Stories

Suggested Stories by Age

Choose stories that match your age, interests, and growing abilities — and allow them to stretch you

Great stories do more than entertain. They shape thinking, build character, and expand vision. You may find these stories in your local library or online. Some have been adapted into films or animated features.

As you read or watch, ask:

  • What question drives this story?
  • What values are being tested?
  • What changed in the main character?
  • What can I apply to my own life?

🌟Ages 4-7

Listening, Imagination, Early Character Building
Simple narratives. Clear lessons. Strong visual storytelling.

A. Classic & Illustrated Stories

  • The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
  • Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
  • Anansi the Spider: A tale from the Ashanti – Gerald McDermott

B. Aesop’s Fables (Short & Clear)

  • The Lion and the Mouse
  • The Tortoise and the Hare

Focus Themes: Kindness • Courage • Friendship • Patience

🌿Ages 8-12

Curiosity, Responsibility, Problem-Solving
Longer stories. Moral tension. Discussion-ready.

A. Character & Values

  • The Giving Tree – Shell Silverstein
  • Folk Tales – Hugh Vernon-Jackson
  • Coyote, the Trickster – J.N. Baker

B. Aesop’s Fables

  • The Boy Who Cried Wolf
  • The Fox and the Grapes
  • The Ant and the Grasshopper

C. Subject-Based Stories

  • Courage: Rival Gladiators – Scott O’Dell
  • Gratitude: Last Stop on Market Street – Matt de la Peña
  • Accountability: What If Everybody Did That? – Ellen Javernick
  • Self Control: A Better Way (a story of Henri Dunant) – Gretchen Woelfle

Focus Themes: Responsibility • Integrity • Effort • Consequences • Growth

🚀Ages 8-12

Leadership, Identity, Purpose
These stories and projects challenge you to think deeply, act courageously, and take responsibility for the world around you.

A. Subject-Based Stories

  • Compassion: Wonder – R. J. Palacio
  • Forgiveness: Les Misérables – Victor Hugo
  • Gratitude: “Wanted – A Real Mother” – Margaret Eggleston
  • Honor: High Treason – Orison Marden
  • Honor: The Indian Blanket (story about Jacob Hamblin – Glen Rounds
  • Loyalty: Presidential Powers – Carl Sandburg
  • Love: Richest Sheaves – Carl Sandburg
  • Love: The Story Behind the Story – Norman Vincent Peale
  • Humility:  The Bronze Bow – Elizabeth George Speare
  • Humility: A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
  • Humility: The Hiding Place: Corrie ten Boom
  • Justice: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Mildred Taylor
  • Leadership: Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
  • Values: The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton
  • Virtue: The Scarlet Pimpernel – Baroness Orczy
  • Work: Up from Slavery – Booker T. Washington
  • Work: The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 
  • Work: The Reward (story about Marie Curie) – Marion Downer
  • Worth of Individuals: Wonder – R. J. Palacio
  • Worth of Individuals: To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
  • Worth of Individuals: The Soldier’s Reprieve- Rensselaer David Chanceford Robin

B. Discovery Based Stories

  • 🔎 Adventure Quests. Identify a real need, investigate it. Design and implement a solution.
  • 🌍 Cultural Storytelling. Preserve heritage. Interview elders. Document traditions. Share stories that strengthen identity.
  • 🎙 Peer Collaboration Narratives. Co-create podcasts, digital presentations, and story-driven investigations with learners
  • 🛠 Community Problem-Solving Stories. Tell the story of a real challenge — and the journey toward improvement.

Focus Themes: Leadership • Moral Courage • Personal Identity • Contribution • Service

At this stage of life, you are not just discovering who you are. You are deciding who you will become. Stories become a mirror. Projects become who you will become. Service becomes leadership in action.

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