Stories For 2nd Graders 📚 Read Free Online Stories

Welcome to the Top 80 Stories For 2nd Graders, a fantastic collection of short stories that kids will love! Our amazing selection is filled with fun, educational, entertaining, and easy-to-read tales for both girls and boys, perfect for bedtime or story time. These stories have been specifically curated for children in their early years, including preschool, kindergarten, elementary students, and the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage). Our diverse collection ranges from classic fairy tales to modern adventures, giving your little ones a delightful and engaging reading experience that will help them learn and grow.

Featuring beautiful illustrations, this online and printable library is available for free, making it easy to download, print, or read on your screen. You can also enjoy our stories with audio, as our enchanting bedtime tales are available for you to read aloud together or share as they drift off to sleep. This wonderful assortment includes famous bedtime stories, heartwarming narratives with moral lessons, longer stories perfect for engrossing imaginations, and shorter ones to tell at night time or to squeeze in between daily activities.

Stories For 2nd Graders are an essential part of every child’s learning journey, as they foster language development, enrich their vocabulary, and stimulate their curiosity and imagination. Reading stories together promotes bonding and important social skills, ensuring that toddlers, preschoolers, and early education students form a lifelong love of reading. So, come join us on this magical adventure through our delightful story collection, and let your child’s imagination soar!

Top 80 Stories For 2nd Graders for kids to read online:

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: In this story, Ali Baba discovers a hidden cave with treasures belonging to a group of forty robbers after overhearing their secret password. He takes some of the treasure and keeps it a secret from everyone except his wife, who accidentally reveals the secret to his jealous brother. His brother goes to the cave and is killed by the robbers when he forgets the password to leave. The robbers become suspicious of who else knows about their hideout and try to find out by posing as merchants and staying with Ali Baba. But Ali Baba’s maid, Morgiana, discovers their plot and foils their plan by killing them with hot oil. In the end, Ali Baba is grateful to Morgiana and allows her to marry his son.
The Fir Tree: This is a story about a young fir tree who is in a hurry to grow up and become majestic like the other trees around him. Throughout his life, the tree is constantly dissatisfied and always longing for more. Eventually, he is cut down and taken into a house to be decorated for Christmas. However, after the holiday, the tree is forgotten and left in a dark attic until he is thrown out and his branches wither away. He realizes too late that he should have appreciated the joys of his youth and the simple pleasures of life. The story ends with the tree being chopped into little pieces and burned in a fireplace.
Brother and Sister: In this story, Brother and Sister run away from their cruel stepmother and end up in a forest where Brother accidentally drinks from a spring that turns him into a deer. Sister ties a golden ribbon around his neck and cares for him, until they find an abandoned house to live in. One day, Brother goes out to play and gets injured by hunters, causing him to reveal his secret to the king. The king falls in love with Sister and takes them to the castle where they live happily ever after. The story also has a downloadable ebook version for offline reading.
Hans in Luck: The story is about a man named Hans who, after working for seven years, receives a gold piece from his boss as payment. Along his journey to visit his mother, he gets lucky by trading the gold for a horse, then for a cow, then for a pig, then for a goose and finally, for a rock. After dropping the rock into a well, he happily continues his journey, delighted to be freed from the burden of the heavy rock.
King Trushbeard: In this story, a king has a very arrogant daughter who insults every man who wants to marry her. The king becomes angry and makes her marry the first beggar who comes to the door. The beggar takes her to live in poverty and makes her work as a kitchen maid. Later, at the king’s son’s wedding, she meets King Thrushbeard, who was actually her husband in disguise. He punishes her for her arrogance but then comforts her and gives her beautiful clothes. They remarry and the princess learns not to make fun of anyone.
One Eye, Two Eyes and Three Eyes: In this story, a girl named Two Eyes is mistreated by her mother and sisters for looking normal with two eyes. A wise woman gave her a magical goat that provides her with endless food, which her jealous sisters discover. However, when the goat is killed, a tree grows in its place with golden apples that only Two Eyes can pick. She attracts the attention of a knight and marries him, and the magical tree follows her to the castle. Eventually, her sisters visit her, and she forgives them for their past mistreatment. A downloadable ebook of the story is available to read offline.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin: In the German town of Hamelin, a man claiming to be able to rid the town of its rat problem arrived and offered to do so for one silver coin per head. The mayor agreed to this offer, and the man successfully played his flute to lure the rats to the river and drown them. However, when he asked for payment, the mayor offered only 50 silver coins instead of the agreed-upon sum, causing the man to swear revenge. The next day, all the town’s children were gone, taken away by the mysterious stranger. The town never saw them again, and it is said that the descendants of these children now live in Transylvania.
