Classic story

The Farmer and the Badger

A Japanese tale
4 chapters
about 14 min

Listen freeOur AI voices · free account Listen freeOpen it in your library In your voiceWith a paid plan →In your voiceWith a paid plan →

Read an excerpt

An old farmer lives in the mountains with his wife, but their peace is constantly disturbed by a malicious badger who spoils their crops every night. Determined to stop the nuisance, the farmer sets a trap and successfully captures the wicked animal. He ties the badger up in his storehouse and leaves for work, instructing his kind-hearted wife not to let him escape because he plans to cook him for soup. The trapped badger, fearing for his life, uses flattery and deceit to persuade the simple old woman to untie him. Once free, the treacherous creature murders the farmer's wife and disguises himself as her to await the farmer's return. When the farmer comes home, the badger reveals his true form and escapes, leaving the man in deep despair over his loss. A kind rabbit living nearby hears of the tragedy and vows to avenge the innocent woman. The rabbit befriends the suspicious badger under the guise of companionship, tricking him into carrying a bundle of dry grass on his back. He then sets the bundle on fire, burning the badger's back while pretending it is just part of the mountain's name. Later, the rabbit applies a painful ointment to the burns, causing the badger immense suffering for his crimes. Finally, the rabbit invites the badger fishing and gives him a boat made of clay instead of wood. During their race, the clay boat dissolves in the water, and the rabbit strikes it with his oar, causing the badger to drown. The farmer is comforted by the news of the villain's defeat and welcomes the brave rabbit to live with him. Thus, justice is served, and peace is finally restored to the mountain home.

How it begins

Long, long ago, there lived an old farmer and his wife who had made their home in the mountains, far from any town. Their only neighbor was a bad and malicious badger. This badger used to come out every night and run across to the farmer's field and spoil the vegetables and the rice which the farmer spent his time in carefully cultivating. The badger at last grew so ruthless in his mischievous work, and did so much harm everywhere on the farm, that the good-natured farmer could not stand it any longer, and determined to put a stop to it. So he lay in wait day after day and night after night, with a big club, hoping to catch…

Every story, fully told

No recording needed: every story comes with all of this, on every plan — the free preview included.

A voice for every character
The narrator tells the story, and each character speaks in an AI voice of their own, so you always know who is talking.
The mood of every line
The reading follows the mood of each line: quicker when something exciting happens, slower when it's sad or sleepy, with pauses that let the big moments land.
Pictures of every place
Each chapter is illustrated with the places where it happens — a forest, a castle, a little cottage — and the pictures change as the story moves on.
Read along
The words light up as they are spoken, each speaker appears beside their lines, and music plays in the background.

Paid plan

Your AI voice, for any character

Record one short passage, then choose who reads in your AI voice: just the narrator, a few characters or the whole cast. The others keep their own AI voices, and only the parts in your voice use your plan's monthly rendering time.

Listen free Listen free

The Farmer and the Badger

How it begins

Every story, fully told

A voice for every character

The mood of every line

Pictures of every place

Read along

Your AI voice, for any character

More stories like this