Welcome to the ultimate collection of the Top 40 Stories About Bravery, specially crafted for kids to read online! This amazing assortment of tales has been designed for children of all ages, making it the perfect addition to your bedtime story routine. These stories, available in various formats such as pdf, downloadable, printable, and even as an easy-to-follow audio, are here for your enjoyment – all for free! Each story comes with enchanting illustrations to further captivate young minds as they embark on these educational adventures.

Stories About Bravery hold significant importance in the personal development and learning journey of every child. They teach invaluable lessons about courage, inner strength, and resilience, empowering our young readers as they face life’s challenges. By engaging with these tales, kids will learn that no challenge is too big or small when one is brave and determined. These bedtime stories cater to both girls and boys and can be enjoyed as a fun-filled story time, a read aloud, or even a longer, classic fairy tale.

Our collection features tales that are ideal for preschool, kindergarten, eyfs, elementary students, and even toddlers and children in the early years of learning. Each story is packed with excitement, making it an enjoyable and good source of moral teachings for kids. So, prepare for a fantastic journey filled with wonder and adventure as we dive into the world of bravery – all while snuggling up for a cozy night’s sleep. Happy reading!

Top 40 Stories About bravery for kids to read online:

1. Little Thumbling: Little Thumbling is the youngest of seven sons of a poor woodcutter’s family who are starving. When the parents leave the children in the forest twice, Little Thumbling cleverly uses pebbles and bread crumbs to lead them back home. But with no money left, the parents plan to abandon the children again in the forest. This time they lock the door, preventing Little Thumbling from collecting pebbles. The children wander to a giant’s house where they are kept safe by the giant’s wife, warned to hide from her husband, who eats children. Little Thumbling saves his brothers from the giant and tricks his wife to give him money. The family becomes rich, and the giant repents and decides to never eat another child again.
2. Jack and the Beanstalk: The story is about Jack, a poor farmer’s son who traded his cow for magic beans and planted them in his garden. The beans grew overnight and he climbed up to a castle where he had to retrieve a chicken that lays golden eggs and a talking harp from a giant. With bravery and help from a fairy, he accomplished the mission and reclaimed his castle. The story teaches that believing in magic can make it come true.
3. The Origin of Rubies: A queen and her spoiled son come across an abandoned ship on their beach vacation. The boy insists on sailing away on the ship, and they come across a vortex filled with rubies. The boy takes one, and when they arrive in a city, he sells it to the king’s daughter. She asks for more, so the boy sets sail again and ends up in an underwater palace. There, he falls in love with a woman whose head is separated from her body, and they run away together. The boy marries the woman from the palace, and his mother allows him to also marry the king’s daughter. They live happily ever after with their many children.
4. My Lord Bag of Rice: In ancient Japan, a brave warrior named Hidesato encounters a giant dragon blocking a bridge. He climbs over the dragon and, upon reaching the other side, is greeted by a man who turns out to be the Dragon King. The Dragon King asks for Hidesato’s help in defeating his arch-enemy, a monstrous centipede that has been plaguing the King’s underwater palace. Hidesato agrees to help and, with the help of a bow and arrow, successfully kills the centipede. As a reward, the Dragon King offers him four magical gifts, including a bag of rice that never empties. Hidesato returns home and becomes known as My Lord Bag of Rice due to the wealth and generosity that the magical grain offers him.
5. The Gnome: In this story, a king’s three daughters disappeared after taking an apple from a tree that was forbidden. The king announced that whoever brought his daughters back could marry one of them, and three brothers set out to find them. In a castle, the youngest brother stood up to a gnome who told him that the princesses were in a deep well. The youngest brother defeated the dragons and saved the princesses, but his brothers tried to cut the rope to leave him behind. After blowing a whistle he found in the well, he was rescued by hundreds of little men and went on to marry the youngest princess while his brothers disappeared.
6. The Lost Years: This story is about a king who loves his people and his life, until a new kind of trolls start to make people disappear. The king takes drastic measures and bans things like flowers blooming, playing, swimming, and baking to prevent the trolls from hiding in them. An evil wizard appears and trades a magic potion for the king’s treasure, but it only works temporarily and more people are kidnapped. The king blames those who didn’t drink the potion and banishes them. This cycle continues for years until the king becomes ill and realizes he hadn’t enjoyed life in years. A fairy appears on his deathbed and grants him and his subjects freedom to enjoy life again.