Rumpelstiltskin: A poor miller boasted to the king that his daughter could spin straw into gold and so the king had her brought to a room full of straw and gave her a spinning wheel with spools. She could not do it and was left all alone. A little man appeared and spun the straw into gold for her in return for a necklace. The king then gave her more straw to spin in a larger room and when the little man appeared again, she promised him her first child if he helped her. He did, and when the baby was born, the little man demanded it. The queen had three days to guess his name, and on the third day learned from a messenger that his name was Rumpelstiltskin. When she guessed it right, he stamped his foot so hard on the ground that he sank down into it and was never seen again.
The Goose Girl at the Well: In this story, an old woman asks a rich young man for help carrying her heavy bag. She rewards him with an emerald, which he later gives to the queen. When the queen faints upon seeing it, she tells the young man about her youngest daughter, who was banished to the forest for loving her father “like salt.” The young man promises to find her and, with the help of the old woman (who transforms into a young and beautiful woman), he does. The girl is rich in pearls from her tears and accepts the old woman’s house as a gift, which magically transforms into a palace. It is unclear whether the young man and the princess are married, but the narrator imagines they are.
The Queen Bee: In this story, three princes go on a journey together. The two older brothers tease and mistreat animals they come across until they reach a castle where they are given three tasks to complete in order to save the kingdom. They fail, but the youngest and nicest brother, Simpleton, succeeds with the help of the animals he showed kindness to. He finds a thousand pearls, retrieves a key from the lake, and is guided to the right princess by the queen bee. Simpleton breaks the spell, marries the youngest princess, and becomes the king, while his brothers marry the older sisters.
The Twelve Brothers: This is a story about a queen who gives birth to a girl and the king orders his twelve sons to be killed. The sons flee to a cottage and eventually, the girl sets off to find her brothers. She is told by a witch that she must not speak or smile for seven years to break the curse. She gets married and lives with the king for a while until the king’s mother accuses her of being a witch. As she is about to be burned at the stake, her brothers save her and she tells the king why she couldn’t speak. The curse is broken and they all live happily ever after.
The Wishing Table: This story is about a tailor who sent his three sons away to learn a trade. The oldest son was given a table that produced delicious food on demand, the second received a donkey that pooped gold coins, and the third was given a bag containing a club that could beat whoever deserved it. The first two sons were robbed of their gifts on the way home, but the third son retrieved them by using the club on an innkeeper who had stolen them. However, the table and donkey no longer worked when they returned home. Nevertheless, the father was happy that all his sons had learned a trade, and they all lived happily ever after.
The Town Musicians of Bremen: The story tells of an old donkey who leaves his owner to become a musician in the town of Bremen. He meets other animals along the way – a dog, cat, and rooster – who all join him in his musical quest. After scaring off some thieves, the animals decide to stay in a cottage and become the Bremen Town Musicians. The story ends happily with the animals living together in the cottage for many years.
Pinocchio: This story is about an old shoemaker named Gepetto who makes a wooden doll, Pinocchio, who comes to life. Pinocchio runs into various adventures including getting distracted on his way to school, being tricked by con men, turning into a donkey, and being eaten by a shark. Despite all the difficulties, Pinocchio’s father Gepetto never gives up hope and their bond helps them overcome each obstacle. Eventually, with the help of a fairy, Pinocchio becomes a real boy and they live happily ever after. An ebook of the story is available for download.
Riquet with the Tuft: This is the story of a queen who has an ugly but smart son named Riquet with the Tuft and a neighboring queen who has a beautiful but dumb daughter and an ugly but clever daughter. Riquet has the gift of making the person he loves most as smart as him and the younger princess has the gift of making the person she loves most as beautiful as her. Riquet and the older princess fall in love, and she promises to marry him in a year. One year later, the princess has forgotten her promise and falls in love with a rich and handsome prince. However, the preparations for Riquet’s wedding feast remind her of her promise and she marries Riquet, using her gift to make him as handsome as the prince she rejected.
Cinderella: The story is about a girl named Cinderella who lived with her wicked stepmother and stepsisters and was treated badly. Her only solace was the hazel tree planted on her mother’s grave, and the little white bird that fulfilled her wishes. When a prince holds a ball to find his bride, Cinderella wished to go, but her stepmother forbids her to. With the help of the little bird, Cinderella got a beautiful dress to go to the ball and danced with the prince, but had to flee before he could learn her identity. The prince searched for her by fitting the glass slipper she left behind, and it fit Cinderella perfectly. The prince found her, and they got married and lived happily ever after.
