Listening Story + Read Along Text; The Stonecutter (Japanese Folktale)

Tale Time re-tells this classic Japanese folktale.

Great for lower and upper KS2 whole class listening or small group listening. Ideal for children with additional needs, especially children with dyslexia or reluctant readers.

This traditional tale from Asia tells of a Stonecutter who, unhappy with his lot, wishes to be the Mayor. Through the magic of story, his wish comes true. But the Stonecutter is never satisfied, he then wants to be King and when he sees the Sun has power over him, he sets his sights higher. The Stonecutter becomes the sun, a cloud, then a mountain and finally ends up right back where he started.

The Stonecutter audio story for children is just over seven minutes in length.

This circular story could be a great starter for a philosophy lesson, or a circle time discussion on desire and happiness. Or why not use it to start a drama lesson?

Tale Time audio stories are a fun way to bring more storytelling into the classroom. We’d love to hear how you used this story and what you thought about it and we’re always keen to improve our resources, please do feedback.