7. The Grass is Always Greener: The story is about a sheep named Wooly who feels bored with his life in the meadow and decides to leave for the big city. He finds a job and thinks he has made true friends, but later discovers that they are using him. Feeling sad and lonely, he returns to the meadow where he finds happiness in the simple pleasures of life and realizes that he doesn’t need the excitement of the big city to be happy.
8. The Mischievous Elf and the Gingerbread Man: The Gingerbread Man is captured by a mischievous elf and taken to his gingerbread village. He tries to accept his new life but with the help of a sweet elf named Lily, he finds the courage to escape. He runs through the snowy forest and finds true love with Lily. The story ends with their happy marriage. An ebook (PDF) download of the story is available.
9. The Brave Little Boy and the Big Slide: This is a story about a little boy named Huggy who loved to go down the big slide at his local playground. One day, he decided to challenge himself by sliding down the tallest slide but became scared when he reached the top. A friendly squirrel saw his fear and encouraged him to believe in himself, reminding Huggy of the dream he had to slide down the big slide. With newfound courage, Huggy slid down the big slide and conquered his fear. From that day on, he knew that he could do anything he set his mind to, no matter how scary it seemed.
10. Scared of the hairdresser: The story is about a boy named Anthony who is scared of going to the hairdresser and thus, keeps delaying his visits causing his hair to grow longer and longer. His parents are fed up and come up with a plan to trick him into going to the hairdresser. Initially angry, Anthony realizes that a haircut has made him feel clean, happy, and free. The story ends with Anthony willing to go to the hairdresser without any fuss in the future. A downloadable ebook (PDF) is available for offline reading.
11. The Reindeer Who Couldn’t Fly: The story is about a little reindeer named Glow-Nose who lived in the North Pole with all the other reindeer, but was too afraid to fly. His friends teased him and called him names which made him feel embarrassed and alone. One day, Santa Claus noticed Glow-Nose’s fear and sat down with him to encourage him. Santa told him that his nose glowed brighter than any other reindeer’s, which made him very important on Christmas Eve. Glow-Nose then practiced flying every day and was finally able to do the job that he was meant to do, leading the way with his bright, shining nose guiding Santa and the other reindeer as they delivered presents to all the good boys and girls.
12. The Brave Children of the Ice Castle: A group of children in Canada stumble upon a hidden ice castle, where they meet a kind ice princess and her animal friends. However, the princess has an evil sister who wants to destroy the castle and harm her. The children try to protect the castle and princess, but are not successful until one brave girl suggests forming a protective circle and singing to offer love and kindness towards the evil sister. Realizing the error of her ways, the evil sister surrenders and the castle is saved. An ebook of the story is available for download.
13. The Strange Witch of Willowweed: The Strange Witch of Willowweed is a story about a friendly witch who lives in a pink house atop a hill made of willowweed flowers. She helps people by casting spells, giving them the advice they need. One day, two visitors reach her hill: Princess Winsome, who wants to find the bravest boy in the world, and Kit the Coward, who wants to learn how to fight for a reason. The witch sends Princess Winsome to an enchanted forest and tells Kit to go to King Hurlyburly and become a commander-in-chief to find something worth fighting for. Eventually, Kit reaches the enchanted forest and rescues Princess Winsome, and they get married. The story highlights the importance of self-belief and not caring about what others think of you.
14. Maya the Bee and the Sentry: In this story, Maya the Bee is trapped inside a hornets’ fortress where she overheard their plan to attack her colony. Despite her fear, she becomes determined to do something to save her people and decides to escape. As she makes her way out, she is confronted by a hornet sentry. However, Maya’s intuition leads her to trust him, and she eventually reveals that she knows the location of his lost love, Lovey. The guard releases her, and they part ways. Maya flies off towards Lovey’s location, hoping to find her before the hornets can attack.
