children story- The Magic Porridge Pot

The Magic Porridge Pot

Once, there was a little girl named Tara. She lived with her mother. They were very poor. One day she went to a forest. There she met an old woman. The old woman gave her a pot. She said, “This is a magic pot. It will cook porridge for you when you say, ‘Cook-Pot-Cook’. It will stop making porridge when you say, ‘Stop-Pot-Stop’.”Tara was very happy. She ran to her mother and said, “Mother, we will no longer be hungry as I have got a magic pot.” Tara said to the pot, “Cook-Pot-Cook” and the
pot cooked porridge. Her mother was very happy and they both ate porridge.

One day, when Tara had gone out, her mother felt hungry. She said to the pot, “CookPot-Cook”. The pot started cooking porridge.After eating it her mother said, “Do not cook Pot”. But the pot went on cooking. Soon the porridge started spilling on the floor. Mother called out again, “Wait – do not cook anymore.” But the pot did not stop. Mother ran out of the house and the porridge followed her. Soon there was porridge everywhere. The whole village saw it. They ran to eat the porridge. When Tara came back, she saw that the road was full of porridge. She ran back as fast as she could. She heard her mother shout, “Tara the pot is cooking and it will not stop.” Tara called out, “Stop-Pot-Stop” and it stopped cooking porridge.

                       

Reading is fun

 Where did Tara go one day?
What did the old woman give Tara?
What did the magic pot cook?
Who said, “Do not cook Pot”?
 Why was there so much porridge on the road?  
 What do you eat for your breakfast?
Would you like to eat wheat porridge?
 Have you seen any magic? Tell us about it.
What do you call magic in your own language?

children Fun story - The Mumbai Musicians

The Mumbai Musicians


Once upon a time, there lived a donkey named Goopu. He had worked for many years in the house of a farmer. He had carried many heavy sacks of corn and sugarcane, from the farm to the factory. He was now very tired and old. The farmer said to Goopu, “You are a good donkey. Take this sack of corn and go and see the world, before you become too old.” Goopu smiled and said goodbye. He set off towards the city of Mumbai. “I am good at music. I will go to Mumbai and be a musician there.” On the way he met a dog.


“Where are you going?” asked Doopu. “I am going to Mumbai to be a musician. Would you like to come too?” asked Goopu. “Yes, I would,” replied Doopu. Off went the two friends on the dusty road to Mumbai. They saw a ball of fur in the middle of the road. “Who are you?” they asked. “I am Furry, the cat,” said the cat. “Would you like to come with us to become a musician?” asked Goopu and Doopu together.

“Oh! I would love to come along,” replied Furry. So off went the three together to become Mumbai musicians. Soon they met Cuckoo, the cock. “I love music and wish to join your band.” They all reached a house with a light. They were tired and hungry. They peeped in through the window and saw a table with delicious food. They decided to sing to let the people inside know that they were musicians.






They sang. The people inside thought that ghosts had come to scare them. They ran away as fast as they could! Goopu, Doopu and Furry went into the house and ate the food, till they could eat no more.
                                                                   




Reading is fun

 Why did the farmer tell Goopu to see the world?

 Why did Goopu, Doopu and Furry want to go to Mumbai?

 Why did the people in the house run away?

kids famous story - A foolish rabbit

Funny Bunny


One day, a nut fell on Funny Bunny.
“Ouch! The sky is going to fall!” said Funny Bunny.
 “I must tell the King.” On the way,
 met Henny Penny. “The sky is going to fall,”           said Funny Bunny. “I’m going to tell
 the King.” “I’ll come too,” said Henny Penny.
And off they went to find the King.
Soon they met Cocky Locky







“The sky is going to fall,” said Funny Bunny. “I’m going to tell the King.” “I’ll come too,” said Cocky Locky. And off they went to find the King. On the way, they met Lucky Ducky. “The sky is going to fall,” said Funny Bunny. “I’m going to tell the King.” “I’ll come too,” said Lucky Ducky. And off they went to find the King. On the way, they met Poosey Goosey.“The sky is going to fall,” said Funny Bunny. “I’m going to tell the King.” “I’ll come too,” said Poosey Goosey. And off they went to find the King. On the way they met Woxy Foxy.

“The sky is going to fall,” they all said. “We’re going to tell the King.” “The King lives here,” said Woxy Foxy. “Follow me.” And that was the end of Funny Bunny, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Lucky Ducky and Poosey Goosey.   

