This beautiful story set in the empire of China was actually written by the famous Danish children's writer Hans Christian Andersen. It first appeared in a book in 1843- and that's a very long time ago indeed! Some people say that the story was about a young lady Andersen had fallen in love with, a famous singer at the time whose voice was as sweet as that of a nightingale! The nightingale is a small brown bird and looks very like a thrush- some might say that the nightingale looks plain...

We are back with this gorgeous classic tale with a twist. Well, I say with a twist but it may have been the later version of this tale that had a twist, as this is probably the original version of the story, originating in England in the 19th Century! We will all know the version of this story that introduced us to Goldilocks, the seemingly innocent young girl who stumbles upon the bear's house in the woods, but I think the original is much more entertaining, as a naughty old lady is the one...

This week we bring you a very special story from the nation of Ukraine. This retelling of the popular Ukrainian children's story is in my own words and takes its lead from the wonderful 1989 version of the story from Jan Brett but some of the written records of The Mitten date back to the 19th century and include the folklore collections of Pavlo Chubynsky. A little boy loses his brand new mitten in the white snow and a succession of increasingly larger animals comically squeeze their way in...

Happy St.Patrick's day! Well, what else could we bring you on this most special of days here in Ireland! Please Subscribe, rate and review! Bonus Material available weekly on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/landofnodlearning?fan_landing=true Join us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/landofnodlearning Join our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/landofnodlearning Listen on Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/land-of-nod-kids-stories/id1539956312 Listen on Spotify...

This week is very special! In honour of international women's day, we bring you a story specially chosen for reflecting the power of women! Many stories about kings and queens often see the woman as a background character, if not some type of wicked stepmother! But today's story is about a wise and resourceful queen who defies the king's orders in order to save both his life and the future of their kingdom! Her quick wit and resourcefulness save the day, she is not a hero because of her...

Did you know that in a place called Hedley in the North of England, for many many years, people reported that there was a mischievous and tricky little elf who went about the place causing all sorts of trouble! he was known as the Hedley goblin and this story tells us about a kind and cheerful lady who happens to bump into him one day! The story is gorgeous for many reasons, and very funny, but what stands out to me most is the moral tale reflected through the good lady. She reacts to each...

We are back with another classic and it's fantastic! Full of action and adventure, this one is a wee bit longer also, and perfect for smallies who love a brave and daring hero! It always amazes me just how long these stories have survived and transformed, and again and again, we look back to ancient Greece for some of the best stories ever told! This is most definitely one of them and we hope you enjoy it! Please Subscribe, rate and review! Bonus Material available weekly on Patreon!...

Another first from the Land of Nod! today we have a wonderful and mysterious tale from the ancient land of Mongolia! It's about a daring and fearless warrior called Gunugan and a devious monster who tries to take everything from him! it is full of intrigue and suspense, and of course, bravery in the face of the unknown! We really hope you like it! Please Subscribe, rate and review! Bonus Material available weekly on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/landofnodlearning?fan_landing=true Join us...

I have said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but I think this is my favourite story so far. Sometimes you just come across a gem, and although I can't find exactly where this story originated, I know that it's an old one and has reappeared in many forms! I actually giggled while recording it and left it in because if it can make me laugh then it may just have a chance with the kids- we all know they are the most discerning of audiences! Thanks so much for listening, and I hope you...

We are back after a short break, and thank you so much for bearing with us! Well, what can we say about this tale, it speaks for itself! As you know, we dont usually go in for the Prince/Princess dialogue here at land of nod, its often unfair to women and men alike! But this version puts much more emphasis on other elements of the story, which are really rather beautiful! The help that Beauty receives is much more about the 7 fairies, or guardian spirits, that come into her life, and in my...

Here is another well-loved tale that I hadn't heard in years, and rediscovering it was a joy! This classic has its roots in Excalibur, the name given to the sword of King Arthur! The story goes that as a boy, Arthur alone was able to draw the sword out of a stone in which it had been magically fixed. A book called Merlin, written all the way back in 1200 was the first to mention the "sword in the stone" . In another version of the story, it is said the sword was given to Arthur by the Lady of...

We are back for season 5 and thank you so much to everyone who has listened and enjoyed all our stories so far! It only seems right to return with a tale just right for this festive time of year, and so we bring you the tale of The Gingerbread Man! Although this is not a Christmas tale in the truest sense, it always reminds me of the holidays, and I've only ever eaten gingerbread at Christmas, but how about you? maybe you've been lucky enough to eat gingerbread all year round! We hope you...