Pippo: The story is about an old beggar who, before going to prison, gave his sons a sieve and a cat. The eldest son used the sieve to make money, while the youngest was upset about getting the cat. However, the cat was clever and started bringing gifts to the king in Gagliuso’s name, making the king curious about him. The cat convinced the king to send servants to Lombardy to find out about Gagliuso’s wealth, which was actually just a ruse. Gagliuso was rewarded with a big dowry after marrying the king’s daughter, but the cat eventually leaves him when he forgets who helped him become wealthy.
Rapunzel: This is a summary of the story of Rapunzel. A man and a woman living next door to a wicked witch grew increasingly obsessed with eating the delicious rapunzels growing in the witch’s garden. The witch allowed them to pick as many as they want if they gave their first-born child to her. When the child, Rapunzel, was born, the witch took her and locked her in a tower until a prince heard her beautiful voice and fell in love with her. With the help of a silk ribbon ladder, Rapunzel escaped the tower, but the witch cut her hair and bewitched the prince’s eyes. However, he finds her again, they reunite, and Rapunzel and her twins lived happily ever after with the prince.
The Three Princes And The Princess Nouronnihar: In this story, three princes compete to marry the beautiful and sweet Princess Nouronnihar, and their father, the sultan, comes up with a plan. He sends each of them to a faraway land to find the most unique and valuable thing they can. The eldest prince buys a flying rug, the middle prince buys an ivory tube that can see things up close, and the youngest prince buys a plastic apple that can cure any illness. When they return, they discover that the princess is gravely ill, and only the youngest prince’s plastic apple can save her. The sultan decides that all three gifts were equally important in saving the princess, so he decides to hold a competition to see who can shoot an arrow the farthest. The winner, Prince Ali, gets to marry Nouronnihar.
The Little Match Girl: A poor little girl without a hat or shoes is walking through the snow on the last evening of the year, trying to sell matches to avoid a beating from her mother. She stops in a corner between two houses and lights some matches to warm her hands. With each match, she sees visions of her deceased grandmother, a warm stove, a plentiful table with a roast goose, and a beautiful Christmas tree with candles. When she burns all of the matches, her grandmother takes her to heaven, and the next morning people find the little girl frozen to death with a smile on her face.
The Emperor’s New Clothes: In this story, an emperor who loves new clothes is tricked by two swindlers who claim to make special invisible fabric that only stupid and dishonest people cannot see. The swindlers take the money and pretend to weave the fabric, but in reality, they make nothing at all. When the emperor and his subjects cannot see the fabric, they pretend they can as they do not want to appear stupid or dishonest. A child is the only one to speak the truth, and the emperor finally admits that he is not wearing anything but continues to pretend he is, and his chamberlains lift his non-existent drag.
The Little Mermaid: The story follows the littlest mermaid who dreams of seeing the world above water. She saves a prince from drowning and falls in love with him but must sacrifice her voice and endure immense pain to become human and live with him. However, when the prince marries another, she chooses not to harm him and becomes a daughter of the air instead. The story emphasizes selflessness and the power of good deeds.
The Nightingale: In this story, there was once an emperor who lived in a beautiful palace with a large garden. One day he found out that a nightingale lived in his garden and had a beautiful voice. So the Emperor asked his servant to find the bird, and it sang for him every evening. Eventually, the Emperor received a golden bird, and the real nightingale left. The Emperor fell ill when the fake bird stopped singing, and Death came to fetch him. However, the nightingale’s singing saved him, and he promised to keep their friendship a secret and use the bird’s stories to be a better ruler.
The Red Shoes: The story is about a poor girl named Karen who was given a pair of red shoes by a shoemaker when her mother died. She was later taken in by an old, rich lady who gave her new clothes and threw away the red shoes. Karen became envious of a princess who had beautiful red shoes and eventually bought a pair for herself when she was older, despite knowing her old lady would not approve. Karen was unable to control herself from dancing in her church shoes and went on to dance uncontrollably even after the shoes were taken off her feet. She was only freed from the cursed shoes when the executioner chopped them off and made wooden feet for her. Karen went back to live a good and quiet life, having learned her lesson.
The Snow Queen: This story is about an evil troll who makes a mirror that only shows ugly and bad things, and when it breaks, the splinters cause people’s hearts to turn to ice. The story follows two children, Kay and Gerda, and when Kay gets a shard in his eye and heart, he forgets Gerda and his life and goes to live with the Snow Queen. Gerda goes on a long journey to find Kay and eventually saves him by thawing his frozen heart with her tears. They return home, grown-up, but still the same at heart. The story is available as a downloadable ebook.
