story is simple, yet poignant. It involves an old woman who runs a bakery, an old man who buys two loaves of stale bread every day, and what happens when a perceived act of kindness is not received as such. This is not a Halloween or ghost tale, don't let the title mislead you.

Witches' Loaves

The last leaf

After Twenty Years

Discover O. Henry’s Short Stories

Session 1

The story of The Three Little Pigs featured here has been adapted from different sources and from childhood memory. The primary sources are English Fairy Tales, retold by Flora Annie Steel (1922) with illustrations by L. Leslie Brooke from the 1904 version. This story is featured in our Favorite Fairy Tales and Children's Stories.

The Three Little Pigs

Little Red Riding Hood

Jack and the Beanstalk first appeared as The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean in 1734.

Jack and the Beanstalk

The Little Match Girl, also titled, The Little Matchstick Girl is one of our Favorite Fairy Tales. Published by Hans Christian Andersen in 1845, it exemplifies his broad literary talent and ability. I personally like to read this story at least twice a year, once in Autumn as the holiday season comes into focus, and then again around the Christmas holiday. It's a gentle reminder of the value of compassion and charity.