Stories For Children

The Bundle of Sticks. Once, in a village, far away there lived an old man with seven sons. All day long the boys quarrelled and fought over even the smallest of matters. "Goodness me, it's hot! " said the eldest son. "Don't be silly, it's just right, " said the youngest. "You both are blockheads! " said another son, "There is a terrible storm about to arrive! " On and on,  they would argue, driving their poor father mad. One day, their father decided to teach them a lesson. He ordered all his sons to pick up five sticks each, from the courtyard, and bring them to him. He gave each of his sons one of the sticks and asked them to break it. They did this easily and looked at each other in confusion. "Perhaps father has gone mad! " whispered one of the sons. Their father then bundled up all the remaining sticks and tied them with some string. He asked all his sons to try and break the bundle. Not one of his sons was s

The Stag and His Reflection. A stag, one day, was studying his reflection in the crystal clear water of the forest lake. He looked at his antlers and then he looked at his legs. He looked at his legs and then he looked at his antlers. The stag was not satisfied at all. " I have such beautiful antlers but I have such skinny, spindly legs. If only my legs were a little muscular! " While the stag was busy studying his reflection, he did not notice that a panther was creeping up behind him. Suddenly he heard a twig crack and knew straight away, that he was being stalked. Stag sprang into a sprint and nimbly dodged his way through the forest. He was suddenly very grateful for his spindly legs. All at once, however, he found himself tangled in the branches above his head. The panther was gaining on him. The stag realised that his antlers, really were much less useful than his legs, in this case, and that very soon he was about to become the panther's supper. Moral:Do n

The Crow and the Pitcher of Water. Once upon a time, there was a very thirsty crow. He had not had a drink for many days and he feared that if he did not find water soon, he would die. His wings were weak and his legs were tired, but still he did not give up hope of finding water. Suddenly, just as he was about to collapse, he spotted a tall pitcher with a narrow neck. He summoned up all the energy he had and perched himself on the opening on the jar. He was in luck! Inside was, indeed, water! Crow's spirits were lifted immediately but he had to think of a way to reach the water. The opening and the neck of the jar were too slim for crow to reach the water inside. He had to think fast before it was too late. Just then, like a light bulb turning on, Crow had a brilliant idea. He picked at the small pebbles that were all around him and dropped them into the pitcher. Slowly, slowly the water began to rice. Soon it was high enough for Crow to take a sip, and eventually, Crow had

The Lion and the Mouse. The jungle was quite and it was time for all the animals to take their afternoon nap. Loin lay down and stretched out his powerful paws. He yawned loudly and soon fell into a deep and happy sleep. Mouse, on the other hand, was a restless creature. She never slept in the afternoons. She would spend her time looking for nuts and berries or chasing butterflies. As Mouse ran, she tripped and fell. She landed right on top sleeping Lion's paws. Loin awoke with a start and when he saw Mouse he roared his most terrifying roar! "How dare you disturb me? I will eat you up, you silly creature! I will swallow you whole so you never disturb me again! " Mouse trembled at Lion's words. She did not mean to disturb the king of the forest. "Oh, your Highness, please don't eat me. I promise, if you spare me, just this once, I will repay your kindness. " The lion thought it was funny that a tinny little mouse thought she could ever be able to

The Eagle and the Jackdaw. There once was a shepherd who lived in a beautiful green valley. All day long his lambs and sheep grazed happily and grew fat with the fresh grass and beautiful sunshine. One day an eagle swooped down and carried off a lamb in it's powerful talons. In the meantime a jackdaw sat watching, from a nearby tree. "I could do that! " he thought to himself. He drew himself up to his full height and flew into the sky. He circled and swooped, just as he had seen the eagle do, and then he dived faster and faster towards the biggest sheep he could find. The shepherd, who was watching, ran and caught the jackdaw. He clipped the bird 's wings immediately, so it could not fly away, and gave it to his children to keep as a pet. "what do we call this bird, papa? It cannot fly! " asked the children. "This is called a jackdaw, " said the shepherd, "But it thought itself to be an eagle! " Moral:Do not let vanity make you

The Stork and the Fox. One morning, in the Great Forest, Fox was feeling very bored. He decided to play a trick on his neighbour, the stork. "Dear Stork, would you like to join me for a delicious meal at my house, tonight? " Fox asked eagerly. "Why, that's very kind of you, Fox. Of course, I shall come. " Later that evening, Fox laid out two shallow bowls of delicious smelling soup. He placed one bowl in front of Stork and invited her to begin her meal. Stork could only wet the tip of her beak, while she hungrily watched Fox as he lapped up his own soup with great enjoyment and ease. Stork did not say a word, although she was very unhappy at the trick. She only smiled and thanked Fox for a wonderful evening and then invited Fox for a meal at her own home, to repay him for his kindness. Fox agreed, happy that his trick had worked so well. The next day, Fox arrived at Stork's house. He was hungry and was looking forward to a tasty lunch. Stork gave Fox

