Stories in Short

The oldest surviving heroic legend in English begins with a wild creature of the fens that hunts men for prey.

‘Beowulf’ is the oldest surviving epic in English. Set in Scandinavia, it tells of a hero who pays off a debt of honour, by helping a family friend to rid his neighbourhood of a wretched but deadly enemy.

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A giant gets angry when he finds children playing in his garden.

A giant has been staying with his friend the Cornish ogre; but after seven years he has run out of conversation, and come home.

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An excited English gentleman hires a ship for a treasure-hunt, but doesn’t check his crew’s credentials.

When a treasure-map falls into his excited hands, Squire Trelawny can’t wait to go treasure-hunting on distant seas. So he hires a crew of experienced sailors, without asking what kind of ship they gained their experience on...

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Tolkien’s tale of dragons, magic rings and enchanted gold is one of the masterpieces of English literature.

A Hobbit (Tolkien’s own mythological invention) is like a Man but much shorter, with furry feet, and he is content with an uneventful rural life. But Mr Bilbo Baggins was about to be sent on an Adventure, when all he wanted was breakfast.

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Mrs Tabby White thought she’d try some of the clever things her humans did.

Mrs White does everything she can for her kittens, but she can’t do what her humans do, and she starts to wonder if she’s a failure as a mother.

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Ruth Lorimer’s strangely comfortless life changes when she finds a scruffy little cat on the stairs, but not everyone is pleased.

Little Ruth Lorimer has nice toys and a nice house, but she is dreadfully lonely. Then one day a scruffy little cat brings some warmth into her life.

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