                                            

The Bubble, the Straw and the Shoe - english story

The Bubble, the Straw and the Shoe


Once upon a time there lived a Bubble, a Straw and a Shoe. One day they went into the forest. They came to a river. They did not know how to cross it. The Shoe said, “Bubble, let us float on you.”

“No, Shoe! Let Straw stretch himself from one bank to the other. Then we can cross the river.” So, the Straw stretched himself from one bank to the other. When the Shoe jumped on the Straw, it broke. The Shoe fell into the water with a loud splash. The Bubble shook and shook with laughter and burst with a big bang.

 New words

bank             bubble                  burst          river          splash



fill in the blanks;

jumped           shook            stretched            burst

*The Straw _____________ himself from one bank to the other.

*The Shoe __________________ on the Straw.

*The Bubble ______________ and ______________ with laughter and _______________ with a big bang.

Mama Moo on a Swing - kids story

It was a summer’s day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the flies were buzzing. All the cows were grazing in the pasture -- all except Mama Moo.

Mama Moo had sneaked away from the others and jumped over the fence. She had taken her bicycle and rode off toward Crow Forest. She was carrying something in the package holder on her bicycle.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

Mama Moo knocked on Crow’s branch. "Hi, Crow!", she whispered.

Crow stuck his head out of his nest. He cried out so loudly that he could be heard a long way off.

"Hi, Mama Moo, is that you!

What are you doing here in the forest?

You should be out in the pasture chewing your cud and staring around like a normal cow."

"SHHH!" whispered Mama Moo,

"Don’t talk so loud, I don’t want the farmer to hear us."

FLAP, FLAP, THUD.

Crow flew down from his nest and landed on the handlebars.

"Have you run away again?" he asked.

"I just wanted to ask you if you could help me with something," Mama Moo said.

Just then Crow caught sight of something.

"Caw! Well what have you got in the package holder?" he wanted to know. "A board and two pieces of rope!"

"It’s to make a swing with, Crow," said Mama Moo.

"No way," said Crow firmly.

"Yes, it is," said Mama Moo quietly.

"I want to swing, you see.

I have long ropes. They’ll reach up to the first branch, and you can tie them there."

"ME!" he cried "TIE! Well, pull my tailfeathers!"

The crow flew off the handlebars. He flew around Mama Moo’s head as fast as he could.

"I’m not setting up a swing for a COW!"

"But I can’t tie it myself," Mama Moo answered sweetly.

"But you have wings that are like hands.

And I can’t reach up to the first branch, but you can because you can fly."

Crow landed on a branch right in front of her nose.

"You are a cow, Mama Moo," he said. "A strange cow, but still a cow. Cows—Do Not—Swing."

"That’s just the point," said Mama Moo. "It’s a pity that poor cows never get a chance to swing."

"Pity!" cried Crow. "Caw!" Cows walk around grazing, and then they lie down and chew their cud and stare at things. And then they go inside and get milked. They are quite satisfied with things the way they are."

"Would you be satisfied with that?" Mama Moo asked.

"Not me!" cried Crow, "I’m a crow."

"I’m not satisfied with it either," said Mama Moo.

"It doesn’t matter what you say," said Crow.

"I’m simply not going to do it. Let’s not discuss it any more."

Mama Moo looked at the crow with her big kind eyes. She spoke in her softest voice."Children do so many things that are fun," she said "The farmer’s daughter told me that she likes to swing, so I wanted to try it too. But then she said it probably wouldn’t work because no one would want to put up a swing for a cow. But I told her that I have a friend, a good friend who is very kind and helps me whenever I need him. He won’t say no when I ask him.

My friend’s name is Crow, and I like him very much."Crow sat still and looked at her.

He didn’t say anything for a long while.

Then he sighed.

"Should I put it on the lowest branch?" he asked.

"Oh, you are so very kind, Crow", cried Mama Moo.

"The lowest branch probably would be best.

Then I can swing out in both directions."

The crow flew up with the ropes. He tied them around the branch. He tied them fast with his strongest knots.

"Well done, Crow," said Mama Moo. "Now I’ll test the swing."

Mama Moo took a few steps backward and then sat down on the swing. Everything went fine for a moment, but then she was sitting still.

"Crow, it’s not swinging. You’ll have to push me to get me going."

"Push!" snorted the crow. "You expect me to push a cow on a swing. Well, Pull my tailfeathers! If anyone is going to push, it should be you."

"But, Crow, I can’t push myself when I’m swinging, can I?"

"Forget it then," said Crow. "I’m not pushing."

Mama Moo wagged her tail, but that didn’t help.

The swing would not swing.

She wagged her tail and lifted her back legs. But she only lifted one leg at a time, so the swing would still not swing.