The Swineherd: In this fairy tale, a prince offers a beautiful rose and a nightingale to the emperor’s daughter as gifts in exchange for her love, but she rejects them as dirty and strange. The prince disguises himself as a swineherd with inventions that attract the princess. The princess exchanges kisses for the swineherd’s inventions, but when the emperor discovers the truth, he kicks them both out of the castle. The prince reveals himself, only to reject the princess’s love because she cared more about material possessions than a true, honest prince.
The Wild Swans: This is a story about a king who has eleven sons and a daughter named Elize. An evil queen married the king and cast a spell on the eleven princes, turning them into wild swans. Elize is banished to the countryside and when she returns as a beautiful young woman, the queen sends her away disguised so that her father does not recognise her. Elize runs away and eventually finds her brothers as swans. An old lady tells her that to save them, she must make jumpers out of nettles. Elize works tirelessly, is imprisoned for witchcraft and on the day of her execution, throws the last jumper over her brothers, saving them.
Jack and the Beanstalk: The story is about a curious and dreaming boy named Jack who traded his old cow for magic beans. When he planted the beans, they grew overnight and led him to a castle in the clouds. There, he met a fairy who revealed that the castle once belonged to Jack’s father and now belonged to him. Jack encountered a giant and his wife who put him to work, but he managed to steal a golden egg-laying chicken, a talking harp, and coins before chopping down the beanstalk and killing the giant. With the fairy’s help, Jack reclaimed his castle and became a hero.
Prince Darling: A kind-hearted king earns the gratitude of a fairy by saving a rabbit from a hunt. The fairy offers the king a wish, but he asks that his son be a good person rather than handsome, rich, or powerful. After the king dies, the fairy gives the son a ring that pricks him whenever he behaves poorly, but he eventually throws it away and becomes a cruel ruler. The fairy punishes him by turning him into animals that embody his bad qualities. Only after he saves a man from a tiger and helps a hungry girl does he become a good person again and regain his throne, ruling happily with his true love Zelie.
The Happy Prince: In this story, a little swallow comes across a golden statue of a prince with sapphire blue eyes and a red ruby sword. The swallow settles at the feet of the statue to rest and notices tears streaming down the prince’s face. The prince explains that although he was once happy, he is now a statue overlooking the misery of the town. He asks the swallow to help those in need by taking his ruby and sapphire to them. The swallow agrees, but soon learns of more people in need, and the prince asks for more help. The swallow sacrifices itself to stay with the prince and keep him company. In the end, the swallow is taken to heaven and the prince’s soul is lifted out of the statue and they live happily ever after in paradise.
Dick Whittington And His Cat: This is a story about a poor orphan boy named Dick Whittington who wanted to go to London. He arrived in London with no food or shelter and took a job in the kitchen of a rich merchant named Fitzwarren. Despite being mistreated by the chef, Dick became friends with the kind butler and helped Alice, Fitzwarren’s daughter. Dick saved his money to buy a cat to chase away the rats in his attic. When the cat was taken on a trading ship and proved its worth by catching rats, Dick received a fortune and became Lord and mayor of London. He married Alice, had children, and used his wealth to benefit the city.
Father Frost: A stepmother and her daughters are cruel to her husband’s daughter Natasha, forcing her to do all the hard work. The stepmother decides to send Natasha out to marry Father Frost, a decision that terrifies everyone. When Father Frost arrives, he rewards Natasha with beautiful clothes and gems, and warms her up with his scepter. Natasha’s half-sisters try to replicate this, but are left to freeze by Father Frost for their cruel personalities. Natasha lives happily ever after with a kind man.
The Adventures of Florian: The story is about Isabella, who after the death of her father dressed up as a boy, calling herself Florian, to improve her employment opportunities. Florian accepted a job with the Wizard of the Black Rock, who provided Florian with three gifts upon departure, which includes a necklace, a key, and a sphere. Florian later found a job as an assistant to Prince Florizel, and together they went on adventures, including one where Florian saved Florizel using their necklace from an evil witch, who turned Florian into a hare but was eventually defeated and turned Isabella back into her human form. Florizel and Isabella eventually fall in love and get married, living happily ever after.
The Origin of Rubies: In this story, a spoiled prince and his mother discover a ship abandoned at sea and embark on a journey that leads them to a vortex filled with rubies. Although the prince takes one of the rubies, he eventually returns it to the sea, much to his mother’s relief. However, when the princess of a nearby kingdom becomes enamored with the ruby the prince still possesses, he sets out to find more rubies and discovers an underwater palace guarded by the god Shiva. The prince accidentally reunites the head and body of a beautiful woman, and they fall in love. With the newfound rubies, the prince returns home and marries both the woman from the ocean and the princess, living happily ever after with many children.
