Science tells us that young children develop best when they are read to. In this follow-up to Read to Your Baby Every Day, soothe your toddler with retellings of traditional folk tales, fairy tales, and fables from around the world paired with images of Chloe Giordano’s charming hand-embroidered illustrations on cloth.

Every tale is the perfect length to read aloud to your toddler before bedtime and carries a message of empathy, friendship, and care for the world around us. Bond with your toddler and help them grow as you read to them these timeless stories:

• THE THREE WISHES, Scandinavia

• THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER, Ancient Rome

• BRER RABBIT AND THE WELL, North America

• HOW THE BEAR LOST HIS TAIL, Iroquois

• THE MAGIC PEAR TREE, China

• WHY THE BANANAS BELONG TO THE MONKEY, Brazil

• THE FISHERMAN AND THE GENIE, Syria

• THE RAINBOW SERPENT, Indigenous Australia

• THE STONECUTTER, Japan

• KING MIDAS, Ancient Greece

• THE CLEVER LITTLE TURTLE, Mexico

• ANANSI AND THE TURTLE, Caribbean

• THE SCRUFFY DUCKLING, Denmark

• A BAG FULL OF STORIES, Cambodia

• THE MICE AND THE ELEPHANTS, India

• THE FEAST, Mali

• SNOWFLAKE, THE SNOW CHILD, Russia

• WHY CATS CHASE MICE, Nigeria

• THE LION AND THE THORN, Ancient Greece

• HOW THE WREN BECAME KING OF THE BIRDS, Ireland