Then she wagged her tail and lifted both the back and front legs, but she lost her grip and nearly fell off.

Finally she shook her horns, wagged her tail and stretched out both back legs and leaned back and then

The wind whistled by Mama Moo’s ears.

Her hair flew in the wind, and there were butterflies in her stomach.

"Now it’s your turn, Crow!" cried Mama Moo."Caw!" the Crow answered.

"My turn! To swing? Well, pull my tailfeathers! You’ve talked me into a lot of crazy things, but to swing, no way!

Crows don’t swing. Children swing."

"And cows," added Mama Moo as she swung back and forth.

Rumble… Crow heard the rumbling sound of a motor."The farmer is coming!" cried Crow.

"Stop the swing! Get off! Hide!

If he sees one of his cows sitting on a swing hanging from a tree in the forest, he’ll have a wing stroke!"

"Stop the swing?" said Mama Moo. "How do I do that?"

She stretched out one leg forward and one leg backwards.She turned over and lay on her stomach, but the swing would not stop.

"You must help me, Crow," she said.

"If you stand in the way, it will probably stop."

"Me stand in the way!" cried the crow.

"And have a cow fall on my head. I’d have a wing stroke! Pull on the brake!"

Mama Moo looked around.

"I don’t believe that there are any brakes on this swing," she said.

RUMBLE!!

Crow heard the sound more and more clearly. The tractor was getting close now. "If you can’t stop it, you’ll have to jump," he called out.

"Jump!"

Mama Moo covered her eyes and jumped. She landed on the ground with a crash.

Mama Moo stood behind a little birch tree.

"Hide behind the tree!" Crow hissed.

"But," said Mama Moo, "I’m already hiding behind a tree.

"What’s the farmer doing here in the forest?" wondered Crow.

"He should be in the barn. It’s very strange."

"Yes, what is the farmer doing?" said Mama Moo, and she peeked out from behind the tree.

"Don’t look!" hissed Crow. "He can see you! Back with your head, otherwise he’ll see at once that it’s a cow. Hide your horns.

"Hide my horns? But, Crow…"

"Pull in your tail, cow. It’s sticking out from the other side of the tree. At least stop wagging it!"

"I’m trying to pull in my tail…"

"Caw! You are too fat, Mama Moo."

"I’m not fat at all, Crow.

This tree is too thin.

Crow peered out from behind a stone. He gave her a sharp glance.

"Hmm, I understand exactly more or less," he said. "But if I’m standing here I can’t see anything at all," said Mama Moo.

"It’s not necessary for you to see," said Crow.

"I can see everything. The farmer has climbed down from his tractor. He’s walking up to the swing. Now he’s scratching his head. He’s looking up into the tree. Very strange."

"It’s not strange at all, Crow," said Mama Moo.

"He doesn’t understand what a swing is doing hanging here in the middle of his forest."

"He’s sitting down on the swing!" hissed Crow.

"No! Don’t swing! Get up! Get out of here! Scram!

Go home and milk your cows. Plow! Take in your hay! Leave! Thanks for coming. That’s it for today. Good bye!"

Crow calmed down a bit.

"The farmer is getting up," he said.

"He’s leaving. Stay where you are, Mama Moo.

Don’t move, I’ll sneak after him and see what he’s up to."

Crow crept behind the bushes. He crept over the stones. He ran from tree to tree and hid behind the branches.

The farmer noticed nothing. He just shook his head.

Finally, the farmer climbed back onto his tractor and drove home.

The rumble of the tractor motor disappeared into the forest.

Crow crept back to Mama Moo.

"He’s gone now," he said. "Great! We made it."

"Was it fun sneaking after him?" asked Mama Moo.

"Fun! what do you mean fun!," the crow cried.

"Of course I have to check up on mysterious men who go trailing around in my own forest!"

"The farmer may be going back to the barn to milk the cows," said Mama Moo. "So I’d better get going too."

"Caw! Look at that!

The farmer dropped his hat!""How nice," said Mama Moo.

"I’ll take it. I’ve always wanted to try on the farmer’s hat." She climbed up on her bicycle.

"Shall we take down the swing?" she asked.

"Why should we do that?" answered Crow.

"It can stay here in my forest in case anyone else wants to swing on it."

"But I thought you said that crows don’t like to swing."

"They don't!! Absolutely no crows! I just meant cow might come along who wanted to swing".

"Good-bye, Crow," said Mama Moo as she rode off through the Crow Forest.

The other cows had already gone into the barn. The farmer had already begun milking. Mama Moo sneaked in through the back door.

