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Stories
A Thirsty Crow

Long ago, there lived a woodcutter in a small village.

He was sincere in his work and very honest. Every day,
he went into the nearby forest to cut trees. He brought
the woods back into the village and sold them to a
merchant and earned his money. He earned just enough
to make a living, and he was satisfied with his simple
living.
One day, while cutting a tree near a river, his axe
One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields
slipped out of his hand and fell into the river. The river
looking for water. For a long time, he could not find any.
was so deep, he could not take it on his own. He had
He felt very weak, almost lost all hope.Suddenly, he saw
only one axe that fell into the river. He started to worry.
a water jug below the tree. He flew straight down to see
He will not be able to earn his living now! He was very
if there was any water inside. Yes, he could see some
sad and prayed to the God. He prayed sincerely and God
water inside the jug!
appeared in front of him and asked, “What is the
The crow tried to push his head into the jug. Sadly, he
problem, my son?” The woodcutter explained the
found that the neck of the jug was too narrow. Then he
problem and requested the God to get his axe back.
tried to push the jug to tilt for the water to flow out, but
The God stretched his hand deep into the river and
the jug was too heavy.
took out a silver axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” The
The crow thought hard for a while. Then, looking
Woodcutter looked at the axe and said “No”. So, the God
around it, he saw some pebbles. He suddenly had a
put his hand back deep into the water again and took a
good idea. He started picking up the pebbles one by
golden axe and asked, “Is this your axe?” The
one, dropping each into the jug. As more and more
woodcutter looked at the axe and said “No”. The God
pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon it
said, “Take a look at it again Son, this is a very valuable
was high enough for the crow to drink. His plan had
golden axe. Are you sure, this is not yours?” The
worked! The crow drank the water happily and flew in
woodcutter said, “No, It’s not mine. I cannot cut trees
the sky singing his favorite song.
with a golden axe. It’s not useful to me”.
The God smiled and finally put his hand into the water
Moral: Think smart, you may find a solution to any
again and took out his iron axe and asked, “Is this your
problem.
axe?” To this, the woodcutter said, “Yes! This is mine!
Thank you!” The God was very impressed with his
The Woodcutter and the Axe
honesty and she gave him his iron axe and also the
other two axes as a reward for his honesty.
Moral: Always be honest. Honesty will always be
rewarded.

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Tenali Rama and the Brinjal Curry a brinjal from the garden.
But his wife did not agree. She wanted to serve the
curry to her son. She was unable to eat the curry alone
without serving her little kid who was sleeping after
doing his homework on the roof of their house. She
asked Tenali Rama to find a way so that their son can
also taste the brinjal curry. Tenali Rama also loved his
son, so he thought of an idea. With hesitation, he went
to the roof to wake up his child with a bucket of water,
and poured the water on the child. When the child woke
up, he said “It is raining. Let’s go inside the house and
have dinner”. After going inside the room, he changed
the clothes of his son and gave him the rice and brinjal
Tenali Rama was an advisor to the King Krishna curry for the dinner. Tenali Rama told his wife loudly that
Devaraya. He was very clever and spontaneous. Sri “it was raining outside, and let the boy sleep in the
Krishna Devaraya had some special type of brinjal room”.
plants in his garden. The brinjal was a very rare kind and Next day, the emperor came to know that few brinjals
the curry made out of it was very tasty which was loved were missing in his garden. The Gardener who kept the
by the king. As it was a rare type, the garden was count of each vegetable and flower found that three
guarded and no one was allowed to see the plants brinjals were missing. It became a challenging issue for
without the king’s permission. the emperor and so he took it very seriously. He
Once the emperor arranged an excellent dinner for his announced a reward for the person who can catch the
advisors and the brinjal curry was served. Tenali Rama thief. The gardener told the king that only Tenali Rama
enjoyed the brinjal curry very much and went home. But, was capable of doing such things. The emperor sent a
he was unable to forget the taste. He told his wife about few policemen and asked Tenali Rama to come
the taste of the curry. Tenali Rama’s wife also liked immediately. Once Tenali Rama came he asked him
brinjal curry, she asked Tenali Rama to bring home few about the missing brinjals. Then Tenali Rama told, “I
brinjals, so that she can prepare a curry. But, Tenali was not aware of the missing brinjals”. Then the
Rama knew that the king was taking extreme care about gardener told “Tenali Rama was lying. Let’s enquire his
the brinjal plants and he can easily find out even if one son”.
brinjal was missing from his garden. And, the king The king sent his policemen to bring Tenali Rama’s
would punish such a thief severely, if he was caught son. Once his son came, the king asked what vegetable
stealing a brinjal from his garden. he had for dinner last night. The child replied, “The
But, Tenali’s wife pleaded him to bring a brinjal from brinjal curry and it was very tasty”. Then, the king told
the garden without telling anyone. Tenali Rama had no Tenali Rama that he must accept his crime. But Tenali
choice other than stealing a brinjal from the emperor’s Rama said his son slept very early, and he might be
garden. One night, he went to the garden, jumped over saying something which he saw in his dream.
the wall and plucked few brinjals from the garden. So, the king asked the little kid that “can you please
Tenali Rama was happy that no one had seen him. His explain clearly what you did yesterday after coming
wife cooked the brinjals and the curry was very tasty. from the school?”
Like all mothers, she too loved her son very much and Tenali Rama’s son replied that “yesterday after coming
wanted to serve the brinjal curry to him. But, Tenali from the school, I played for some time and after that, I
Rama asked her not to do such a thing, because if their went on to the roof, did my homework, and slept on the
son revealed to anyone that he had a rare brinjal curry, roof. But when the rain started, my father came and
then they may get caught and get punished for stealing woke me up. By that time my dress was fully wet, then

