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1. The hungry dragon
Deep in the mountains lived a dragon. Every hundred years he wakes up. He is very hungry.
‘I want some breakfast,’ he said.
He went down the mountain to the village. He saw a boy.
‘Yum, a boy for breakfast!’
‘Don’t eat me!’ said Sia. ‘I’ll give you some food.’
Sia took the dragon to his house. He ate three plates of chicken and rice.
‘I’m still hungry,’ said the dragon.
Sia gave the dragon more food. He ate five plates of noodles and ten sausages. He was still hungry!
They went to the restaurant. The dragon ate twenty meatballs and fifty fish balls with twelve plates of sticky rice.
After that he ate six puddings and a cake. He was still hungry!
They went to the shop. The dragon ate all the fruit and vegetables: mangoes and cabbages, tomatoes, mushrooms and beans.
He was still a bit hungry! Sia looked in his pocket. There was one sweet. He gave the sweet to the dragon.
The dragon exploded!
‘Hooray!’ shouted Sia. ‘The dragon is gone! No more boys for breakfast!’
2. The greedy hippo
There was a greedy hippo. He ate everything in sight.
From cheese to peas, chips and cake, he always had a bite.
Now Hippo he was selfish. He ate everybody’s food.
He ate the cat’s, the dog’s, the cow’s. He was very, very rude.
One morning after breakfast, he jumped into the lake.
One big splash and he was stuck. That was a big mistake.
The hippo he sank deeper, then began to shout.
The animals all pulled and pulled, as hard as they were able.
Out he popped, ran past them all and ate everything on their table.
The animals were angry, and thought they’d play a trick.
They made a pie from fish and soap to make old Hippo sick.
‘Here you are, we’ve made a pie, especially for you.’
‘Thanks,’ he said, ‘I’ll eat it now. I’ve nothing else to do.’
First a nibble, then a bite, then a great big swallow.
He then went back into the lake, the place he loved to wallow.
But something wasn’t right, thought Hippo, ‘I feel quite odd inside.’
Now he had a tummy ache as the cooks looked on with pride.
Hippo learned his lesson. It was the end of all their troubles.
He was last seen leaving town, blowing fishy bubbles.
3. The lazy bear
It’s spring in the forest. The snow has gone, leaves are growing and the animals are waking up.
Bruno the bear is still asleep. He doesn’t know that it’s spring.
‘Listen! Bruno is snoring!’
Now it’s summer. It’s warm and the animals are having lots of fun. But where’s Bruno?
Bruno is still asleep. He doesn’t know that it’s summer.
Now it’s autumn. The leaves are turning red, yellow and orange. The animals are getting ready for winter. But where’s Bruno?
Bruno is still asleep. He doesn’t know that it’s autumn.
Now it’s winter. You can’t see the animals. They’re all asleep in their warm homes. But where’s Bruno?
‘What a nice, long sleep. Snow! It’s winter! I’m all alone.’
It’s spring again. The animals are very happy. They’re having a party. But where’s Bruno?
‘Bruno!’
Bruno is awake at last. Now he knows that it’s spring.
4. The ugly duckling
Mummy Duck lived on a farm. In her nest, she had five little eggs and one big egg. One day, the five little eggs started to crack.
Tap, tap, tap! Five pretty, yellow baby ducklings came out.
Then the big egg started to crack. Bang, bang, bang! One big, ugly duckling came out. ‘That’s strange,’ thought Mummy Duck.
Nobody wanted to play with him. ‘Go away,’ said his brothers and sisters. ‘You’re ugly!’
The ugly duckling was sad. So he went to find some new friends.
‘Go away!’ said the pig.
‘Go away!’ said the sheep.
‘Go away!’ said the cow.
‘Go away!’ said the horse.
No one wanted to be his friend. It started to get cold. It started to snow! The ugly duckling found an empty barn and lived there. He was cold, sad and alone.
Then spring came. The ugly duckling left the barn and went back to the pond. He was very thirsty and put his beak into the water. He saw a beautiful, white bird! ‘Wow!’ he said. ‘Who’s that?’