"Ho hum, ho hum, just because I’m a cow doesn’t mean I have to stand around chewing my cud and staring of nothing all the time…"

The Tinkle of the Goat Bells

Tanvi ran swiftly through the pine forest, the peppery smell of the herbs she crushed beneath her feet tickling her nostrils. She had to meet her friend Ramli, the goat girl at their favourite meeting place by the spring. Today they were planning to go down to the river bed and picnic there.

She was late. Ramli had said that they should leave before the sun rose too high or it would be too hot by the river. So eleven year old Tanvi hurried, her bag of lunch bouncing on her back.

She almost slammed into the men. They loomed out of the forest so suddenly. Three of them. Two seemed to be typical hill folk. The third -- he looked a little different -- the city type. They were carrying gunny bags, not in the casual way people carried loads of coal or wood chips, but a little carefully. They shifted their bags, as if to protect them. As if they were carrying something precious. She muttered an apology, was about to rush on, when she heard a crash. The man had dropped his sack after all.

There was a sound of glass splintering. The gunny bag fell open, something slid out. Two glass topped boxes, full of butterflies!

Tanvi’s eyes grew wide. An electric current charged through her mind. Mr. Sen’s butterflies! He was a famous lepideptorist: a person who studies butterflies. Who lived just a few houses away from theirs and she’d seen his collection several times. He had many rare specimens, valuable ones. And they’d been stolen two days ago!

Fearfully she glanced up at the men. Before she could react, her arm was grabbed roughly. She kicked, was about to scream, when a scabby palm was clamped over her mouth almost suffocating her. "Aieee!" she heard the man cry as she bit hard into his palm. A stinging slap made her see stars and a rag stinking of kerosene was stuffed into her mouth. Then, her arms and legs were tied up. She was lifted off her feet struggling and writhing.

"Jaldi!" she heard one of the men hiss. The one who had picked her up ran through the forest. He panted as he carried her up the slope. Tanvi’s heart sank. She knew where they were heading. To the caves!

The caves lay high up on the hillside. The hill people believe they were haunted and would never venture anywhere close to them. But not these men it seemed.

He flung her down in a corner of the cave. She heard the other two enter. "What should we do now?" one muttered.

"Do?" she heard a quick laugh. "We leave her here -- and go. No one will ever find her."

"Perfect!" It was the city type. "Hurry now. Remember, the car will be at the snake rock at twelve."

"Mmmmm," Tanvi tried to cry out in protest, but the gag filled her mouth. One of them bent to tighten the knots on her bonds. Without another word they left.

Tanvi’s heart flipped over. No one would come here. Not even Ramli. She felt her stomach knot up into a chill tight ball of fear

She had to escape. But how? She looked around, the cave was pitch dark. Except for the faint glimmer of light creeping in at the entrance. There was only one way

Bracing herself tight, she rolled towards the mouth of the cave. The ground sloped down steeply. It was risky rolling down towards the forest -- she could get badly hurt. But it was better than lying there helplessly.

She shut her eyes tight and hurled herself down.

Sharp rocks, thorny bushes tore at her arms as she tumbled down at breakneck speed. She saw the tree that lay in her path. Tried to maneuver to avoid it. But it was no use. She slammed into it with such force that she was almost knocked out. For a few moments she lay there suspended trying to get her breath back. Then, as she began to edge away to complete her downhill journey back into the forest, her eye fell on the rock jutting out below. She would bang straight into it, hit her head hard.

Angry tears were burning her eyelids when she heard the birdcall. The sound of the whistling thrush. Once, twice, thrice! Ramli! This was the call with which they signalled to each other through the forest. But how could she reply?

Ramli whistled again. Tanvi twisted around in agony. If only she could get rid of the gag! Then -- she noticed the chunk of flint lying close by. It was sharp and jagged. Somehow she pushed herself closer brought her tied up hands against it.

Slowly the stone bit into the rope, the rough strands frayed, her hands came free. Quickly she got rid of the gag, untied her feet. And raced pell-mell down the hill. She paused only to return Ramli’s call. Once, twice, thrice.

Soon, the tinkle of the goat bells filled her ears.

"I found you lunch-bag lying in the forest," Ramly explained. "So I knew something had gone wrong. Specially when I saw some bushes trampled and the ground torn up near the place. In fact, I followed the footprints on the forest path right till here.""They took me to the caves," Tanvi told."The thieves -- the men who stole Mr. Sen's butterfly collection. Quick, Ramli, we have no time to lose."