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we went inside, had dinner and slept again”.

The gardener was shocked because there was no rain
at all yesterday. So, they thought the kid had a dream
and allowed Tenali Rama to go without any punishment.
However, Tenali Rama told the truth to the king later, and
was pardoned by the emperor for his clever witty idea.
Moral: Stealing is not a good virtue! You can always
use your brain and come out of difficult situations.
Once upon a time, two friends were walking through
A Fox and a Goat the forest. They knew that any danger can happen to
Once upon a time, a fox was roaming around in the them at any time in the forest. So, they promised each
dark. Unfortunately, he fell into a well. He tried his level other that they would remain united in any case of
best to come out, but was not able to come out. So, he danger.
had no other alternative but to remain there until the Suddenly, they saw a huge bear approaching them. One
next morning. The next day, a goat came that way. She of the friends at once climbed a nearby tree. But the
peeped into the well and saw the fox there. The goat other one did not know how to climb. So, being led by
asked, “What are you doing there, Mr. Fox?” his common sense, he lay down on the ground
The sly fox replied, “I came here to drink water. It is the breathless, pretending to be a dead man.
best I have ever tasted. Come and drink yourself.” The bear came near the man lying on the ground. It
Without thinking even for a while, the goat jumped into smelt him with his nose, and left the place. It is because,
the well, quenched her thirst and looked for a way to get bears do not touch dead creatures. Now, the friend on
out. But just like the fox, she also found herself helpless the tree came down and asked his friend on the ground,
to come out. “Friend, what did the bear tell you in your ears?” The
Then the fox said, “I have an idea. You stand on your other friend replied, “The bear advised me not to believe
hind legs. I’ll climb on your head and get out. Then, I a false friend.”
shall help you also to come out.” The goat was innocent Moral: True Friend is the one who always supports and
and did not realise the cunningness of the fox, and so stands by you in any situation.
did as the fox said and helped him to get out of the
well. The Golden Egg
While walking away, the fox said, “Had you been
intelligent enough, you would never have jumped in
without thinking how to get out.”
Moral: Look before you leap. Do not walk blindly into
anything without thinking.

The Bear and the Two Friends

Once upon a time, there lived a cloth merchant in a

village with his wife and two children. They were indeed
quite well-off. They had a beautiful hen which laid an
egg every day. It was not an ordinary egg, but a golden
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egg. But, the man was not satisfied with what he used net with his teeth and set them free.
to get daily. He was a greedy person. The mouse cut the net and one by one all the doves
The man wanted to get all the golden eggs from his were free. They all thanked the mouse and flew away
hen at one single go. So, one day he thought hard and at together.
last came with a plan. He decided to kill the hen and get Moral: When you work together, you are stronger.
all the eggs together.
So, the next day when the hen laid a golden egg, the Birbal’s Wisdom
man caught hold of it, took a sharp knife, chopped off
its neck and cut its body open. There was nothing but
blood all around and there was no trace of any golden
egg. He was very sad, because now he would not get
even one single golden egg.
His life was going on smoothly with one golden egg a
day, but now, he himself made his life miserable. Just
because of his greediness, he became very poor.
Moral: One who desires more, loses all. One should
remain satisfied with what one gets.

