To mark New Year – Alton Takiyama-Chung – who’s new to Super Great Kids’ Stories, shares two tales from Asia: from Japan, "The Grateful Statues", and from China: "The Magic Pear Tree" about a farmer who encounters a beggar. Both stories have a theme of kindness and generosity and are sprinkled with a little bit of magic.

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A King and Queen living in a cold castle argue and their fire goes out, casting a chill and a gloom over the whole kingdom. They send a servant to fetch more hot coals from the neighbours. Will he succeed and return warmth to the castle in time for the winter festivities? Listen to Wendy Shearer tell this uplifting Christmas story and find out.

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A little fir tree, is not happy, he longs to leave his forest and go out to see the world like the bigger trees which are taken and decorated with sparkly things. Eventually his wish comes true, but does it make the tree happy? Listen to storyteller Anne Johnson's retelling of this Hans Christian Andersen tale to find out. (Note, this version has an upbeat ending.)

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This Cinderella-style story is set in the Appalachian mountains and told by Storyteller from Dragon Fly Tales: Emily Hanna-Grazebrook. It has all the ingredients of a great fairytale: a witch-woman, a mistreated orphan, a kind doctor’s son, some mean stepsisters and some stonkingly good singing from Emily.

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Tiernan Douieb is back with a fabulous fairytale from Finland about 3 brothers who are sent on a mission to find their bride. The youngest one heads for a forest and his brothers laugh, saying the only thing he'll find to marry there is a fox or a wolf. In fact, Veikko the youngest son finds something much more unlikely and wonderful. Listen to Tiernan tell this magical fairytale and discover how the youngest brother finds his true love.

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A story from our archive: The Best of Super Great Kids' Stories.

This story is about a snow wolf and a boy who are friends. It was inspired by the Nenets people who live at the top of the world in the snowy Siberian Arctic. There is a scary moment in this story when the hunter comes along with his gun, but keep listening, because it has a twinkly, happy ending.

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Storyteller new to Super Great Kids’ Stories - Rosalind Buck tells this funny fairytale inspired by The Frog Prince. It’s got all the right ingredients: a princess, a prince, some fairies…. and a girl called Lettuce! Can a spoiled princess break her promise to a frog and still get to marry him when he turns into a prince? Listen to Rosalind Buck’s witty retelling and find out.

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Sarah Liisa Wilkinson tells a very witty trickster tale from Norway about a show-off squire who is determined to marry the farmers’ daughter, but the farmer’s daughter is equally determined not to marry him. Who will get their way? Listen to Sarah Liiisa and find out.

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Storyteller Tim Ralphs has fun with words in this old English Folktale. A new servant girl is told by her master to call things by rather silly names. The cat is a 'white-faced simminy' and the fire in the hearth is to be called 'hot cockalorum.' Will the young girl be able to remember all these daft names when there's an emergency? Listen along, join in the repetition and find out!

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Listen to storyteller Liz Weir tell this stonkingly fun version of the English fairytale: ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. Before you know it, you’ll be clapping and tapping and rapping along to this lively telling.

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