The Tortoise and the Ducks.  One-day, Tortoise was sitting alone by the duck pond. He was feeling very sad and lonely. He watched the ducks as they swam, he watched the frogs as they jumped and he watched the dragonflies as they skimmed over the water. Tortoise could only drag his feet along the ground. The ducks, upon seeing Tortoise's frown, swam up to him and asked him what was the matter. "You are so lucky, my friends. You can swim and waddle and even fly. I can only plod along the ground, dragging my house upon my back. You see, I've always wanted to see what the world looked like from under water or above the trees! " The ducks quacked and nodded. This was very sad indeed. They did not like to see Tortoise this way. They talked amongst themselves for a minute or two and then came up with a very clever idea. "Tortoise, Tortoise! " they quacked excitedly, "we can help you fly! All you have to is hold on this stick with your mouth, whilst we

The Oak and the Reeds. The reeds that grow by the ponds and marshes, since time began, have always bowed when the wind has blown. Sometimes they bend their backs until their heads touch the ground. The mighty oak tree, on the other hand, stands tall and proud and refuses to bend, even a little.  One day, as the wind howled through the reeds, making them bow and sing their sad songs of loss and sorrow, Oak decided that he would give them some advice. "You should stand tall and firm, like me. I bow to no one,"he said proudly.  "But we bow out of choice, Oak. If we did not bow, then we would break. You think nothing is strong enough to break you, but soon you will see our wisdom. There is a great storm coming." Oak laughed and said, "I suppose you cannot help but bend. You are so thin and small, after all! Iam big and strong. I will not bow! " The next day, just as the reeds had predicted, a huge storm raged through the entire valley. The wind ho

The Wild Boar and His Tusks.  It was a fairly pleasant Sunday afternoon in the wild forest of talking animals. Most of the creatures saw this as a time to relax. Fox was also in the mood to relax. He thought he would take out some time from his busy hunting schedule, to visit his friend, the Wild boar. When he reached Boar's home, he saw that Boar was very busy. "What are you doing? " asked Fox. Boar was rubbing his tusks against a sturdy tree stump. "I'm preparing myself for an attack," replied Boar, as he stopped to take a breath. "I don't see any danger of that! " laughed Fox. "But if there is an attack, my friend, I won't have time to sharpen my tusks. I must be prepared, just in case! " Fox could only nod and agree. Moral:It is always better to be prepared!

The Gnat and the Bull. One day a gnat was out and about. He had decided that he would travel far and explore. He was feeling very brave and important and was certain that he would discover new lands, never before seen by anyone in the gnat kingdom. After buzzing around for a time, Gnat realised that he was quite tired. Soon, he spotted Bull grazing in the field and thought it would be good to land on his horns. He flew and buzzed around Bull's head, trying to catch his attention, but bull was quite absorbed in his grazing. Gnat landed anyway and took a little rest. After some time, Gnat decided it was time to move on. He had much exploring to do. Again, he tried to catch Bull's attention. "Excuse me, Mister Bull! " Gnat shouted in Bull's ear, "I do apologise for resting on your horn. I hope I was not too much of a bother! " Finally Bull saw the tiny gnat. He looked very confused. "I did not even know you were there. You certainly have nothin

The Fox and the Leopard.  One day in the jungle,where all the animals could talk. Fox and Leopard resting lazily after a generous dinner, started to have a conversation. They amused themselves by disputing about their good looks. Leopard was very proud of his glossy, spotted coat and said "Iam, of course, far more handsome than you, Fox. Just look at me how big Ian see my muscles, they are big and strong and make me look like a prince". The Fox prided himself on his fine bushy tail with its tip of white, but he was wise enough to see that he could not rival the Leopard in looks. Still he kept up a flow of sarcastic talk, just to exercise his wits and to have the fun of disputing. The Leopard was about to lose his temper when the Fox got up, yawning lazily. "You may have a vet smart coat", he said "but you would be a great deal better off if you had airtel more smartness inside your head and less on your ribs, the way Iam. That's what I call real beauty

The Wolf and His Shadow.  Once there was a wolf who loved to hunt. He thought himself a very brave creature and often looked at the Lion, who was the king of beasts, with envy. "Iam a much better hunter than Lion. The only reason he is the king of beasts, is because he is bigger than me and has that ridiculous mane! " thought the Wolf to himself. One day, as the sun was setting, the Wolf caught sight of shadow. He had never noticed it before but at that moment it looked big and long. He suddenly believed that he was as big as the shadow that he saw. "Iam much bigger than Lion. I wonder why I never noticed before. I must find him at once and challenge him to fight! " said Wolf. Just then, an even bigger and longer shadow appeared, making everything around Wolf grow dark. It was Lion, he realised. But it was too late. Lion had already pinned him to the ground and was ready to silence the Wolf for good! Moral:Do not let your imagination run away with you. 