Unity is Strength
Once upon a time, there was a flight of doves that flew One fine day, Akbar lost his ring. When Birbal arrived in
in search of food led by their king. One day, after flying the court, Akbar told him “I have lost my ring. My father
for a long distance and they were feeling very tired. The gave it to me as a gift. Please help me to find it.” Birbal
dove king encouraged them to fly a little further. The said, ”Do not worry your Majesty, I will find your ring
smallest dove picked up speed and found some rice right now.”
scattered beneath a banyan tree. So, all of them landed He said, “Your Majesty the ring is here in this court
on the ground and began to eat. itself, it is with one of the people present here. The
Suddenly a net fell over them, and they were all person who has a straw in his beard has your ring.” One
trapped. They saw a hunter was approaching them, and man who had the king’s ring was shocked and
he was carrying a huge club. The doves desperately immediately moved his hand over his beard. Birbal
fluttered their wings trying to get out, but they could not. noticed this act. He immediately pointed towards the
The king had an idea. He advised all doves to fly up man and said, “Please search this man. He has the
together carrying the net with them. He said that there king’s ring.”
was strength in unity. Akbar could not understand how Birbal managed to
Each dove picked up a portion of the net and together find the ring. Birbal, then told Akbar that a guilty person
they flew off carrying the net with them. The hunter is always scared.
looked up in astonishment. He tried to follow them, but
they were flying high over hills and valleys. They flew to Moral: A Guilty Conscience needs No Accuser.
a hill near a city of temples where lived a mouse who
could help them. He was a faithful friend of the dove Birbal Caught the Thief
king. Once upon a time, a rich merchant’s house was robbed.
When the mouse heard the loud noise of their The merchant suspected that the thief was one of his
approach, he went into hiding. The dove king gently servants. So, he went to Birbal and mentioned the
called out to him, and then the mouse was happy to see incident. Birbal went to his house and asked all his
him. The dove king explained that they were caught in a servants to assemble, and asked who stole the
trap and they needed the help of the mouse to gnaw the merchant’s things. Everybody denied.

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Birbal thought for a moment, and then gave a stick of The Rabbit and the Turtle
equal length to all servants of the merchant and said to One day a rabbit was boasting about how fast he could
them that the stick of the real thief will be longer by two run. He was laughing at the turtle for being so slow.
inches the next day. He asked all servants to be present Much to the rabbit’s surprise, the turtle challenged him
there again the next day with their sticks. to a race. The rabbit thought this was a good joke and
All servants went to their homes and gathered again at accepted the challenge. The fox was the umpire of the
the same place the next day. Birbal asked them to show race. As the race began, the rabbit raced way ahead of
him their sticks. One of the servants had his stick the turtle, just like everyone thought.
shorter by two inches. Birbal said, “This is your thief, The rabbit reached the halfway point and he could not
merchant.” see the turtle anywhere. It was very hot. The rabbit felt
Later the merchant asked Birbal, “How did you catch very tired and so decided to take a break and take a
him?” Birbal said, “The thief had already cut his stick (short) nap. Even if the turtle passed him, he would be
short by two inches in the night fearing that his stick will able to race to the finish line and run ahead of him. All
be longer by two inches in the morning.” this time, the turtle kept walking step-by- step. He
decided not to quit no matter how hot or tired he was.
Moral: Truth will always Prevail. He just kept going.
However, the rabbit slept longer than he had thought.
The Fox and the Grapes When he woke up, he could not see the turtle anywhere!
He raced at full speed to the finish line but he found the
turtle there waiting for him.
Moral: Never underestimate anyone.

Two Frogs

One afternoon a fox was walking through the forest

and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from a lofty
branch. “Just the thing to quench my thirst,” he thought.
Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just A group of frogs was traveling through the woods and

missed the hanging grapes. Again, the fox took a few two of them fell into a deep pit. When other frogs saw

paces back and tried to reach them but still failed. how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they

Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored their

“They’re probably sour anyway,” and proceeded to walk comments and tried to jump out of the pit with all their

away. might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, and
that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs

Moral: It’s easy to hate what you cannot have. Nothing took heed to what other frogs were saying and gave up.

comes easy without hard work. So, Work Hard and He fell down and died.