‘It’s you,’ said another beautiful, white bird.
‘Me? But I’m an ugly duckling.’
‘Not any more. You’re a beautiful swan, like me. Do you want to be my friend?’
‘Yes,’ he smiled.
All the other animals watched as the two swans flew away, friends forever.
5. Ali and the magic carpet
One very hot day Ali finds a carpet in his uncle’s shop.
‘What’s this?’
Suddenly the carpet jumps! It moves and flies off into the air.
‘Hey! What’s happening?’
A loud booming voice comes from the carpet.
‘Welcome, O master. I am a magic carpet.’
First they fly high up into the sky and then they land in a jungle. It is hot and wet and it’s raining.
‘It’s raining! Yuck!’
Then they fly to the desert. It is very, very hot and dry.
‘It is very, very hot today!’
After that they fly to the South Pole. There is lots of ice and snow. It’s freezing.
‘Brrr!’
‘Where are we now? I can’t see!’
‘In the mountains. Can you see me?’
‘It’s very foggy.’
Then they fly to a forest. It’s very windy there.
‘Oh, it’s windy in the forest!’
Then they fly to an island in the sea. There is thunder and lightning.
‘Aaagh! Let’s go home!’
‘What a storm!’
Finally they fly back home. The carpet lands in the shop and Ali gets off.
‘Wow! What an adventure!’
Story by Sue Clarke
6. Angel! Look out!
Angel and his grandpa live on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Grandpa is tired.
‘I’m going to sleep now, Angel. Be good, and don’t go past the coral!
There are lots of dangerous animals out there.’
‘Hi, Angel. What are you doing?’
‘I’m bored. Grandpa is asleep.’
‘Do you want to come and play?’
‘Yes, let’s go!’
‘Look, Turtle! A ball!’
‘Look out! That isn’t a ball! It’s a dangerous octopus! Swim!’
‘Angel! Look out! There’s a dangerous fish behind you! Angel, you must be careful here. You’ve got to stay with me!’
‘I’m sorry, Turtle. Look! I’ve got a present for you.’
‘Aargh! This is a dangerous cone shell! Drop it quickly, Angel!’
‘I’m tired, Turtle. Can we rest here?’
‘Don’t sit here, Angel! There’s a dangerous sea snake! Quick! Swim!’
‘Where are we?’
‘I don’t know. I think we’re lost. Look out, Angel! That’s a box jellyfish! Swim!’
‘Look out, Turtle! A dangerous animal is behind you!’
‘That’s not a dangerous animal. It’s Doug. He’s my friend.’
‘Hello, Doug. We’re lost. Can you help us?’
‘Yes, I can help you. I’ll take you home.’
‘Hello, Angel.’
‘Hello, Grandpa.’
‘Oh, you’ve been a very good fish, Angel. Here’s a present for you.’
‘Thanks, Grandpa!’
Story by Kim Ashmore
7. Buzz and Bob’s big adventure
This is Buzz and her cousin Bob. They are going on holiday to an adventure camp.
‘Hello, I’m Buzz and I love adventure sports.’
‘Hello, I’m Bob. I can do everything.’
Buzz and Bob arrive at the camp. Buzz is very excited.
‘Look, Bob! What shall we do first?’
On Monday they ride BMX bikes.
‘Whee, this is great!’
‘Be careful, Bob!’
On Tuesday they go rock climbing.
‘Look out for the rocks, Bob!’
‘Ouch!’
Buzz helps Bob to the top.
On Wednesday they go rafting. Bob is very scared. His face goes green.
‘Come on, Bob. This is great!’
On Thursday Buzz and Bob go caving in an underground cave. There are lots of bats.
‘It’s dark in here! I don’t like bats.’
On Friday they go surfing. They do surfing tricks.
‘Look at me! I’m a great surfer.’
‘Oh no, you’re not!’
On Saturday they go parachuting. They jump and fall through the air but… Oh no! Something is
wrong. Can you save Bob?
‘Buzz! Help me!’
Buzz catches Bob. They float down to earth.
‘Thanks, Buzz. You saved me!’