The Cock and the Fox. One day in the afternoon a big fat Cock was taking a nap on the tree where it usually takes rest. Mean while Fox was walking beside the tree saw the Cock's bright red comb and thought of a cunning plan to have the Cock for its dinner. Fox mouth had already started watering at that thought of some delicious cockerel pie. Fox called Cock and said hey Cock Iam having a very exciting news. The Cock was listening to the Fox without Opening her eyes. Cock not bothering to open his eyes, asked him what the exciting news was. Fox was surprised and said I thought you haven't heard. It's really quite astounding! There was a meeting earlier today, between Foxes and Foul and they have decided on a peace agreement.From now on, we shall be friends, not a single creature shall be our enemy. So please come done and let us embrace. Cock knew that it was a cunning plan of the Fox and Cock thought of a his own plan. "That's wonderful news, Fox",said C

The Lion and the Rabbit. Once upon a time there lived a lion in the forest. The Lion was killing all the animals in the forest for its food. Seeing this, the animals gathered and decided to approach the lion with the offer of one animal of each species volunteering itself to be eaten by the lion every day. So every day it was the turn of one of the animals and in the end came the rabbits' turn. The rabbits chose a old rabbit among them. The rabbit old was wise. The old rabbit got an idea. The Lion was getting impatient on not seeing any animal come by and swore to kill all animals the next day. The rabbit then went to the Lion by sunset. The Lion was angry at him. But the wise rabbit was calm and slowly told the Lion that it was not his fault. He told the Lion that a group of rabbits were coming to him for the day but on the way, an angry Lion attacked them all and ate all rabbits but himself. Somehow he escaped to reach safely, the rabbit said. He said that the other Lion was c

The Frog and the Mouse. One day a young Mouse in search of adventure was running along the bank of a pond where lived a very naughty Frog. When the Frog saw the Mouse, he swam to the bank and croaked: "Won't you pay me a visit? I can promise you a good time if you do." The Mouse did not need much coaxing, for he was very anxious to see the world and everything in it. But though he could swim a little, he did not dare risk going into the pond without some help. The Frog had a plan. He tied the Mouse's leg to his own with a tough reed. Then into the pond he jumped, dragging his foolish companion with him. The Mouse soon had enough of it and wanted to return to shore; but the treacherous Frog had other plans. He pulled the Mouse down under the water and drowned him. But before he could untie the reed that bound him to the dead Mouse, a Hawk came sailing over the pond. Seeing the body of the Mouse floating on the water, the Hawk swooped down, seized the Mouse and

The Fox and the Grapes. One day a fox travelled many miles and was very hungry. He looked about for food but found nothing to eat.At last he spotted q vine, high up in the branches of a tree. The vine hung with the most delicious looking grapes he had ever seen. They were plump and red and looked so juicy that they made his mouth water. The Fox stood up but the bunches were too high above his head.Fox sat under the tree, trying to think of a way to get at the grapes, then he thought of a brilliant plan. He would jump up and snatch the grapes in his mouth. He made several jumps upwards; still the grapes were beyond his reach. When he could not get at them by any means, he turned away. "Why should I spend my energy on grapes that are sure to be sour? What a waste of time! " he said, and then walked away. Moral: It is a bad plan to be little, which is beyond our reach. 

The Monkey and the Crocodile. Once upon a time there was a clever monkey who lived by the river Ganga. A crocodile and his wife lived in the same river. One day, the crocodile’s wife fell very ill. She wanted to eat something special. She asked her husband to get her a monkey’s heart. The crocodile did not know what to do. Then he thought of his neighbour, the monkey. He said, “Friend Monkey, why do you waste your time eating the fruits of this tree? There are juicy fruits on the other side of the river.” When the monkey said that the river was too big for him to cross, the crocodile offered to take him on his back. After a while, the crocodile sank in the water along with the monkey. He told the monkey that his wife was sick and wanted his heart. The monkey realised that he had been foolish to trust the crocodile. He quickly thought of a clever plan to escape. He said, “Alas friend! Our hearts are not inside us. We have to keep them hanging on trees. I wish you had told me earlier. L

The Hare and the Tortoise. Long ago and far away, where animals could talk and trees could sing, there lived a hare and a tortoise. Hare was young and handsome and loved to race about the countryside. He had many admirers and would love showing off and poking fun at Tortoise. Tortoise was always too busy to notice, napping in the sunshine or reading a book. One day, as Tortoise munched on his favourite flowers, Hare jumped out and surprised him. "Tortoise, look at you!  You are old and slow and all you do is eat and sleep. Look at me,  Iam fast and handsome and I can be anywhere I want in almost no time at all! " Tortoise slowly looked up. He gave Hare the biggest smile he had and said, "Let's have a race, then! All around the village and back here, by this patch of buttercups. " Hare almost fell over, he was laughing so hard, but when he looked at Tortoise, Tortoise looked very serious. This was no joke! "Let's do it! " exclaimed Hare. Th