reach your goals. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could.
Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the
pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally
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made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did Tenali Raman and Two Thieves
you not hear us?” The frog explained to them that he One summer night, when Tenali Raman and his wife
was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him, the were about to sleep, he heard a rustling sound of leaves
entire time. from outside. There was not even a light breeze blowing
Moral: There is power of life and death in the tongue. at that time, so he presumed that there were some
An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift thieves hiding in the bushes. He figured out that they
them up and help them to make it. Also we should do must be planning to rob his house in the night.
our best and don’t mind the discouragement. He thought of a plan and said to his wife, “My dear, I
heard that some notorious thieves are hiding in our
Never Give Up neighborhood. So, let’s hide all the jewellery and money
that we have in the well.
A little later, Tenali Raman and his wife came out of the
house carrying a big trunk, and dropped it into the well.
Then, they went back inside their house, and pretended
to be asleep. The thieves waited for a while and then
started drawing water from the well.
They wanted to empty the water in the well and get the
treasure. The thieves kept drawing out water, the entire
night. Towards dawn, they managed to pull out the
trunk, and when they opened it, they were extremely
shocked and disappointed to see only some big stones

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The in it.

animal cried for hours as the farmer tried to figure out They understood that it was Tenali Raman’s plan to

what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and outsmart them. Just then, Tenali Raman came out of his

the well needed to be covered up anyway it just wasn’t house and said, “Thank you friends, for watering my

worth to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his plants. I must pay you for your labour.”

neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed Hearing this, the thieves fell at Tenali’s feet asking for

a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, forgiveness. They promised not to steal or rob anyone

the donkey realized what was happening and cried ever again. Tenali decided to let them go.

horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he kept quiet. Moral - Keeping cool and using your wit during dire

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down situations can help you to get out of them.

the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every

shovel of dirt that fell on his back, the donkey was doing Tenali Raman and the Horse

something amazing. He would shake it off and take a

step up. As the farmer’s neighbours continued to shovel
dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take
a step up.
Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey
stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!
Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of
dirt. The trick is to not to get bogged down by it. We can
get out of the deepest wells by not stopping. And by
never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

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Once, the King wanted to expand his army. So, he

needed more horses. He decided to give one horse to
each person in his kingdom to take care of. He also
gave everyone a good supply of straw to feed the horse.
Everyone except Tenali Rama was not happy with this
plan. He shut his horse in one room and everyday at
exactly nine o’clock he gave the horse very little straw
through the window. He gave the remaining straw to his
cows that became fat and healthy.
At the end of a year, the king wanted to see all his The country faced a major problem of rats. Rats had
horses. All the people who were given horses to take multiplied to a very large number and were creating a lot
care of brought their horses for inspection. But, Tenali of destruction. They were nibbling through important
Rama did not bring his horse. On being questioned, he papers, clothes, grains in food stores, etc. There were
answered that his horse had become so strong that he not many cats in the kingdom to catch all the rats. So,
could not bring it to the court. The king was surprised the king asked all the houses in the country to keep one
on hearing this. He said, “Alright, I will send my chief cat each. But cats feed on milk and not every house
inspector to your house tomorrow morning at nine to owned a cow to get the milk. So, the king also gave a
inspect the horse there.” Tenali agreed. cow to every house. The people were happy and took
The next morning, the chief inspector went to Tenali’s care of cows and cats. They used to give a lot of milk to
house. He had a long beard. Tenali took him to the room their cats.
where the horse was kept and asked him to look But Tenali Raman was a lazy fellow and he was also
through the window. When the inspector peeped very fond of drinking milk. He wanted to keep the milk
through the window, naturally his beard went in through from the cow for himself. So, he thought of a clever
the window first. Seeing the beard, the horse thought trick. He boiled the milk and poured it in a pan. Then, he
that it must be straw that was being given to him at the put this pan in front of the cat. As soon as the cat
fixed time. It caught hold of the beard in his teeth and touched the boiling hot milk with its tongue, its tongue
pulled. The inspector shouted in pain and tried to pull got burned and it ran away at once.
his beard back. But the horse knew that this was the Tenali repeated the same thing the next day and again
only food he would get all day and pulled with all his the day after that. After a few days like that, the cat
might till the inspector lost his beard. refused to touch the milk that was offered to it for fear
The inspector went running to the king. He reported of getting its mouth burned. In this way, Tenali got to
that indeed Tenali Rama’s horse was the strongest of drink all the milk himself.
them all. One day, the king ordered all the cats to be brought
before him for inspection. While all cats were fat and
Tenali Raman and the Cat healthy, Tenali’s cat looked thin and weak. The king was
very angry with Tenali for not taking proper care of the
cat. But Tenali pleaded, “Your Majesty, I cannot help it.
My cat does not drink any milk at all.” The king said,
“Nonsense, I will put you in prison for telling a lie.” Tenali
requested the king to give him a chance to prove it and
the king agreed.
So, Tenali brought his cat and the pan of milk in front
of the king. He offered milk to the cat. But on seeing the
pan of milk, the cat ran away, frightened. The king was
surprised at this but he let Tenali go. Tenali lived happily,
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drinking a lot of milk by himself. had not thought about this major problem in their plan.
This is why it is said that making a plan is one thing but
Who will Bell the Cat executing it is an entirely different thing.