‘Well done, Buzz. You are very brave. Your special prize is a bungee jump.’
‘Great! Here I go. One … two … three … Whee!’
Story by Sue Clarke
8. Circus escape
Billy was getting excited. It was the day of the circus! Billy loved the circus – all the animals and the people. It was so much fun!
At eight o’clock Billy and his parents arrived at the huge red and white striped tent called the ‘Big Top’.
The ringmaster shouted with his huge booming voice, ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!’
Then the lights went up to the top of the tent and Billy saw a man and a woman dressed in sparkly clothes balancing on a huge swing. They flew through the air. ‘Ooooo!’ shouted the people every time they flew. It was very, very exciting.
A door opened and the lions bounced into the ring – there were six of them all looking huge and fierce and dangerous. The man in the middle was the lion tamer. Billy watched as he put his head in the biggest lion’s mouth. ‘Ooooo!’ shouted the people in horror and amazement.
After the lions came the clowns. They were wearing brightly coloured clothes – blue and yellow and red with spots of green. They had red noses and painted faces and funny red hair. They fell over, told lots of jokes and did lots of very silly things.
‘Ha, ha, ha!’ laughed the people – and Billy laughed too.
Finally the elephants arrived in the ring – there were three enormous grey elephants and one smaller one. The small one balanced on one leg and did lots of tricks.
Then it stopped and looked up at Billy. ‘Hello,’ said Billy to the elephant. ‘I’m Billy.’
‘I’m Minny,’ replied the elephant to Billy’s surprise.
Then suddenly the small elephant turned around and ran towards the door of the tent. It ran out of the tent into the street and off into the town. All the people rushed out of the circus tent screaming,
‘Aagh! The elephant – it’s escaped!’
‘Help!’ cried the ringmaster. ‘Minny the elephant has escaped!’
Minny was a very happy elephant. It was the first time she had been out of the circus! It felt good to be free!
She ran along the main street towards the main square. She saw the fountain in the middle of the square. She climbed into the big fountain and sat down in the water.
People tried to walk by but Minny sprayed water at them using her huge trunk! ‘Oh, this is much more fun than the circus!’ cried Minny.
After a while Minny decided to explore. She went along the street and into the big supermarket. All the people who saw Minny ran out of the supermarket screaming! Minny had a wonderful time – she helped herself to the bananas and scoffed a large chocolate cake, ten packets of biscuits and a large number of buns.
When she had finished eating Minny decided to explore again so she went out into the street. In the distance Minny saw a big house, but there was something strange about it – there was a red light all around it.
Minny got nearer to the house and then she heard the people in the house shouting and screaming.
‘Help!’ they shouted. ‘Save us!’
Minny rushed into the garden opposite the house. There was a big pond with lots of water. She put her trunk in the water and took in as much water as she could. Then she rushed over to the house and sprayed the house with water. She did this many times and the flames and fire died away.
From the top window Minny could see a small boy. He opened the window and Minny took him out of the house using her trunk.
‘Minny!’ he cried. ‘It’s me!’
‘Hello, Billy,’ said the elephant.
‘You saved me!’ cried Billy. ‘You are the bravest elephant in the world!’
Billy’s mother and father came rushing out of the house. They couldn’t believe what they saw! Billy was safe and their house was safe – and all because of an elephant.
The next day all the people in the town made a crowd outside the town hall. They gave Minny the elephant a special medal. Billy rode around the square on Minny’s back, waving and smiling at all the people.
They went slowly back to the circus to rejoin the other elephants. Minny was so happy that she never wanted to escape from the circus again.
Story by Sue Clarke
9. I’m too ill
‘I’m too ill to sleep,’ said Siriwat.
‘Have a drink,’ said his dad.
‘Ouch, it hurts! I’m too ill to drink.’
Siriwat had a sore throat.
‘Oh dear,’ said his dad. ‘Here is some medicine.’
‘I’m too ill to take it.’
Next morning he had a headache.
‘Ouch, ouch! It hurts!’
‘Medicine?’
‘No, I’m too ill.’