The Yellow Dragon: The story is about a boy named Woe who lives with his father, Yin. One day a stranger arrives on a yellow horse, and after dining with Yin and Woe, the stranger departs, promising to return. Woe notices strange things about the stranger and his servants, and his wise grandmother recognizes the yellow horseman as the spirit of storms, warning of a coming great storm. The storm arrives the next day, but Yin and Woe’s farm remains safe. The yellow dragon returns and gives Woe a scale that brings him great luck and magical powers. The emperor hears of this and invites the family to work for him. The story concludes with the lesson to always be kind and hospitable to strangers.
Mother Holle: Once upon a time there was a widow with two daughters. One daughter was ugly and lazy and the other daughter was beautiful and diligent. The mother loved the ugly daughter the most because she was the eldest. Because of this the youngest daughter had to do all the chores. And when she was done with all the chores at home, she had to sit by the front door and spin. She worked so hard that her fingers often started bleeding. When she went to the well to clean the blood of the coil, it dropped from her hands and fell into the deep well. Without the coil she was scared to go home, so out of fear she jumped into the well. But when she hit the bottom she suddenly found herself standing in a green meadow.
Battle of Frogs and Mice: The story is about a party thrown by King Puff-jaw in a land of talking animals. During the festivities, unusual guests arrive and are revealed to be mice. After an accident where the mice drown, their king declares war on the frogs. In the ensuing battle, King Puff-jaw defeats the mice and with the help of the lobster army, makes peace with the mice and regains land previously taken by them.
The Six Servants: In this story, a prince tries to win the hand of a beautiful princess, but must complete three challenges given by the queen mother. He sets out on his journey with six extraordinary servants, each with their own unique abilities. After successfully completing the challenges, the prince and princess get married with the help of the servants, who also help him teach her a lesson in humility. The story teaches the importance of humility, kindness, and teamwork.
How The Birds Got A King: In this fable, the birds decide they need a king. They have a competition to decide who will lead which involves flying the highest and digging the deepest, but a small unnamed bird tricks them and becomes king. The other birds try to trap him, but he escapes and remains the king. The moral of the story is that sometimes the best leader is not the one who seems the most powerful or impressive. As a result of his trickery, the small bird becomes known as the ‘Winter King.’
The Golden Goose: In this fairytale, three brothers are sent to chop wood in the forest. The first two brothers refuse to share their food and drink with a gnome they meet on their way, and as a result, they did not return with wood. The youngest brother, Simpleton, shares his meager provisions with the gnome and is rewarded with a golden goose, which he takes to an inn where he unknowingly leaves the innkeeper’s daughters stuck to the goose. Simpleton takes the goose to a city, where he wins the heart of a princess but is challenged by her father to perform an impossible task. The gnome comes to his rescue once again and Simpleton is rewarded with marriage to the princess and becoming a king.
The Water of Life: The story is about an old king who falls ill and needs the water of life to be cured. His three sons went on a journey to find it, and only the youngest succeeded with the help of a dwarf. On his journey, he saved three kingdoms and met a beautiful princess who promised to marry him. However, his older brothers stole the water of life and gave the king sea water, which made him worse. The youngest son was punished and sent away but eventually returned and proved his innocence by driving straight over a path paved with gold. He married the princess and became the lord of the kingdom.
My Lord Bag of Rice: In this Japanese folktale, a brave warrior named Fujiwara Hidesato encounters a dragon that asks for his help in defeating a monstrous centipede terrorizing his family. Hidesato uses his archery skills to defeat the centipede, and as a reward, the Dragon King gifts him with a magical bag of replenishing rice, a roll of never-ending silk, a pan that always produces a delicious meal, and a bronze bell to be presented to a temple. Hidesato becomes known as My Lord Bag of Rice, living a wealthy life thanks to the magical gifts he received.
The Three Sillies: The Three Sillies is a story about a farmer’s daughter who finds a hammer in the basement and becomes distressed that it might fall on their future son’s head. Her parents and boyfriend also become emotional about the situation. The boyfriend eventually leaves and encounters various silly situations while travelling. He eventually returns after realizing there are many more sillies in the world and decides to marry the farmer’s daughter.
The Old Woman and Her Pig: An old woman buys a pig but cannot get it over a hill. She asks various animals and objects for help, but they all refuse. Finally, a cat agrees to help if she brings it some milk. The cow will give her milk if she brings hay, so the old woman does that, and the cat kills a rat, which gnaws a rope, leading to a series of actions that eventually gets the pig over the hill, and the old woman returns home.
