Vera Bock

Tale Summary Once upon a time there was a beloved king who had everything his heart could desire, including an ordinary looking donkey which produced bushels of gold pieces from its ears every night. After many years of prosperity, the king suffered the loss of his wife, who begged him...

Tale Summary There was once a boy named Bobino, who was the only son of a rich merchant, and had arrived home after being sent to study with a master to learn all sorts of foreign languages. He walked one evening in the garden with his father, when the sparrows...

Tale Summary There was once a king and queen who wished dearly for a child, and one day while the woman was sitting alone by the side of a waterfall a crab began to speak and told her that her wish would be granted. The queen consented to be led...

Tale Summary Once upon a time there was a girl whose father made her work hard every day, and one morning she was sent out to collect firewood. After she had made a large bundle, she stopped to pick a sprig of rosemary for herself, but it would not budge...

Tale Summary There was once a beautiful princess who lived locked up by her father, as he feared that something would happen to the daughter he loved so dearly. One day, the girl complained to her nurse, who was a witch and told her to ask her father for a...

Tale Summary There was once a rich merchant with three sons, and one day the eldest requested that he be able to take leave and see the world. He sailed to a large town, where he saw a notice saying that if any man could find the king’s daughter within...

Tale Summary There once lived a charcoal burner and his wife, who were very poor and destitute. One evening, the king was hunting nearby when he heard sobbing coming from within their hut, and stopped to listen. He learned they were poor and starving, and heard the woman say that...