By midday Siriwat had a tummy ache.
‘Ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts!’
‘Oh dear,’ said his dad.
By evening he had earache.
‘Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts!’
‘Oh dear,’ said his dad. ‘I’m calling the doctor.’
‘I’m too ill to see the doctor,’ said Siriwat.
But the doctor arrived. ‘High temperature!’ she said. ‘Take this medicine.’
‘Good morning, Dad!’ called Siriwat the next day. ‘I feel much better now!’
10. The lucky seed
A long time ago, a farmer took a big bag of seeds to sell at the market.
Suddenly, his cart’s wheel hit a big stone. Bump! One of the seeds fell out of the bag and onto the hot, dry ground.
‘I’m scared!’ said the seed. ‘I need to be safe under the soil.’
Just then, a buffalo walked on the seed and pushed it into the ground.
‘I’m thirsty!’ said the seed. ‘I need some water to help me grow.’
Just then, it started to rain.
The next morning the seed had a little green shoot. All day it sat in the sun and grew taller and taller.
The next day it had its first leaf. This helped it to catch sunlight and grow.
That evening a hungry bird tried to eat it, but the seed had roots to help it stay in the ground.
Many years of sunshine and rain passed. The seed became a plant and then the plant became a tree.
11. The bird king
All the animals in the jungle had a king. The birds were jealous. They wanted a king too.
‘Let me be king. Look at my wonderful colours!’ said the beautiful parakeet.
‘No, no,’ said the myna. ‘I can speak and talk to the other animals. I should be king.’
‘And I have a fantastic beak!’ said Toucan. ‘I want to be the bird king.’
‘I know,’ said the macaw. ‘Why don’t we have a competition? The bird who can fly the highest will be the bird king.’
Everyone thought this was an excellent idea, especially the eagle. ‘Make me king now,’ he said. ‘I am the strongest, and I can fly the highest.’
‘Ah,’ said a little voice. ‘But you might not win!’
‘Ha ha!’ laughed the eagle. ‘You can’t beat me, little sparrow!’
‘We’ll see,’ said the sparrow.
The race began, and all the birds flew high into the sky. They flew higher and higher, and the eagle flew the highest. ‘Ha! I told you!’ squawked the eagle. ‘I, I am the king!’
But the sparrow was hiding under the eagle’s wing. Suddenly, he flew higher than the eagle’s head. The sparrow was the highest bird of all! He won the competition! And the sparrow was the new bird king.
Today if you visit the countryside you can see the tree. It is big and strong and now makes seeds of its own.
Story by Kim Ashmore
12. My favourite clothes
‘What are you doing, Mum?’
‘I’m taking your old clothes to the charity shop.’
‘Wait! They still fit me. Look. Grandma knitted this jumper for me. It’s my favourite.
‘The slippers are still OK though. Peter bought me these for my birthday.
‘OK. Well, the trousers are fine. I got these for Christmas.’
‘Yes. Christmas 2002.’
‘Oh, why did I grow so much? I love these clothes. OK. You can take them.’
Fifteen minutes later
‘I didn’t take the clothes to the shop.’
‘Why not?’
‘On the way I found someone who really needed some new clothes.’
13. My dad
Hello, I’m Lottie. I’m ten years old. I live with my dad and my sister in England. I’m going to tell you about my dad.
This is my dad. His name is Paul. He’s 46 years old. His hair is black and grey. He’s got green eyes. I’ve got green eyes too!
My dad gets up early most days. He makes our breakfast, and sometimes he takes me to school. My dad’s making my breakfast in this picture.
My dad is a teacher. He doesn’t teach children. He teaches other people who work with him. Dad’s at work in this picture.
My dad gets home at 5 o’clock. Sometimes I help him cook our tea. In this picture I’m helping to make a pasta sauce.
After tea my dad sometimes helps me with my homework. He’s helping me with maths here. I like maths!
In the evening we sometimes watch TV. Or my dad reads. He loves reading. I love reading too!
At the weekend we do different things.
Sometimes we go to the library. I’m choosing some books here.
