Stories for liberal religious kids
These are stories that I wrote for liberal religious kids (and adults), and which have been used either in worship services, or on Sunday school classes, or both. Some of these stories are polished final drafts, some are rougher drafts. In February, 2010, I revised all existing stories (and in many cases completely rewrote them), adding more than 20 new stories. I continue to add stories; they usually appear on my blog before being added here.
Other online resources: Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) got permission from copyright holders to put 33 children's stories on liberal religious topics online. Jump to CLF story links. Two classic storybooks by Sophia Fahs are available in a "limited preview" on Google Books: From Long Ago and Many Lands, and Jesus the Carpenter's Son.
Jewish stories and tales
From the Hebrew Bible:
In the Beginning (Genesis)
The story of Moses, from the Hebrew Bible:
1. Moses and Pharaoh (Exodus)
2. Moses and the Golden Calf (Exodus)
(to be continued)
The story of David, from the Hebrew Bible:
1. David and Goliath
2. Saul and David
3. Abigail and David
(to be continued)
Tales from the Talmud and other Jewish sources:
The Rabbi Who Prayed
The Backwards Alphabet
Standing on One Foot
The Fox and the Fish
The Basket of Grapes
Stories from the life of Jesus
Miracle stories about Jesus' birth:
Two Miracle Birth Stories of Jesus
The Magi (Epiphany)
Stories from Jesus' ministry:
Gathering Grain
Who’s Your Neighbor?
The Empty Jar
Feeding Five Thousand People
The last week of Jesus' life:
Entering Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)
A Few Copper Coins
Who's the Greatest?
Jesus in Jerusalem (Easter)
Stories from the lives of Buddha
Jataka tales, stories from Buddha's earlier incarnations:
The Frightened Rabbit
The Quails and the Net
The Little Tree-Spirit
The life of Siddhartha Gautama, also called the Buddha:
The Miracle Birth of Buddha
Buddha Teaches Meditation
Visakha’s Sorrow
Folk tales, fairy tales, and myths
Contemporary fairy tales:
The Children Who Went to Work
Rumplestiltskin
African folk tales and myths:
Anansi and His Six Sons (West African)
European folk tales and myths:
The Flourishing Staff (based on AT type 576)
Native American folk tales and myths:
The Creation of the World (Northern Ohlone)
Tales from the east
India: Hinduism:
Arjuna and Krisha
China: Taoism:
A Bird Called P'eng
The Tale of the Useless Tree
Frog in a Well
China: Confucianism:
The Miracle Birth of Confucius
Japan: Buddhism:
The Shattered Tea Cup (an interpretation of Zen Buddhism)
Middle East: Islam:
The Man, the House, and the Cat (Sufi)
Miracles at the Birth of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Tales of Unitarians and Universalists
Jo March's "Mood Pillow" (Louisa May Alcott)
P. T. Barnum and His Elephant
Fannie Farmer
Rapt in a Revery (Henry Thoreau)
John Murray’s life:
John Murray's Miracle
John Murray and the Rock
Theodore Parker’s life:
Theodore Parker and the Turtle
Theodore Parker's Loaded Pistol
In the Elevator (explaining what we believe)
Stories for the worship year:
Stories for the Guest at Your Table program (Thanksgiving to Christmas)
The Old Story of Thanksgiving
The Candles of Christmas Eve
How's Your Heart? (Valentine's Day)
Introduction to child dedications
Maja Capek and the Story of the Flower Celebration (or Flower Communion)
The Golden Memory Box (end of the Sunday school year)
Children's stories on the CLF Web site
The Web site of the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) has lots of stories as part of their "Between Sundays" online curriculum. Below you'll find links to nearly all the stories used in this curriculum, sorted here by topic. Stories with an asterisk * were written by or for CLF.
Hebrew Bible, Jewish
A Great Miracle (story of Hannukah from Special Times by Betty Jo Middleton)
Jonah and the Whale (from Timeless Themes by Gowdy, Moore, and Skwire)
Moses
Moses in the Bulrushes (from Timeless Themes by Gowdy, Moore, and Skwire)
Moses and the Burning Bush (from Timeless Themes by Gowdy, Moore, and Skwire)
Let My People Go (Moses, from Timeless Themes by Gowdy, Moore, and Skwire)
A Free People (plagues to Red Sea, from Special Times by Betty Jo Middleton)
The Ten Commandments (from Timeless Themes by Gowdy, Moore, and Skwire)
Jesus, Christian scriptures
Birth of Jesus (from From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Fahs)
The Very Short Rule (Golden Rule, From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Fahs)
God Is Like a Father (from Hide and Seek with God by Mary Ann Moore)
Buddha, Buddhism
Birth of Buddha (from From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Fahs)
Two Selfish Kings (from From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Fahs)
Miscellaneous cultures
Birth of Confucius (from From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Fahs)
The Chief of the Well (Haiti / West Africa) *
The Road to Olelpanti (North American Indian) *
The Half-Boy of Borneo (from Old Tales for a New Day by Fahs and Cobb)
Hinduism, India
Krishna, Champion of the Oppressed (based on an unpublished manucript by Sophia Fahs)
A Musician and His Trumpet (from From Long Ago and Many Lands by Sophia Fahs)
Unitarian Universalists and Unitarian Universalism
Samuel May (prominent abolitionist and Unitarian minister) *
Elizabeth Blackwell (early woman doctor and Unitarian) *
Whitney Young (UU social justice, from Living in the Wind by Denise Tracy)
Amos Seaman (Universalist) *
The Story of the Flaming Chalice *
Stefania's Story (about being a UU kid when there aren't many other UUkids around)
The Boy Who Collected Beetles (Charles Darwin, from A Stepping Stone Year by Gooding)
About God
Hide and Seek with God (what is God?)
Mystery of God (God is like a puzzle)
God Is in Each One of Us (God within)
Being with God in Prayer (God and prayer)
The Spirit of God Is There When Someone Dies (God and death)
Stories in this section from Hide and Seek with God by Mary Ann Moore.
Life Issues
The Grumps (from Treasure Hunting by Ellen Schneider)
Mark
and Paul (teasing) *
Children's Crusade (about Martin Luther King) *