The Gnome: A rich king with three daughters had a tree in his garden that made people who took its apples disappear underground. However, the youngest daughter decided to pick one anyway, and all three sisters vanished. The king offered his daughters’ hands in marriage to whoever brought them back. Three brothers, after arriving at a castle, began searching for the missing princesses. The youngest of them refused to be fooled by a gnome, who then showed him where the princesses were hidden. On their way back, the two elder brothers tried to cheat the youngest and cut the rope, but the youngest managed to save himself and found help from the gnome’s friends. The king heard the story and let the youngest brother marry his daughter, while the two elder brothers disappeared.
The Christmas Masquerade: The story is about a Christmas masquerade organised by the mayor which was enjoyed by children from rich and poor families alike. However, after the party, the children find themselves unable to remove their costumes, with their personalities taken over by the characters they were dressed as. The town seeks the help of a Wise Woman, but when her advice fails, the mayor’s eldest daughter seeks the help of the cherry man who lives outside the city. He manages to get the mysterious shopkeeper who provided the costumes down from his cherry tree and makes a deal with him that the city will ensure that poor children receive gifts every Christmas, and that the cherry man will marry the eldest daughter. The children are released from their costumes, and the story ends with the wedding of Violetta and the cherry man.
Toinette and the elves: In the story, Toinette meets an elf who rewards her kindness by giving her the ability to become invisible by wearing fern seeds in her shoes. However, the next day Toinette realizes that being invisible isn’t as fun as she thought and decides to take the seeds out. She then learns to be kinder to her siblings and is rewarded again by the elf, who asks her to make them fern seed broth. The story emphasizes the importance of kindness and being true to oneself.
The Lost Years: This story is about a king who takes great care of his subjects, but when a new kind of troll appears and starts abducting people, he becomes fearful and restricts people’s activities, banning everything from blooming flower to baking cookies. An evil wizard tricks him into giving away his treasure, and people start drinking his potion which makes them invisible to trolls. However, the potion only works temporarily, and people keep getting kidnapped. The king banishes those who didn’t drink the potion and continues giving away his treasure to the wizard. Eventually, he realizes he has lost years not enjoying life and is visited by a fairy on his deathbed, who promises him one last chance to enjoy the simple things in life. After he passes away, the restrictions are lifted, and everyone can enjoy life again.
The Young Crab and His Mother: In this story, a mother crab advises her son to walk straight forward with his toes turned out, instead of walking sideways. The son obediently asks his mother to show him how to walk, but she is unable to walk straight forward and trips while trying to turn her toes out. The story concludes with a moral that advises people to accept their own limitations before judging others. The story is available for download in the form of a PDF ebook.
Belling the Cat: The story is about a group of mice who are constantly living in fear of a cat. They come up with a plan to hang a bell around the cat’s neck so they can hear it coming and escape. However, they soon realise that the execution of the plan is impossible, as no one wants to bell the cat. The story ends on the moral that it is easy to propose a solution but hard to implement it. The article also offers a link to download an ebook version of the story.
The Eagle and the Jackdaw: In this story, an eagle captures a lamb and a jackdaw witnesses it, admiring the eagle’s strength. The jackdaw then tries to imitate the eagle by attacking a ram but gets its claws tangled in the wool and cannot escape. The shepherd rescues the jackdaw and clips its wings, and when asked by his children, he says the bird is a jackdaw but the bird thinks of itself as an eagle. A downloadable ebook of the story is available.
The Boy And The Filberts: A boy reaches into a pitcher to grab some filberts but takes too many and can’t remove his hand. His mother advises him to be satisfied with half and he can then free his hand and possibly have more filberts another time. An image in the center of the page depicts the boy holding the pitcher with nuts spilling out, with a link below to download the story as a PDF.
The Shepherd Boy And The Wolf: The story is about a shepherd boy who gets bored with watching over his sheep all day, so he decides to play a trick on the villagers by pretending that a wolf is attacking the flock. The villagers come running to his aid, only to find that it was a false alarm. The boy does this repeatedly until one day a real wolf attacks the flock, and when he cries out for help, the villagers don’t believe him and the wolf kills many of the sheep. The story teaches the important lesson of not lying and the consequences that can come with it. There is also a downloadable PDF of the story available.
Hercules And The Wagoner: The story is about a farmer who gets his wagon stuck in the mud and calls on the mighty Hercules for help. Hercules appears but tells the farmer that he must first make an effort to help himself. The farmer puts his shoulder to the wheel and the wagon is soon moving again, teaching the farmer a valuable lesson. The story is available to download as a PDF.
The Town Mouse And The Country Mouse: In this story, a Town Mouse visits a Country Mouse and they have a meal together. The Town Mouse invites the Country Mouse to visit her in the city, where they have a lavish meal but are constantly in fear of being caught by the cat and dog. The Country Mouse prefers her simple life in the countryside and decides to return home despite the luxuries of the city.