Sometimes at the weekend we go to the cinema, or to a concert. My dad loves music.
Sometimes the concerts are a bit boring.
It’s great living with my dad and my sister.
Story by Kim Ashmore
14. Eric the engine
One day there was a big storm. Lightning struck a mountain and a huge rock rolled onto the train line.
Seagull saw what happened. He called his friends: Rabbit, Fox and Mouse.
‘We must move it. The 10:15 London train will be here in one hour,’ said Rabbit.
The animals tried to move it.
They pushed and pushed but it would not move.
‘I know,’ said Fox. ‘Let’s get Eric the Engine. He’s stronger than all of us.’
‘There’s no time,’ said Mouse.
‘I’ll get him,’ shouted Seagull. ‘Help! There is a rock on the train line and the London train is coming very soon.’
Eric tooted his whistle and called his friends. All the engines gathered around. Eric was big and strong but not very fast. He asked the express trains to go ahead. ‘You go first. Then you,’ said Eric, and he sent his friends ahead. ‘I’ll follow you.’
The engines raced along, but the London train was getting closer.
The trains arrived. The two express trains pushed, but the rock wouldn’t move. The London train was coming over the hill.
Two more engines arrived and they pushed too. The rock moved a little but the London train was coming round the corner.
‘They can’t do it!’ said Mouse.
Then Eric arrived. He tooted his whistle and pushed with all his strength. He pushed the four engines and the four engines pushed the rock. Slowly the rock moved. Then it rolled faster and faster until it fell over the cliff.
The London train arrived. It raced past the engines and the animals, who were waiting on the other line. The train blew its horn, ‘Thaaaaank yooooou!’
نوجوان
1. The Lion and the Mouse
A lion was once sleeping in the jungle when a mouse started running up and down his body just for fun. This disturbed the lion’s sleep, and he woke up quite angry. He was about to eat the mouse when the mouse desperately requested the lion to set him free. “I promise you, I will be of great help to you someday if you save me.” The lion laughed at the mouse’s confidence and let him go.
One day, a few hunters came into the forest and took the lion with them. They tied him up against a tree. The lion was struggling to get out and started to whimper. Soon, the mouse walked past and noticed the lion in trouble. Quickly, he ran and gnawed on the ropes to set the lion free. Both of them sped off into the jungle.
Moral of the Story
A small act of kindness can go a long way.
2. Count Wisely
One day, king Akbar asked a question in his court that left everyone in the courtroom puzzled. As they all tried to figure out the answer, Birbal walked in and asked what the matter was. They repeated the question to him.
The question was, “How many crows are there in the city?”
Birbal immediately smiled and went up to Akbar. He announced the answer; he said there were twenty-one thousand, five hundred and twenty-three crows in the city. When asked how he knew the answer, Birbal replied, “Ask your men to count the number of crows.
If there are more, then the relatives of the crows must be visiting them from nearby cities. If there are fewer, then the crows from our city must be visiting their relatives who live outside the city.” Pleased with the answer, Akbar presented Birbal with a ruby and pearl chain.
Moral of the Story
Having an explanation for your answer is just as important as having an answer.
3. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
In a village, lived a carefree boy with his father. The boy’s father told him that he was old enough to watch over the sheep while they graze in the fields.
Every day, he had to take the sheep to the grassy fields and watch them as they graze. However, the boy was unhappy and didn’t want to take the sheep to the fields. He wanted to run and play, not watch the boring sheep graze in the field.
So, he decided to have some fun. He cried, “Wolf! Wolf!” until the entire village came running with stones to chase away the wolf before it could eat any of the sheep.
When the villagers saw that there was no wolf, they left muttering under their breath about how the boy had wasted their time.
The next day, the boy cried once more, “Wolf! Wolf!” and, again, the villagers rushed there to chase the wolf away.
The boy laughed at the fright he had caused. This time, the villagers left angrily.
The third day, as the boy went up the small hill, he suddenly saw a wolf attacking his sheep. He cried as hard as he could, “Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!”, but not a single villager came to help him.
The villagers thought that he was trying to fool them again and did not come to rescue him or his sheep.