15. Daphne, the child of the morning: The story is about a girl named Daphne who lived freely in the valley near Mount Olympus and rejected love from men. When Apollo, the god of the sun, saw her, he pursued her, but Daphne refused and fled. As Apollo caught up with her, she called upon the goddess Ceres for help, but none came. In her despair, she ran into the river and turned into a laurel tree. Apollo mourned his actions and from that day on, the laurel tree bore her name.
16. The story of Grace Darling: The story is about Grace Darling, the daughter of the lighthouse keeper, who helps to rescue a group of shipwrecked sailors during a stormy night. Despite her father’s hesitation, Grace is determined to save the sailors and with his help succeeds in their rescue. The story emphasizes the bravery and selflessness of Grace and her father in risking their lives to help others. A downloadable ebook is also available.
17. Buttercup: The story is about an old woman who has a son called Buttercup and a dog named Goldtooth. One day, a witch comes and asks for Buttercup, and he goes with her in a bag while his mother is baking. Buttercup is able to trick the witch and escape twice, but the third time the witch takes him to her home and plans to cook him. Buttercup tricks the witch’s daughter into laying her head on the chopping block instead, kills her, and cooks her instead. When the witch and her family return home, they try to eat Buttercup, not realizing what has happened. Buttercup throws a stone and a root at them and kills them all before taking their gold and silver and going home to his mother.
18. The Adventure of the Daughter of the King of Ireland: In this story, the young king of Denmark, Hettel, wants to find a wife and is advised to seek the hand of Hilda, daughter of the wild King Hagen of Ireland. Yarl Wate is sent to negotiate with the Irish king, but it soon turns into a battle. Eventually, Hagen and Hettel make peace, and Hilda and Hettel are married. The story is available for download as a PDF.
19. The Giant’s Cliff House: The story follows a blacksmith named Robert Kelly who interprets dreams for people. He dreams of a boy, Philip Renardy, who was kidnapped by a giant, Mahon McMahon. The boy provides Kelly with a sign to rescue him from the giant’s cliffs by the sea. Kelly finds Philip Renardy and takes him home to reunite with his family. The giant is not heard from again.
20. Schippeitaro: A young warrior in search of adventure finds himself lost in a magical forest and overhears cats saying not to tell Schippeitaro about something. The next day he discovers a village where a girl is sacrificed to the Spirit of the Mountain every year. The boy remembers what he overheard and goes to Schippeitaro, a dog belonging to the supervisor of the prince. He takes the dog to the church in the forest where the girl is kept and hides until the Spirit of the Mountain appears. When the monster opens the sacrificial box, Schippeitaro attacks and kills the beast, saving the girl and all future sacrifices.
21. The Brave Little Tailor: In this story, a little tailor buys jam from a farmer’s wife and then kills seven flies bothering him with one strike, leading him to make a belt that says “Seven in One Blow”. He sets off to explore the wide world wearing the belt, and on his journey, he meets a giant whom he impresses by showing the belt. He kills two giants, catches a unicorn and traps a wild boar with his wits and later marries a princess. But he fears losing his new life when the king learns the truth about his background, so he outsmarts the king’s plan and remains a king for the rest of his days.
22. The Queen of Lanternland: A young prince goes on a journey and gets lost in the mountains, only to find himself in the underworld of Lanternland ruled by a beautiful queen who is being forced to marry an evil wizard. With the help of a black cat, the prince sneaks into the wizard’s castle, swaps a pastry talisman for the real one controlling a deadly whirlpool and saves the queen from a forced marriage. They live happily ever after.
23. The Master Mariner: A fisherman saves the life of the half-man, half-fish King of the Caves of the Sea by killing a red fish that was attacking him. As a reward, the king gives the fisherman a talisman in the form of a small silver fish, which will bring him luck if he ever finds himself in mortal danger. The fisherman’s luck changes, and he becomes a master mariner, but he accidentally buys a bag of terrible storms instead of a bag of reliable east wind. When he meets the most beautiful princess in the land of Silkland, he falls in love with her. However, the princess is later captured by pirates and the sailor is knocked unconscious. The pirate captain orders the sailor to be thrown overboard and the princess to become the wife of the king of the Oyster Mountains. A storm breaks out and saves the princess while the silver fish comes alive and calls the King of the Caves of the Sea. The King saves the master mariner and the princess and the latter soon fall in love and get married.