Ramli's eyes grew wide as Tanvi told her the whole story as they ran through the forest. Their plans were hurriedly made. Tanvi should run to the tea shop on the main road and get help while Ramli would hurry to snake rock -- a huge rock by the side of the road which had a fossilized snake implanted in it.

Would they be in time? Tanvi wondered, racing back with the four men who had enthusiastically volunteered to help catch the crooks.

As they rounded the bend, just before snake rock, Tanvi’s heart sank. She could hear a car engine start up.

"Hurry, hurry!" she cried, even though she knew it was no use. The car, a white Gypsy, was beginning to move.

Disheartened, she halted in her tracks. But then -- "Wait, they’ve stopped!"

As she dashed forward again she heard the tinkle of goat bells. Ramli’s herd filled the road, made it impossible for the car to move.

The thieves jumped out and tried to make a run of it. But out-numbered, they were easily captured and hauled off to the police station.

"Much more fun," Tanvi said, her mouth full of puri and aloo, as they sat down right there in the forest, "than picnicking by the river. Wasn’t it?"

Ramli smiled and nodded.

SuperZero - Funny story for children

You’ve heard of superheroes, of course. Batman, Superman, He-man.

Then there are supergirls – Catgirl, Batgirl, who knows, even Ratgirl.

There are superanimals like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. All these heroes can perform amazing tricks. They’re really good at everything and good looking besides. Although, I personally don’t think that men with little pointed ears on top of their heads are very good looking. But then, you always see the girls going batty over Batman.

So much for superheroes. But you haven’t heard of any superzeroes, though. Well, you can hear of right now – ME! I’m really good at nothing – good for nothing. I’m one big ZERO. In short – a SUPERZERO – that’s me.

Ma says, "You’re very sweet."

Pa says, "Everybody is good at something." Only, I haven’t discovered my hidden talents yet. They are too well hidden. If you don’t believe me, here’s a list of my shortcomings

I am short for my age I am ugly I am terrible at school work I am lousy at games My feet smell (of dead fish) I’m scared of the dark, dogs and drowning. ……..Well, the list goes on, but, I think you have the picture.

Sometimes Ma says, "You have two left feet." Because I’m always falling down. Sometimes Pa says, "You’ve got ten thumbs," because things are always falling out of my hands.My sister’s pretty good at singing. And pretty besides. My cousin’s good at playing the casio. And good looking besides. Most children are geniuses (that means VERY clever) with their computers. Me? Oh I can’t manage any of these things. In fact, I can’t even get ill right. Everybody gets a cough, cold and fever once in a while. But my cough and cold are my constant companions. My nose is always a big, red balloon. It runs so much, I’m amazed that it hasn’t run away altogether! My cough is so bad that I can’t play games the way normal kids do. If I run for a minute, I run out of breath, wheeze and pant as everyone else whizzes past me.

Yes sir, Superzero, that’s me.

We’d gone on a picnic – all of us. Supercasio cousin. Supersinging sister and of course, Superzero. Along with all parents. Everyone was having a great time – running about, playing, eating and drinking. All, except, of course, me. I couldn’t run or play and watch. I couldn’t eat and drink half the stuff – no chilly, no cold drinks, no sour stuff. So I sat by my miserable own self, enjoying miserable own company. We were on the banks of a river and soon every one decided to go boating. But remember, one of my BIG fears was of drowning. So I stayed put where I was, although everyone asked me to go along.

I watched a line of ants marching towards our food baskets and attack sandwiches. They were pretty yucky, so I let them. I enjoyed watching the way they ran in a line, passing the message on that there was food available. I imagined myself to be one of the ants. A captain ant – or rather -- a commandant who shouted instructions at the junior ants. They all listened to me. Mama ants, papa ants, aunts and uncles. Ants in frocks, ants in sarees, ants in pants. Everyone of them rushed to obey my orders. I was the commandant of all ants. I was the SUPERHERO ant. Superzero no longer.

"ATTENTION!" I shouted and suddenly noticed a little crowd around me. Pa, Ma, sister, cousins, uncles and ants (sorry, aunts). They all stood around, smiling at me."That was very good, you know," said my sister.

"You’ve got a great sense of humour", said Pa.

You could become a story teller, or a writer!" said Ma.

So, you know what? That’s what I’ve decided to become – a writer. A story teller. I can just see it in the paper now: the headlines would read: SUPERZERO the HERO! The photograph would show --

So, read the stories by Superzero – they’re just a laugh away!

Elephants Don't Diet!......If The Tooth Be Told!......Lion on The Loose!......The Weepy Wempati!.....