The little boy lost many sheep that day, all because of his foolishness.
Moral of the Story
It is difficult to trust people who lie, so it’s important to always be truthful.
4. The Fox and the Stork
One day, a selfish fox invited a stork for dinner. Stork was very happy with the invitation – she reached the fox’s home on time and knocked at the door with her long beak. The fox took her to the dinner table and served some soup in shallow bowls for both of them. As the bowl was too shallow for the stork, she couldn’t have soup at all. But, the fox licked up his soup quickly.
The stork was angry and upset, but she didn’t show her anger and behaved politely. To teach a lesson to the fox, she then invited him for dinner the next day. She too served soup, but this time the soup was served in two tall narrow vases. The stork devoured the soup from her vase, but the fox couldn’t drink any of it because of his narrow neck. The fox realised his mistake and went home famished.
Moral of the Story
A selfish act backfires sooner or later!
5. The Golden Touch
Once there lived a greedy man in a small town. He was very rich, and he loved gold and all things fancy. But he loved his daughter more than anything.
One day, he chanced upon a fairy. The fairy’s hair was caught in a few tree branches. He helped her out, but as his greediness took over, he realised that he had an opportunity to become richer by asking for a wish in return (by helping her out). The fairy granted him a wish. He said, “All that I touch should turn to gold.” And his wish was granted by the grateful fairy.
The greedy man rushed home to tell his wife and daughter about his wish, all the while touching stones and pebbles and watching them convert into gold. Once he got home, his daughter rushed to greet him. As soon as he bent down to scoop her up in his arms, she turned into a gold statue. He was devastated and started crying and trying to bring his daughter back to life. He realised his folly and spent the rest of his days searching for the fairy to take away his wish.
Moral of the Story
Greed will always lead to downfall.
6. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Patty, a milkmaid milked her cow and had two full pails of fresh, creamy milk. She put both pails of milk on a stick and set off to the market to sell the milk. As she took steps towards the market, her thoughts took steps towards wealth. On her way, she kept thinking about the money she would make from selling the milk. Then she thought about what she would do with that money.
She was talking to herself and said, “Once I get the money, I’ll buy a chicken. The chicken will lay eggs and I will get more chickens.
They’ll all lay eggs, and I will sell them for more money. Then, I’ll buy the house on the hill and everyone will envy me.” She was very happy that soon she would be very rich. With these happy thoughts, she marched ahead. But suddenly, she tripped and fell. Both the pails of the milk fell and all her dreams were shattered. The milk spilt onto the ground, and all Patty could do was cry. “No more dream,” she cried foolishly!
Moral of the Story
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
7. When Adversity Knocks
This is a story that explains how adversity is met differently by different people. There was a girl named Asha who lived with her mother and father in a village. One day, her father assigned her a simple task. He took three vessels filled with boiling water. He placed an egg in one vessel, a potato in the second vessel, and some tea leaves in the third vessel.
He asked Asha to keep an eye on the vessels for about ten to fifteen minutes while the three ingredients in three separate vessels boiled. After the said time, he asked Asha to peel the potato and egg, and strain the tea leaves. Asha was left puzzled – she understood her father was trying to explain her something, but she didn’t know what it was.
Her father explained, “All three items were put in the same circumstances. See how they’ve responded differently.” He said that the potato turned soft, the egg turned hard, and the tea leaves changed the colour and taste of the water. He further said, “We are all like one of these items. When adversity calls, we respond exactly the way they do. Now, are you a potato, an egg, or tea leaves?”
Moral of the Story
We can choose how to respond to a difficult situation.
8. The Proud Rose
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful rose plant in a garden. One rose flower on the plant was proud of its beauty. However, it was disappointed that it was growing next to an ugly cactus. Every day, the rose would insult the cactus about its looks, but the cactus stayed quiet.
All the other plants in the garden tried to stop the rose from bullying the cactus, but the rose was too swayed by its own beauty to listen to anyone.
One summer, a well in the garden dried up and there was no water for the plants. The rose slowly began to wilt. The rose saw a sparrow dip its beak into the cactus for some water.
