Welcome to our collection of the Top 12 Stories About Being Different for kids to read online! This fantastic treasury of bedtime tales is available for children as a free pdf to download, with engaging stories from across the globe perfect for every child’s education and enjoyment. These printable, educational short stories are designed to be both exciting and easy for kids of all ages to read, with vibrant pictures that make them even more fun to explore. The best part is, families can listen along to these stories with our available audio resources in English.

These tales feature a wonderful mix of classic fairy tales and newer stories that celebrate individuality and promote self-acceptance. Each yarn is specifically tailored for boys, girls, and children of all backgrounds, showing them that it’s okay to be different. They are perfect for story time or a read-aloud night, and the collection offers a mixture of shorter and longer tales to suit every bedtime need.

Stories about being different are crucial for children’s learning and personal development. They teach important moral lessons about acceptance, empathy, and celebrating our unique qualities. These tales make for a terrific addition to an early years, preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school curriculum, as they encourage young readers to embrace diversity and promote self-love. EYFS, toddlers, and older kids alike will find joy and inspiration in these stories as they drift off to sleep or embark on a journey during storytime. So snuggle up, relax, and enjoy discovering the magic of being different with our wonderful collection of bedtime stories for children who march to the beat of their own drum.

Top 12 Stories About Being Different for kids to read online:

1. Riquet with the Tuft: This story is about a queen who has an ugly baby boy named Riquet with the Tuft who is gifted with a personality that wins the hearts of many. A fairy gives him a gift to make the one he loves smart, which comes in handy when he falls in love with the princess who is considered dumb. Meanwhile, the princess’s younger sister is much smarter and gets all the attention. The princess runs into Riquet in the forest, and he makes her laugh, so she promises to marry him, not realizing he is the same prince she had forgotten about. Riquet helps the princess become smarter and keeps his promise to marry her, and the two live happily ever after.
2. The Ugly Duckling: The story tells of an ugly duckling who is bullied and rejected by other animals for looking different. He leaves and eventually finds a home with swans. In the spring, he realizes he is no longer an ugly duckling but a beautiful swan. The story teaches the lesson that beauty is not just skin deep. You can download the eBook in PDF format to read offline or print.
3. The travels of Prince Flamingo: The story follows the adventures of White Wing, a white flamingo who is ostracized by his own kind and forced to leave his home. He is advised by Mrs. Old Turtle, a wise and kind old turtle, to embark on a journey to find his true purpose in life. He travels through valleys and forests and ultimately reaches the Emperor’s palace, where he is appointed as an advisor. He becomes known as Prince Flamingo and lives a life of luxury while gaining more and more wisdom.
4. The Lost Half Hour: The story is about a foolish young man named Bobo who sets out to find a lost half-hour for Princess Zenza. Along the way, he encounters various challenges, but with the help of Father Time and the water of wisdom, he finds the lost half-hour and saves the kidnapped kitchen maid, Tilda. Bobo and Tilda later get married and live happily ever after.
5. The Little Singing Frog: In this story, a winemaker and his wife pray to God for a child, and are sent a frog daughter who they name Little Singing Frog. Though they love her, they are ashamed of her appearance and keep her hidden. When a young prince hears her sing and falls in love with her, the winemaker agrees to give her hand in marriage if she can bring a flower to the palace. With the help of the sun, she obtains a golden gown and rides a snow-white rooster to the palace. She wins the prince’s father over with a wheat stalk, and becomes queen.
6. Prince Sneeze: A king and a queen threw a party for their newborn son’s christening. When the old fairy Malvolia didn’t receive a slice of the strawberry cake, she cursed the prince to sneeze every time something changed in the palace. As a result, the prince was sent to live in a tower, and chaos ensued every time he sneezed. Years later, the prince’s loyal dog found a way to break the curse by discovering the words of Malvolia’s enchantment. The prince married a princess under a spell and sneezed at the altar, breaking all enchantments in the kingdom and living happily ever after.
7. The Daddy Long-legs And The Fly: The story is about two friends, Mr. Daddy Long-legs and Mr. Floppy Fly, who live in Bumbledom. They have unique qualities: Mr. Daddy Long-legs has long legs and used to sing songs, while Mr. Floppy Fly has short legs and splendid attire. However, they both feel discouraged about their traits because they think their differences make them unfit for the king and queen’s court and singing, respectively. One day, the friends embark on an adventure together and find a distant land where their differences are celebrated, and they can happily play games and sing in the warm embrace of true friendship.
8. The Canyon Flowers: The story is about a girl named Gwen who loved to ride horses and explore the countryside. After an accident, Gwen’s friend, the Pilot tries to console her by telling her a story about a canyon and the flowers that grew in it after a lightning strike. The flowers symbolize qualities like patience, kindness, resilience, and inner strength, which grow in difficult times. Gwen eventually learns to see the beauty in her situation, be patient, and focus on her inner growth. Her father, the Duke, notices a change in her and agrees that she has become stronger and happier despite her situation. The story ends with Gwen finding a new purpose and happiness in the shelter of her canyon.
9. Uncle Wiggily and the Freckled Girl: Uncle Wiggily hops through the woods and meets an unhappy freckled girl who is trying to make her freckles go away. He leads her to a bird’s nest and shows her the spotted eggs, making her appreciate the beauty of freckles. The girl leaves feeling happy and throws her mirror in a stream.
10. Uncle Wiggily and the July Bug: In this story, Uncle Wiggily and the white cat have a picnic in the woods with only the two of them. The July bug overhears them talking about the picnic and offers to invite Uncle Wiggily’s friends through flying. The bug is successful, and all the animals arrive at the picnic. The group enjoys food and fun until two foxes show up. The July bug comes to the rescue and saves everyone from being eaten. Uncle Wiggily decides to continue his travels.
11. The Disgraced Sugar-Bowl: In this story, the sugar-bowl loses its cover and is shunned by the other covered dishes. The cream-pitcher befriends the sugar-bowl and informs it that the uncovered dishes receive better care than the covered ones. After the sugar-bowl’s cover is found and returned, all the dishes learn to be more neighborly and engage in friendly conversation, realizing that they are all part of one big family. The sugar-bowl concludes that losing its cover was a blessing because it allowed them to bond with the uncovered dishes.
12. Those who watched Mr. Raccoon: In this story, the wood dwellers watch Mr. Raccoon as he washes his meat before eating it. Reddy Fox decides to gather all the animals to watch Mr. Raccoon and his strange habit, but Mr. Raccoon outsmarts them and plays a trick on them, splashing them with muddy water. The animals become angry and forget about Mr. Raccoon’s unusual behavior. Mr. Raccoon feels satisfied that he has turned the tables on Reddy Fox. An ebook version of the story is available for download.

In conclusion, the Top 12 Stories About Being Different offer a delightful and insightful journey for kids, showcasing how our unique qualities and quirks make us special. These stories teach young readers about empathy, acceptance, and finding beauty in diversity, while celebrating the importance of embracing one’s own distinctiveness. Through compelling characters and adventurous tales, children can learn valuable life lessons, as well as developing a greater understanding of themselves and others, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and compassionate world. So, dive into these magical tales and celebrate the joy of standing out from the crowd and being different!