24. The Enchanted Elm: In this story, a prince goes horse riding in the forest with his friends, but his horse bolts and he ends up alone in a deserted part of the forest. He is attacked by a grey wolf, but manages to defend himself. He then encounters an old witch who curses him and turns him into a tree. Years later, a girl who seeks refuge under the tree every day aims to save it from being chopped down by lumberjacks. With her help, the tree eventually transforms back into a prince, who then marries the girl and they live happily ever after.
25. The City Under the Sea: The merchant’s three sons try to find the Emerald of the Sea to save their father’s life. The youngest son receives an enchanted ring from the Witch of the Sand to enter the underwater world, where he discovered that his two older brothers and their wives had been turned into underwater creatures after eating the bread of the underworld. He finds the emerald, frees his brothers, and returns home to save his father from the king’s wrath. The merchant offers the throne to his two older sons and rules with them together, while the sailor marries the Sand Witch’s niece.
26. Jack the Giant Slayer: This story is about Jack, who became known as “Jack the giant slayer” after killing many giants. He defeated a giant in France by luring him into a pit, caught two giants by using ropes as lassos, and freed a giant from a cellar by tricking the king. The giant rewarded Jack with a coat that makes him invisible, a hat that gives him knowledge, a sword that cuts through anything, and slippers of enormous speed. Jack used these gifts to break the spell of an evil wizard and win the heart of a beautiful lady for the prince. He was awarded as one of the Knights of the Round Table and lived happily ever after.
27. How the Son of a Raja Married Princess Labam: A prince defies his parents and ventures into the jungle where he hears about Princess Labam from talking parrots. He decides to find her and marry her and is helped by various animals and magical objects. The king sets him impossible tasks to prove himself worthy of marrying his daughter, but each time the prince is helped by the creatures he met on his journey. In the end, he succeeds in marrying Princess Labam and they live happily ever after.
28. Achilles: This is the story of Achilles, a great warrior from ancient Greece who was almost invincible due to being dipped in the River Styx as a baby. He was called to fight in the Trojan War and became one of the greatest warriors in Greek history, but was eventually killed after being hit in the heel with an arrow. Despite his demise, Achilles’ legend lived on and inspired many to be brave and strong. The story includes a link to download a PDF ebook version to read offline or print.
29. The Sandpipers: A teacher tells children about a sandpiper bird with long legs that lives by the beach. The bird’s family is happy until some men with guns approach, causing the mother and babies to hide while the father pretends to be injured to distract the men. After leading them away, the father returns to the family and they all go back to the beach, safe and happy. The story is available for download in PDF format.
30. The Three Sisters: The story is about a woman named Nella, who was born lucky and perfect. She secretly marries an enchanted prince, but her jealous sisters break the crystal passage that connects their rooms and injure the prince. Nella overhears an ogre revealing that the only way to save the prince is by anointing his wounds with their fat. She kills the ogre, takes its fat, and heals the prince. When the prince’s father offers the reward of marriage or half the kingdom to the one who cures his son, Nella reveals herself and marries the prince. The sisters are throws into an oven, proving that no evil goes unpunished.
31. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Lion becomes the King of the Beasts: The travelers exit the china wall and enter a wild, disagreeable country filled with bogs and large forests. The Lion and his friends spend the night in a forest, and in the morning they stumble upon a group of animals holding a meeting. The animals are in despair; they are being threatened by a monster that crawls through the forest with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk, eating any animal it crosses. The Lion offers to defeat the monster, and after a successful battle, he is declared the new king of the forest.
32. The frost king and the power of love: In this story, the Queen meets with the nymphs to address King Frost’s war on the flowers. After all plans prove to be unsuccessful, Star, the lady-in-waiting, offers to go to King Frost alone to show him the power of love and how beautiful his land could be. King Frost is initially resistant, but Star remains patient and starts to create a garden in her prison cell. The King eventually comes to see her garden and starts to change his ways. The nymphs declare war when Star is imprisoned, but eventually, King Frost frees her and allows the nymphs to build a beautiful garden. The story ends with King Frost joining forces with the nymphs and admitting that Star’s power of love had changed him.
