The Water Lily, The Gold Spinners

The Water Lily, The Gold Spinners gathers old Estonian fairy tales, collected and edited by Andrew Lang, read slowly and softly for sleep.

Lang put this collection together in the late 1800s, translating folk stories from the Baltic countryside into English for readers back home. Like the story collections he's better known for, it takes tales once told aloud by the fireside and turns them into short, simple stories about hard tasks and the quiet courage that wins out in the end. Two of the best-loved stories in the set give the book its name.

It's a natural pick for listeners who love classic fairy tales and old-world folklore — fans of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, or Lang's own Fairy Books series will feel right at home. There are no big scares here, just the steady, familiar rhythm of once-upon-a-time.

Elizabeth Grace narrates at a slow, bedtime pace, letting the old Estonian tales carry you off before the last one ends.