This story is inspired by a true story, reported in the New York Times on May 10, 1987, about a Manhattan community that joined together to build a neighborhood playground designed by local schoolchildren. The article,…

A story from A Lamp in Every Corner: Our Unitarian Universalist Storybook (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2004). Read or tell the story….

A contemporary story by Elisa Davy Pearmain, based on the Jewish tradition of the Passover Seder. Before telling the story, set out a goblet for Elijah and invite a child to go and open the meeting room’s door. These actions are customary during a Passover Seder. Once upon a time a there lived a…

From Our Seven Principles in Story and Verse: A Collection for Children and Adults by Kenneth Collier (Boston: Skinner House Books, 1997). Used with permission. Read or tell the story. Here is a new story about Coyote. One day it occurred to him that he didn’t need any of the other creatures….

Read or tell the story. Have you ever had to give something away that you really loved? This is a story about a little girl who gave away a puppy she really loved because she made the decision to help someone else….

Do you remember your first day of school? I remember mine. Your parents and grandparents probably remember their first days, too. Probably everyone remembers, no matter how long ago it was. Going to a new place and starting something new can be exciting… and sometimes a little scary….

Read or tell the story. Once upon a time a girl named Maya was playing in her front yard with her big sister and some of her sister’s friends, while her father watched from the kitchen window. Soon Maya’s friend Annie came along and wanted to join in the game. Maya’s big sister and her friends…

This telling of “St. Francis and the Wolf” was written by John Feister, editor of AmericanCatholic.org, based on the story recorded by Thomas of Celano during the 13th century. Read or tell the story. Perhaps the most famous story of St. Francis is when he tamed the wolf that was terrorizing the…

The story, “The Bremen Town Musicians,” was told by the brothers Grimm in Germany, in the early 1800s. This session comes from Gail Forsyth-Vail’s book, Stories In Faith: Exploring Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources Through Wisdom Tales (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association,…

On Steve’s sixth birthday, many people gave him gifts. His mother gave him a chess set and promised to teach him how to play after dinner. His grandfather gave him a black rope that was twenty-five feet long and would be good for making forts and building bridges and all kinds of things….

From Stories in Faith: Exploring Our UU Principles and Sources Through Wisdom Tales (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2007). Once upon a time, there lived a rich and vain young squire. Servants prepared his favorite foods each day. His every wish was granted. One of the young man’s…

Inspired by “The Widow’s Mite,” a parable from Christian scripture. Read or tell the story. In a little village near Jerusalem, a long time ago, there was an old woman who didn’t have much money. She grew her own fruit and vegetables and had a chicken that gave her eggs. One day, she was walking…

A story from China. Sophia Lyon Fahs, From Long Ago and Many Lands. Read or tell the story. Long, long ago in the land of China there lived a very old grandfather, named Chang Kung, who had a very large family. First, there were Chang Kung’s own sons….

Nelson was worried. He had been worried about something all week and this afternoon, it was going to happen. During clean-up at church school, he decided to talk to his teacher, Lilia. “Nelson, is everything okay?” she asked. “Well, not really….

A story from A Lamp in Every Corner: Our Unitarian Universalist Storybook (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2004). Read or tell the story. There once was a farm in a valley that was practically perfect in every way, except that it had no rooster to crow at the crack of dawn, and so…

From From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Lyon Fahs, second edition (Boston: Skinner House, 1995). Read or tell the story. When Jesus came into town, someone who knew him was sure to pass the word around….