There are some exciting activities for you SuperZero Funtime Activity

Elephants Don’t Diet!....- Animal story for kids

Poor Gol Matolu’s always sad. Why? I don’t know. She looks like the most perfect elephant. Tall, broad big ears, long strong trunk. No one likes to be sad. So why don’t you come with me to find out what the matter is with Gol Matolu?Ah! Here comes Hornbill, let's ask him. "Hello, do you know why the elephant’s so sad?"

"Of course I know. Just look at her if you will.Would you call her nose a nose or a bill?That snake which hangs in front of her face Makes her feel shy and out of place."

"Ah!" say you and "Oh!" say I. And we go to Golu to tell her how lucky she is to have such a wonderful trunk. "Huh?" says Golu surprised. "I love my nose. Look at all the things I can do with it…everything."

"Langur, can you tell us why the elephant’s sad?"

"Her silly tail’s a sorry taleSurely you can seeShe can’t hang from branch of treeLike I can, look at me!"

But – "No, my tail’s no problem. It’s small but it doesn’t get in the way like the peacock’s does!"

"If you ask my opinion," said the Deer,"It's her legs which cause her shame and fearWrinkled, ugly, grey and thickLegs more like mine would do the trick!"

But Golu’s happy with her legs too. "They may not be pretty, but they are pretty good to me."

But you and I can see that sadness still dances in her eyes. We wonder who can help.

Peacock thinks, "It’s her colour, after allDull grey, mud brown make her feel smallIf she were shot with emerald blueShe’d dance with happiness too!"

But, "I make no complaint about being grey. It may not be exciting, but it helps me hide from hunters."

"Oh dear! You and I are getting quite tired and muddled now. So we decide to try and cheer Golu even if we don’t know why she needs cheering up at all.

"Golu! Come on out, come play with us."

"No!"

"I’ve a ball we could play with."

But Golu just sticks her trunk out and feels her ball lovingly. But she won’t come out. "Why not, Golu?"

"I c-c-c-can’t t-tell you…" She’s crying where she’s hiding.

"Oh", you say, "You’re so beautiful, Golu."

"Oh", I say, "look at all this yummy sugarcane. Can we have some?"

Soon you and I are stripping a sugarcane each while the sweet, sticky juice trickles down our chins. "You have one too, Golu", we say in between chews. "No", says Golu sadly turning away, "No thank you".

"Aren’t you hungry?"

"Hungry? I am hungry. Very, very, very hungry".

"Then what’s the problem?"

"No!"

"But Golu, what’s the matter? You’re hungry, there’s plenty to eat, but you won’t, why?"

"I’m so – I’m so – FAT!" and she burst into tears.

"But Golu, you’re an elephant. And elephants are meant to be… you know… healthy. Besides you’re big, you’re not fat."

"Not fat? Of course I’m fat. Very fat!!"

We look at her carefully and notice that, in fact, she’s very thin. Her bones stick out.

"I haven’t eaten for three days," sobs Golu, "but I’m still fat!"

"Three days? Golu, you’ll die if you don’t eat."

"At least I’ll die thin!"

"But Golu, a few sticks of sugarcane can’t do much harm."

"Oh don’t you understand? I’m on a diet!"

"Elephants are meant to be big and strong!"

"But not FAT!"

Just then we heard a CRASH! a SCREAM! a cry for HELP!!

"What’s that? Come quick. Someone’s in trouble. Come on, Golu.’’

‘’No, I’m too shy to show my fat to anyone.’’

So you and I run in the direction of the sound. A tigress is caught under a fallen tree. She yowls in pain. Although you and I are a bit frightened of her, we still try to roll the big tree off her. Oooof it’s heavy!

Ah! Here’s Hornbill, "Please can you help?"

"Yes, come on now – listen to me Push, push this big old fallen treeThat’s right, alright,Push now with all your might.’’

He was no help really. He just kept giving us endless instructions. The langur said :"I’ll take this branch with my tail,you lift the rest, now don’t failOh, you are just too weak, you fool,‘bye, I’m for a dip in the pool"

The peacock was just as bad, saying,"I’m too lovely to waste my timeMy feathers don’t like to slip in slime.’’

The deer ran off, saying,‘’I’m too, too slender,My muscles are too tender,Besides the tiger will eat meAs soon as she gets free.’’

We tried to push again, but it was no good. There was only one thing to do, so we ran back to where Gol Matolu hid.

"Come on, Golu, you’ve got to help.’’

"No! I’m not coming out of hiding.’’