The Fox And The Grapes: A fox sees a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a high branch and tries to jump to reach them, but fails. He keeps trying until he becomes exhausted. In the end, he gives up and walks away scornfully, telling himself that the grapes are sour and not worth his effort. The story comes with a downloadable PDF ebook to read offline or print.
The Oxen And The Wheels: The story is about a pair of oxen who were drawing a heavily loaded wagon along a miry country road, where the wheels were creaking and groaning at every turn while the oxen were working hard to pull the weight without complaining. The oxen couldn’t understand why the wheels were complaining so loudly when they were doing much harder work and keeping still about it besides.
The Lion And The Mouse: A Lion spares the life of a tiny Mouse who promises to help him in the future. The Lion is skeptical of the Mouse’s ability to help but later becomes trapped in a hunter’s net. The Mouse helps the Lion escape by gnawing through the ropes and reminds him that even a small act of kindness can have great rewards. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
The Gnat And The Bull: The story is about a gnat who landed on a bull’s horn and asked for forgiveness before leaving. The bull responded that he didn’t even know the gnat was there. The story is available in PDF format for offline reading.
The Plane Tree: Two travellers take a break from the sun under the shade of a Plane Tree, but one of them complains that the tree is useless because it bears no fruit and only creates a mess with its leaves. The Plane Tree responds, scolding the travellers for being ungrateful for its shade. The story highlights how people often fail to appreciate the blessings they receive.
The Travellers And The Purse: The story recounts two men traveling together when one finds a well-filled purse. The man is excited and wishes to keep it for himself, while the other believes they should share. As they are arguing, a mob with clubs approaches, and the man with the purse becomes panicked, but his companion reminds him that he wanted to keep it for himself, and he should face the consequences alone.
The Hares And The Frogs: In this story, a group of hares who are very scared and miserable stumble upon a family of frogs at a pond. The frogs get startled and jump into the mud, which prompts one of the hares to realize that there are creatures even more afraid of them than they are of the unknown. The story is available to download as a PDF for reading offline.
The Fox And The Stork: In this story, a crafty fox invites the stork over for dinner and serves soup in a shallow dish that the stork cannot eat from, while the fox easily licks it up. The stork later invites the fox over and serves food in a tall jar with a narrow neck which the fox cannot access, while the stork eats with ease. The stork tells the fox not to play tricks on his neighbor unless he can accept the same treatment in return.
The Wolf And The Goat: A hungry wolf tempts a goat by offering her safe and delicious food on top of a steep cliff. The goat sees through the wolf’s deceptive behavior and realizes that he only cares about his own appetite.
The Peacock: The story is about a plain Peacock who begged Juno, his favourite goddess, for beautiful feathers to distinguish himself from other birds. With his new feathers, he strutted proudly and received envy from other birds. However, when he saw an eagle soaring high in the sky, he tried to fly, but his magnificent feathers prevented him from doing so. He became more encumbered and oppressed than any common barnyard fowl and lost his ability to fly. The story is available for download in eBook format.
The Crow And The Pitcher: In this story, a thirsty crow finds a pitcher with a little water in it, but he cannot reach it due to the pitcher’s neck being too narrow. After some creative thinking, the crow drops small pebbles into the pitcher to raise the water level so he can finally drink. The story highlights the importance of ingenuity and problem-solving. A downloadable PDF of the story is available for offline reading or printing.
The Lion and the Donkey: In this story, a lion and an ass go hunting together. They plan to catch wild goats hiding in a cave, and the ass is supposed to drive them out while the lion waits outside to catch them. The plan is successful, and the ass comes out of the cave bragging about making the goats run. The lion responds by saying that he would have run away too if he didn’t know the ass and his kind. A PDF version of the story is available to download.
The Dog And His Master’s Dinner: A faithful dog carries his master’s dinner every day, but other dogs in the neighborhood try to steal it from him. One day, they confront the dog and make him feel foolish until he drops the basket and they steal the food. The faithful dog tells them to divide the rest.
The Bees And Wasps, And The Hornet: The story is about a dispute between the bees and the wasps over a store of honey found in a hollow tree. They took their case to justice of the peace, Judge Hornet. The evidence did not help the judge to make a decision, so he instructed both sides to build a honeycomb. The wasps protested loudly as they knew they couldn’t build it. Hence, the honey belonged to the bees.
The Bear And The Bees: In the story, a bear finds a fallen tree with honey belonging to a swarm of bees. He tries to sneak around to see if they are home, but a bee stings him, causing the whole swarm to attack. The bear has to run to a nearby pool of water to escape. The story is available for download as a PDF.