The rose then felt ashamed for having made fun of the cactus all this time. But because it was in need of water, it went to ask the cactus if it could have some water. The kind cactus agreed, and they both got through summer as friends.
Moral of the Story
Never judge someone by the way they look.
9. The Tale of the Pencil
A boy named Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his English test. He was sitting in his room when his grandmother came and comforted him.
His grandmother sat beside him and gave him a pencil. Raj looked at his grandma puzzled, and said he didn’t deserve a pencil after his performance in the test.
His grandma explained, “You can learn many things from this pencil because it is just like you. It experiences a painful sharpening, just the way you have experienced the pain of not doing well on your test.
However, it will help you be a better student. Just as all the good that comes from the pencil is from within itself, you will also find the strength to overcome this hurdle. And finally, just as this pencil will make its mark on any surface, you too shall leave your mark on anything you choose to.” Raj was immediately consoled and promised himself that he would do better.
Moral of the Story
We all have the strength to be who we wish to be.
10. The Crystal Ball
Nasir, a small boy, found a crystal ball behind the banyan tree of his garden.
The tree told him that it would grant him a wish. He was very happy and he thought hard, but unfortunately, he could not come up with anything he wanted. So, he kept the crystal ball in his bag and waited until he could decide on his wish.
Days went by without him making a wish but his best friend saw him looking at the crystal ball. He stole it from Nasir and showed it to everyone in the village.
They all asked for palaces and riches and lots of gold, but could not make more than one wish. In the end, everyone was angry because no one could have everything they wanted. They became very unhappy and decided to ask Nasir for help.
Nasir wished that everything would go back to how it was once – before the villagers had tried to satisfy their greed. The palaces and gold vanished and the villagers once again became happy and content.
Moral of the Story
Money and wealth do not always bring happiness.
11. A Bundle of Sticks
Once upon a time, three neighbours living in a village were having trouble with their crops. Each of the neighbours had one field, but the crops on their fields were infested with pests and were wilting. Every day, they would come up with different ideas to help their crops. The first one tried using a scarecrow in his field, the second used pesticides, and the third built a fence on his field, all to no avail.
One day, the village head came by and called the three farmers.
He gave them each a stick and asked them to break it. The farmers could break them easily. He then gave them a bundle of three sticks, and again, asked them to break it. This time, the farmers struggled to break the sticks. The village head said, “Together, you are stronger and work better than you do it alone.” The farmers understood what the village head was saying. They pooled in their resources and got rid of the pests from their fields.
Moral of the Story
There is strength in unity.
12. The Ant and the Dove
On a hot scorching day of summer, an ant was walking around in search of water. After walking around for some time, she saw a river and was delighted to see it. She climbed up on a small rock to drink the water, but she slipped and fell into the river. She was drowning but a dove who was sitting on a nearby tree helped her. Seeing the ant in trouble, the dove quickly dropped a leaf into the water. The ant moved towards the leaf and climbed up on it.
The dove then carefully pulled the leaf out and placed it on the land. This way, the ant’s life was saved and she was forever indebted to the dove.
The ant and the dove became the best of friends and days passed happily. However, one day, a hunter arrived at the forest. He saw the beautiful dove sitting on the tree and aimed his gun at the dove. The ant, who was saved by the dove saw this and bit on the heel of the hunter. He shouted from the pain and dropped the gun. The dove was alarmed by the voice of the hunter and realised what could have happened with him. He flew away!
Moral of the Story
A good deed never goes unrewarded.
13. The Fox and the Grapes
On a hot summer day, a fox wandered across the jungle in order to get some food. He was very hungry and desperately in search of food. He searched everywhere, but couldn’t find anything that he could eat. His stomach was rumbling and his search continued. Soon he reached a vineyard which was laden with juicy grapes. The fox looked around to check if he was safe from the hunters.
No one was around, so he decided to steal some grapes. He jumped high and high, but he couldn’t reach the grapes. The grapes were too high but he refused to give up. The fox jumped high in the air to catch the grapes in his mouth, but he missed.