Golu, a life depends on you. You’ve got to think of more than your shape and size.’’

‘’Why me? Ask someone else.’’

‘’We tried, we honestly did try, But no one else can do the job. We need your strength, your broad back, your clever trunk.’’

‘’But…but…’’

‘’There’s no time for ifs and buts. You’ve got to come – Now!"

It took some effort. It took some courage. But Golu came out at last. The three of us rushed back to where the tigress lay trapped. She lay quiet now. Quiet and still. Oh dear. She’s badly hurt. "Tigress, don’t worry, we’ll get you out now.’’

But there was no reply. "I hope we are not too late. Hurry, Golu, hurry!"

Golu began to pull and push. We pulled and pushed too. Golu huffs and puffs, puffs and huffs. But the tree won’t move. Golu is weak from starving herself. So you run off and get some sugarcane. At last Golu ate and smilingly said, "Sugarcane is the secret of my energy!"

"Our energy!" We shout as we push and pull. The log starts to roll until…

YIPEE! The tigress is free! She thanks us with a lick each and runs off.

"Oh Golu, we love you just as you are. Strong and dependable. Don’t try to change. And remember, ELEPHANTS DON’T DIET!!"

So it’s time to get back to your real world. Goodbye for now, and thanks for your help. Hope you will join Golu and me for other adventures yet to come.

"Bye…"

Lion On The Loose!...!... English story

Once it started raining, it just wouldn’t stop. The sky wept great tears in an endless stream until the clouds had entered everyone’s hearts and made them feel as grey and weepy as the weather. But still it rained on and on.

Everyone stayed at home, gloomy and bored. "I wish we could DO something," moaned Geeti, "Nothing exciting ever happens to us" said Vikki.

Mummy wouldn’t let them go out but she tried to cheer them up by baking a cake. The children helped too. The cake was yummy and they ate it hot. The rest they covered and left on the table.

"I wonder what the animals and birds do?" asked Geeti thoughtfully.

"They must be cooped in their cages."

"No, silly, I mean the wild ones. The tigers in the jungles, the birds on trees, what do they do in all this rain?"

"At least they’re free. Think of the animals in the zoo. How awful for them."

And it was true. The animals in the zoo were worried and irritable. The wetness was terrible for the creatures big and small.

The more it rained, the more everything filled up with water. The moat around the lion’s enclosure filled up too. The lion watched. He was an old fellow, who had never been out of the enclosure. He had never seen anything like this before., As the water lapped the sides of the moat temptingly, the old fellow decided to make a go for it. He sniffed here, and he sniffed there. He put one paw delicately into the water and then, with one big breath, he jumped right in.

At first he sank. Then he panicked. He thought, for one awful moment that he was going to die. But he didn’t. His mighty head popped up and he paddled along until he could feel the wall just under his chin. Putting his big paws onto the wall, he heaved himself up. And then he was out. Out and free. Free to walk around the world, just as he had seen hundreds of people do. Now he, the mighty raja was going to have the adventure of a lifetime.

No one saw him for it was night and all the zoo keepers were fast asleep. Lion walked out, king of everything he saw. Softly, softly, he crept on padded feet to the enclosure next to him. He grinned in at the bear who woke up with a start.

He looked in at all the cages and thought how wonderful it was to be free.. Then he had an idea. He was going to be really free. What was the point of freedom if he was still within the four walls of the zoo? So, asking the way at every cage he passed, Lion reached the main gate.

He could smell a human. He carefully peered into the ticket booth. Sure enouch, the guard sat there. Lion was a clever old fellow and knew that the guard wouldn’t let him just walk out. So he waited and watched. The guard didn’t move. He snored gently. When lion was sure that the man was fast asleep, he padded his way past him gently.

"Hmmm – humph…" said a guard in his sleep. Lion almost roared in fright. But he didn’t, he waited quietly until he was sure that all was safe. And then he was FREE! Really free, for the very first time in his life.

He walked around, looking with wonder at the big, black, wet roads. He stared up at the high buildings and he sniffed at people huddled up, asleep in the driest corners they could find. One little child peeped out of his thin blanket and saw him. "Papa," he whispered, "there’s a lion on the loose!" "Yes. Yes," said his Papa sleepily, "he’ll go away, now get back to sleep."

And lion went on. This was the longest walk that he’d ever had. He was in the bazaar now. But, of course, everyone was fast asleep. He peered into shop windows, fascinated by the glittering things that shone there.