The Heron: A Heron is searching for breakfast along a stream. He rejects several small fish, claiming they’re not fit for a Heron. As the fish move into deeper waters, the Heron is left with no options but to eat a tiny Snail. A downloadable ebook of the story is available.
The North Wind And The Sun: In the story, “The North Wind and the Sun” argue over which of them is stronger. They decide to see who can make a traveler remove his cloak first. The North Wind blows cold, but the traveler clings to his cloak tightly. The Sun then shines warmly, and the traveler becomes too hot and takes off his cloak. The Sun wins the argument, and the traveler rests in the shade of a tree. An ebook of the story is available for download.
The Two Pots: Two pots, one made of brass and the other made of clay, propose to go out into the world together. The clay pot expresses concern about being too fragile and easily broken, but the brass pot assures him that he will take care of him. However, as they travel together, the clay pot is not able to withstand the jolting and bumping, and eventually shatters into a thousand pieces. The story is available for download in ebook (PDF) format.
The Cat And The Old Rat: The story is about a clever cat who pretends to be dead in order to catch some mice. When the mice leave their dens to celebrate, the cat takes the opportunity to pounce on a few of them. Later, the cat tries to catch more mice by disguising himself as a flour-covered heap, but an old rat warns the other mice that it may be a trap. The story ends with the mice deciding to stay safely in their dens. The story is available for download as a PDF ebook.
The peacock and the crane: The story is about a vain peacock who tries to impress a crane with his colorful feathers, but the crane challenges the peacock to fly with him. The peacock refuses, preferring to stay among the barnyard birds, while the crane flies away. The moral of the story is that appearances can be deceiving, and it is better to be humble and free than to be proud and trapped. There is also a link to download the story as a PDF.
The horse, hunter and stag: In this story, a Horse asks a Hunter for help in seeking revenge against the Stag. The Hunter agrees to help but only on the condition that he puts a piece of iron between the Horse’s jaws and a saddle on his back. After the Horse overcomes the Stag, he asks the Hunter to remove these things, but the Hunter refuses, declaring that he has the Horse under his control now.
Pooh And Piglet Go Hunting And Nearly Catch A Woozle: In this story, Piglet and Winnie-the-Pooh go on a hunting expedition to catch a Woozle. Along the way they encounter tracks of different animals, including those of a friend. Ultimately, they realize that they have been wandering in circles and that the tracks they saw were theirs. Pooh admits to being foolish and deluded, but Christopher Robin tells him he’s the best bear in the world. The story is available as a downloadable ebook in PDF format for reading offline or printing.
Snow-white and Rose-red: The story is about two girls named Snow-white and Rose-red, they lived alone with their widowed mother in a cottage. One day, a bear came to their house, and they took good care of him. The bear visited them regularly and became their friend. One day, the bear left and went into the forest to guard his treasures from the wicked dwarfs who steal during the summer. Later, the girls encounter the dwarf who got stuck while fishing and when they tried to help him, he was ungrateful. The girls later encountered the dwarf again, and he was being attacked by a bear. It turns out that the bear was a prince who was cursed, and after he was freed, Snow-white married him and Rose-red married his brother. They all lived happily ever after, dividing the treasure between them.
Sparrow’s search for the rain: In a village near the sea, a young woman seeks a partner who can amuse and interest her as she grows tired of suitors with small minds. When the great warriors Whirlwind and Rain are banished from the village, their absence causes drought and hardship. The animals and birds try to locate them, but it is only a determined sparrow who finally finds and wakes them. They return to the village and bring life-giving rain and wind, and the sparrow is forever treated with respect for his successful search.
The bad little goblin’s New Year: In this story, a nasty little goblin named Midnight plays pranks on animals of the forest until they chase him away to a cellar in a house. There, he becomes friends with children and helps them find lost objects. On New Year’s Day, he turns into a golden dancing flame and brings joy to all the animals and children. He continues to dance and help others every day and brings happiness all around. The story ends with the children saying that it feels like a Happy New Year every day when the goblin is around.

In conclusion, the Top 80 Stories for 2nd Graders is a fantastic collection that captures the hearts and minds of young readers. These tales, filled with valuable lessons and exciting adventures, provide an opportunity for children to improve their reading skills while also fostering a love for literature. As each story unfolds, readers will be enthralled by the vibrant characters and imaginative worlds encountered, allowing them to embark on their own literary adventures right from the comfort of home. Encouraging kids to read online makes accessing these wonderful stories easier than ever, ensuring that these cherished tales continue to inspire and delight the young and young at heart for generations to come.