He tried once more but missed again. He tried a few more times, but couldn’t reach. It was getting dark and the fox was getting angry. His legs hurt, so he gave up in the end. Walking away, he said, “I’m sure the grapes were sour anyway.”
Moral of the Story
We pretend to hate something when we can’t have it.
14. The Ant and the Grasshopper
Once upon a time, there were two best friends – an ant and a grasshopper. The grasshopper liked to relax the whole day and play his guitar. The ant, however, would work hard all day. He would collect food from all corners of the garden, while the grasshopper relaxed, played his guitar, or slept.
The grasshopper would tell the ant to take a break every day, but the ant would refuse and continue his work. Soon, winter came; days and nights became cold and very few creatures went out.
On a cold day of winter, a colony of ants was busy drying out some grains of corn. The half-dead grasshopper, cold and hungry, came up to the ant who was his friend and asked for a piece of corn. The ant replied, “We work day and night to collect and save up the corn so that we don’t die hungry on cold winter days. Why should we give it to you?” The ant further asked, “What were you doing last summer? You should have collected and stored some food. I told you as much before.”
The grasshopper said, “I was far too busying singing and sleeping.”
The ant replied, “You can sing all winter as far as I am concerned. You will not get anything from us.” The ant had enough food to last through the winter, without any worries at all, but the grasshopper didn’t and he realised his mistake.
Moral of the Story
Make hay while the sun shines.
15. The Bear and Two Friends
One day, two best friends were walking on a lonely and dangerous path through a jungle. As the sun began to set, they grew afraid but held on to each other. Suddenly, they saw a bear in their path. One of the boys ran to the nearest tree and climbed it in a jiffy.
The other boy did not know how to climb the tree by himself, so he lay on the ground, pretending to be dead. The bear approached the boy on the ground and sniffed around his head. After appearing to whisper something in the boy’s ear, the bear went on its way. The boy on the tree climbed down and asked his friend what the bear had whispered in his ear. He replied, “Do not trust friends who do not care for you.”
Moral of the Story
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
16. Friends Forever
Once upon a time, there lived a mouse and a frog, who were the best of friends. Every morning, the frog would hop out of the pond to visit the mouse, who lived inside the hole of the tree. He would spend time with the mouse and go back home. One day, the frog realised that he was making too much of an effort to visit the mouse while the mouse never came to meet him at the pond. This made him angry, and he decided to make things right by forcefully taking him to his house.
When the mouse wasn’t looking, the frog tied a string to the mouse’s tail and tied the other end to his own leg, and hopped away. The mouse started getting dragged with him. Then, the frog jumped into the pond to swim. However, when he looked back, he saw that the mouse had started to drown and was struggling to breathe! The frog quickly untied the string from his tail and took him to the shore. Seeing the mouse with his eyes barely open made the frog very sad, and he immediately regretted pulling him into the pond.
Moral of the Story
Don’t take revenge because it can be harmful to you.
17. The Elephant and Her Friends
Once upon a time, a lone elephant made her way into a strange forest. It was new to her, and she was looking to make friends. She approached a monkey and said, “Hello, monkey! Would you like to be my friend?” The monkey said, “You are too big to swing like me, so I can’t be your friend.” The elephant then went to a rabbit and asked the same question.
The rabbit said, “You are too big to fit in my burrow, so I can’t be your friend.” The elephant also went to the frog in the pond and asked the same question. The frog replied, “You are too heavy to jump as high as me, so I can’t be your friend.”
The elephant was really sad because she couldn’t make friends. Then, one day, she saw all the animals running deeper into the forest, and she asked a bear what the fuss was about. The bear said, “The lion is on the loose – they are running from him to save themselves.” The elephant went up to the lion and said, “Please don’t hurt these innocent people.
Please leave them alone.” The lion scoffed and asked the elephant to move aside. Then, the elephant got angry and pushed the lion with all her might, injuring him. All the other animals came out slowly and started to rejoice about the lion’s defeat. They went to the elephant and said to her, “You are just the right size to be our friend!”
Moral of the Story
A person’s size does not determine their worth.