He walked on and on. On and on. Until he was one very wet, hungry and tired lion. He now suddenly caught the smell of freshly baked cake. He’d never smelled anything so invitingly warm or warmly inviting. Sniff! Sniff! Sniff! He found the window to Geeti and Vikki’s room open. Quickly, quietly, he jumped right in. He saw the children asleep in their soft, warm beds. And he felt like getting in with them. But first to find out where that delicious smell was coming from. Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!

Of course, with his sharp lion’s nose, he found the cake. And with his sharp lion’s teeth, he quickly gulped it down. It was delicious. Not like the smelly raw meat he got.

And now, to bed. Slipping back into the children’s room, lion tried to get into Vikki’s bed.

But it was too small for one big lion. So, he crawled under the bed and found it wonderfully cosy and just right for one big lion. Soon he was fast asleep.

Next morning, mummy woke up to find the cake missing.

"Did you eat the cake?"

"No mummy."

"Then who could it have been?"

"It must have been the lion!" said Geeti.

"What lion? Geeti, don’t be silly."

"She’s not being silly" said Vikki.

"There’s a lion under our bed!"

"What?" shouted mummy as loudly as she could. And she rushed right away to look for the lion under her children’s bed.

She looked, but there was no lion there. "Oh children," she said crossly, "You gave me a fright. Of course there’s no lion there."

"But there was mummy," protested the children. "Look, there are lion paw prints on the carpet."

"And a big wet patch on our beds."

"And lion hair on my sheet!"

Mummy had to believe them then, but try as they might, they couldn’t find the lion any more. And do you know why? The lion had a good snooze and decided to get back to his cage before there was any fuss. So he had slipped away at dawn and no one saw him going. He slipped past the guard who still lay asleep and swam back into his cage. What an adventure it had been! But he was glad to be home.

As soon as the rain stopped, Geeti and Vikki went to the zoo. They stood outside the lion’s enclosure and whispered to each other. I’m sure that our lion recognized them too, and let out a big rumbling ROAR of a thank you to his little friends.

Maybe, next time it rains very hard, Lion may come to YOUR house, so remember to give him some freshly baked cake!

Story about - The Rainbow

Out in the lush, green garden Binnu chased the multi-coloured butterflies which flitted from flower to flower.

Plants take root easily during the monsoon and with plenty of water to nourish them, new sprouts appear.





Suddenly there was a flash of lightening.

Soon, the sky was completely overcast and it begun to rain.Binnu and his mother sheltered in the verandah and watched the rain.

The rain stopped after a while and the sun peeped out from behind the clouds.

Binnu ran into the garden again. He caught his breath when he looked at the sky. A lovely multi-coloured arc extended right across the blue expanse.



"When the sun's rays shine on the falling drops of rain, a rainbow is formed."

"Mother, tell me the story of the rainbow," begged Binnu.

"Well, in King Indra's court there were seven naughty children who were always quarrelling and fighting."

"One day an argument arose over who was the greatest among them."



"The red child said,

'How can it be

Anyone but me?

Watermelons, pomegranates, apples,

tomatoes

All have red, you see.'

"Spoke the orange child,

'Oranges, carrots or grain

They are all the same

Their colour to me they owe

All over the world they glow.

"The yellow child piped up,

'It is said

So far has my fame spread



"Now it was the turn of the green child,'Wherever there is green

I can be seenOn unripe mangoes and tamarind is my seat

My fame proclaimed by the parakeet.'

"Then spoke the blue child,'Lift your eyes to the skyAnd you'll know whyNone is greater than I.'

Guavas or bananas, sunflower or rose In all of them its yellow that shows.'

"But the indigo child interrupted,

'Have you seen the peacock dance?

Or the flowing stream?

The water-lily indigo blue vThe lake itself takes my hue.'

"Now it was the turn of the voilet,

'Be it jamun, grape or aubergine

I give them life

On their bodies am I seen.'

"The children were quarreling when Indra arrived on the scene. 'Why are you squabbling?' he asked. 'You know good children don't quarrel.'

"They stopped squabbling.

"They told God Indra the cause of the squabble and asked, 'You tell us who is the best among us?'

"Indra laughed. 'There is little to choose between you. If you play happily together you will appear even lovelier.

It is when you are together that you form a rainbow. No one can divide you.'





Whenever the seven children appear together a rainbow is formed - red on top,violet at the bottom; always in direction opposite the sun. In the early afternoon, when the sun is high the rainbow is never visible.

Sometimes one can also see a second bow - a double rainbow. In this the colours are in reverse, that is, red at the bottom, violet on the top.

Peacocks dance and everyone is happy. It is as though seven lovable children are frolicking - sometimes red leading, at others, violet.