Cinderella
▶ Listen to the free preview — no account neededPlays in your browser; nothing to install. Full story $3.99 with a free account, yours to keep.
About this story
A girl kept in the kitchen and named for the ashes she sleeps beside; a royal ball she is not allowed to attend; a godmother with a wand and a warning about midnight. Cinderella is the most retold fairy tale in the world, and this short production keeps the version families know best — the pumpkin coach, the glass slipper, the clock striking twelve.
It is abridged for young listeners, about three minutes long, with a separate voice for Cinderella, her stepmother, the stepsisters, the fairy godmother, the prince and the herald who carries the slipper from house to house. Children can follow who is speaking without a narrator having to say so, and the pace is quick enough for a bedtime that is already running late.
It plays with a cozy hearth ambience, and the words appear on screen as they are spoken — a gentle read-along for early readers. The Spanish edition tells the same story in Spanish, so bilingual families can listen in either language and switch the on-screen text to the other.
The cast
- Narrator
- Cinderella
- Stepmother
- Stepsisters
- Fairy Godmother
- Prince
- Herald
How this was made
This is a full-cast production, not a single narrator reading a book. Each character has its own voice, the lines are directed for pace and emotion, and the story plays inside a live sound environment — a crackling hearth and a quiet cottage — that shifts as the scenes change. The voices are synthetic (high-quality text-to-speech, directed by people), and the words appear on screen as they are spoken, so you can read along or follow in a second language.
Questions
Is this suitable for young children?
Yes. It is rated 6+, about three minutes long, and keeps the familiar happy ending — no cut-off toes from the Grimm version.
Is this the whole story?
It is a short retelling written for listening, not a word-for-word reading of Perrault or Grimm.
How much does it cost?
The opening is free to hear right now, no account needed. The full story is $3.99, a one-time purchase with a free account that stays in your library. Several stories on this site are free in full.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Press Play and it opens in your browser. It works on iPhone, iPad, Android and desktop.
Can I read along?
Yes. The text is highlighted word by word as it is spoken, and you can switch the on-screen text to Spanish while listening in English (or the other way round).
Source and rights
Based on the classic fairy tale as told by Charles Perrault ("Cendrillon", 1697) and the Brothers Grimm ("Aschenputtel", 1812), both in the public domain. Abridged and directed by ImmersivePage. Cover art created for this edition.