33. The Jumblies: The story is about the Jumblies, known for their adventurous spirit and love for the sea, who set sail in a sieve amidst warnings from their friends. They sailed through dark waters with undeterred excitement, whistling and singing. They collected treasures in the Western Sea, and after twenty years of exploration, returned to their land with tales of brave voyages. Their friends were inspired and the Jumblies became a symbol of courage, adventure, and the limitless possibilities of the imagination.
34. The Nutcrackers And The Sugar-tongs: In a kitchen, two best friends, Nutcrackers and Sugar-tongs, dream of adventure. They mount ponies and ride through the town, leaving their old lives behind. The other kitchenware watches in amazement as they embark on their daring escapade and vow never to return to their mundane lives. Their adventure inspires generations of kitchenware to dream of their own exciting escapades.
35. Uncle Wiggily and the July Bug: Uncle Wiggily and the White Cat decide to have a picnic but worry they don’t have enough friends to invite. A July bug comes to the rescue and offers to fly around and invite everyone. While having their picnic, two bad foxes appear, but the July bug saves the day by buzzing around and disorienting them. Uncle Wiggily’s friends say goodbye, and he prepares to continue his travels the next day. A downloadable PDF of the story is available.
36. The Tree of Swords: A king’s daughter is turned into a brindle cow by a wicked witch, and the only way to change her back is to get a pear from a tree near a mountain of ice which is controlled by a three-headed troll. No one takes up the offer of a barrel of gold and the princess’ hand in marriage to retrieve the pear until a poor peasant boy offers to do it in exchange for the cow before she starves to death. He succeeds with the help of fairies and a belt from the troll which gives him the strength to collect the pear. The cow eats the bitter pear and turns back into the princess. However, the peasant boy refuses to marry the princess because she treated him badly before and instead marries a peasant girl.
37. Cilla and the Dwarf: In this story, a dwarf with an unusually large head and long nose demands to marry the King’s daughter, but she refuses, and he takes her away. A servant girl named Cilla goes on a quest to save the princess, armed only with a magic bean that a witch gave her. She finds the dwarf’s cave, fights him, and turns him into a toad. Cilla gives the magic bean to a hungry rabbit, and the rabbit transforms into the King’s daughter. Cilla is rewarded for her bravery but requests only a little cottage and a cow to be near her princess.
38. The Singing Ring: A Princess falls in love with a Prince, but her father, the King, dislikes him because he doesn’t have as much wealth as he does. While the Princess weeps in her tower, she discovers a magical ring that sings a song that makes her happy and brings her hope. When the castle catches fire, the Prince rescues the Princess, and in return, he asks for her hand in marriage. The King agrees, and at the wedding, the doves that brought the ring appear. The Princess wore the ring for the rest of her life as a symbol of true love.
39. The Milk-White Horse and the Prince: In this fairy tale, an enchanted Prince rides on a magnificent milk-white horse to rescue a Princess held captive by three monstrous creatures. The Prince is aided by talking animals as he shrinks himself to gain entry into the house on the mountain and transmutes the monsters to stone while riding on the horse. The story ends happily as the Princess’s parents invite the Prince to marry their daughter, and the family lives happily ever after in the castle. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
40. How Old Witch Neda Stole the Moon and the Sun: This story is about an old witch named Neda who used to sweep the sky with her broomstick and another broom, brushing away little rain clouds used by the stars for veils. When the stars get angry and attack her, she takes the moon and sun as revenge and locks them in her closet. The stars then devise a plan to free the sun and moon, which involves a Little Star jumping on Neda’s broomstick and rescuing them. As a result, the Little Star is rewarded by being turned into the brightest star in the sky.

In conclusion, these Top 40 stories about bravery provide an incredible opportunity for children to embark on thrilling adventures, learn valuable life lessons, and gain inspiration from courageous characters. By reading these tales, young readers will not only be entertained but will also develop a sense of resilience, empathy, and moral understanding. These stories instill the belief that bravery comes in many forms, showing children that no matter their age or abilities, they too can make a difference in the world and overcome obstacles. Encourage the young readers in your life to immerse themselves in these captivating tales, as they nurture their imaginations and strengthen their character, one heroic story at a time.