It's almost Halloween and here at Land of Nod its one of our favourite times of the year! Here in Ireland, the weather is crisp and dry and all the leaves are falling from the trees! As the nights get darker and longer, it's the perfect time of year to hear a story about creatures who spend almost all of their lives in the dark- because it's where they feel most at home! The little bat in our story today just doesn't want to go to bed! He has been out hunting with his family all night and...

Today we have a very special story indeed, from the New World, as it was once called! When this story was first published in 1819, America was still a country that was being explored by pilgrims from Europe, then called the Old World, and therefore America seemed very new to them. Indeed, the main character in this story, Rip Van Winkle, is of Dutch descent, and that is why his name may sound unusual to us! When Rip falls to sleep in the story, it is just before the time of the American...

Welcome back to the land of Nod! This week we return to the majestic land of China, with this ancient tale of poor girl who, through her good and fair nature, is looked kindly upon, and is helped by a stranger. We cannot tell exactly where this tale comes from, but we know that it has been told and retold any many times, and therefore can be found in several different versions.It has a lovely magical feel and echoes some similar fairytales from Europe, and although there is a prince involved,...

This was one of my favorite stories as a kid and Im so delighted to bring it to you today! Every child in Ireland must hear this story at some stage, as it marries storytelling with one of our national obsessions- hurling! For those of you who have never encountered it, hurling is like a very fast version of hockey, played in the air, with sticks called hurleys and a very hard and fast ball called a sliotar! It has been around in some form in Ireland for hundreds of years and still causes...

This tale is really very funny and had me smiling the whole way through! I also had such a great time creating the character for the drawing- giants are a HUGE favourite of mine! This big mean Giant isn't the first we have met in the land of Nod, but I think he just might be the funniest! Did you know the almost all major civilisations throughout the ages have had their own versions of giants?! The word comes from the Latin word used to describe the huge and fearsome creatures of greek...

This is a tale of a greedy cat who decides to gobble up everything he sees! Little did I know when I chanced upon this little tale that it follows in a long tradition of swallowing tales! Did YOU know there was such a thing? Well, stories like this( of poor creatures being swallowed but escaping in the end!) can be found in the stories of Ancient Titans of Greece, and even in the bible, with the story of Jonah and the Whale! Many children's stories are based around this fantastical element of...

Welcome back and thank you so much for joining us once again in The Land of Nod. Today's story is what is called an origin myth, and that means it tries to tell us where something comes from. People have always wanted to know why things are the way they are, and the story of pandora's box attempts to explain to us where all the bad things in the world come from, and how we might attempt to combat them. it is an extraordinarily simple yet beautiful tale, and I hope it speaks to you as much as...

Welcome back to the land of Nod! We are so happy to bring you this story of these hilarious friends who live together in a little house next to some nice-so-nice neighbours! It is a story about taking responsibiltiy, sharing the workload, and coming together when times get tough! It is also very funny and involves a big bad fox and an ingenious little red hen, and the story will draw children in with its lively pace and cast of curious characters. thank you so much for listening, join us next...

Welcome back to the land of Nod! We are so glad you have joined us for this fantastic tale! Today it is a tale all about the gullible wolf and the tricky fox, and what a funny tale it is! It is hard to know exactly where this story originated, versions of it have popped up in Spain, in Germany, in the Middle East, and even in Alaska! This means it is a story that many people have enjoyed for a very long time, so they passed it to a friend, who passed it to a friend, who passed it to a friend,...

Greetings!Welcome back to the podcast and let me introduce the heroic Beowulf! Beowulf is an epic poem that is one of the most important texts in old English (that's an English that was spoken thousands of years ago and sounds very different from what we speak today!) Monster alert! There is a monster in this story, and like most monsters, he's not the most pleasant chap! I try to be careful about the monsters I choose for the podcast because some of them are unnecessarily scary! I do,...

And just like that, we are back! Welcome to Season 4 of Land of Nod! As ever this season, we will endeavour to bring you the most wonderful tales from every corner of the world! Speaking of which, what better way to kick of the brand new season than with a tale from the master storytellers themselves, The Brothers Grimm! The brothers lived in Germany over 200 years ago, and it was their life's work to travel around the country they loved and collect folktales from ordinary people. When their...

What better way to end season 3 than with this timeless tale from Aesop's fables! I think we all have heard some version of this tale along the way-but do you know just how long it's been around? Well, Aesop the man, was thought to have been born in Greek about 650 BC- and because that is such a long, long time ago, very little is known about his life! We know that many years later, stories said to have been written by him started to show up all over ancient Greece, and many famous thinkers...