Blue Jackal

Once, a huge number of mice lived in a grocer’s shop.

They ate the fresh, tasty wheat, rice, bread, cheese and
biscuits that were kept in the shop. They were having a Long ago, there lived a cunning jackal. One day, driven
great time and living easy, comfortable lives, growing by hunger, he strayed into a village in search of food. On
fatter day-by- day. seeing him, a pack of dogs ran after him. Terrified, he
But, the grocer was concerned about the loss that he dashed into the house of a dye merchant and
was suffering, because of the damage done to his stock accidentally fell into a tub of blue dye. The jackal was
by the mice. So, he thought of a solution and bought a stained blue from head to toe.
big, fat cat to keep in his shop. Later, when he got back to the jungle, all the animals
From that day onwards, the cat began to catch the stared at him in shock. They had never seen such a
mice every day. The mice were terrified of even stepping strange and beautiful animal before. Seeing everyone
out of their holes. They could not reach the food confused the jackal thought of an idea. He proclaimed
anymore. This was a great cause of worry for them. that he was sent to rule over the animal kingdom and
They decided to call a meeting of all the mice in the guard its animals. The animals believed it and
shop to discuss this problem. proclaimed him as their king.
They got together and started thinking. One of them The jackal, as their king, then appointed the lion as his
suggested that they must get rid of the fat cat but no advisor, the tiger as his guardian, and the elephant as
one could think of a way of doing so. So, they kept his doorkeeper. But, his work was not done. For the fear
thinking of other ways. Finally, one mouse spoke up, of being recognized, he drove all the jackals out of the
“We should tie a bell around the cat’s neck. That way, forest. The new king, then, ordered his subjects to hunt
whenever the cat is near or is coming in our direction, for him and do his bidding. The animals used to bring all
we would get to know by the ringing of the bell and we kinds of fruits and meat to him and the blue king lived a
can quickly run back to our holes.” life of luxury.
This idea was much appreciated by the other mice. One day, as the blue king was enjoying himself, a pack
They thought that this was the best plan. They began of jackals passed by and began howling. Unable to
dancing and celebrating with joy. But their celebration control his natural instinct, the blue king rose up and
did not last very long, for an old and experienced mouse howled to glory. Hearing his cry, the jungle animals
said, “You fools! Stop celebrating and first tell me, who realized that they had been fooled. At once, they chased
will bell the cat?” the traitor out of the forest and the cunning jackal never
None of the mice had an answer to this question. They returned again.

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immediately opened his beak and began, “Caw,caw,

The Talkative Tortoise caw.” As soon as the crow opened his beak, the cream
biscuit fell down. The cunning fox immediately
munched it up and went off.
The next day, the fox came across the crow again. This
time, the crow had a piece of cake in his mouth. The fox
also wanted that cake. He said, “Dear crow, please
forgive me about yesterday. Your song was so sweet
and I really wanted to hear the whole song but I spotted
There once lived three great friends - a pair of geese a rabbit nearby, so I ran away. Please sing that song for
and a tortoise. One summer, the scorching sun rays me again.” But the crow understood the trick of the fox.
dried up their lake, and they decided to leave and look He flew off towards his nest with the piece of cake in
for a new lake. his beak. After keeping the cake safely in his nest, he
But the tortoise could not fly, so, the geese thought of returned to where he was sitting and began singing
an idea, where the tortoise would have to bite on to a loudly, “Caw, caw, caw.” The fox could not bear to listen
stick, which would be carried by the two geese. The only to the crow’s voice and ran away.
condition was that the tortoise should not open its
mouth, or it would meet a terrible fate. Moral: We cannot fool someone every time.
Soon, the geese rose into the sky, with the tortoise
holding firmly onto the stick. “Remember! No talking!” The Stork and the Crab
said the geese to the tortoise. On witnessing this, Once upon a time, there lived a stork by the side of a
animals on the ground started laughing at the unusual tank. There were plenty of fish in the tank and the stork
sight. “A flying tortoise!” they shouted. Unable to control always had a full meal. As the years passed, the stork
his anxiety, the tortoise spoke out. “What’re you all grew old and found it difficult to catch fish for his food.
laughing about? Oh no! I’m falling!” screamed the Sometimes, he would be hungry for days.
helpless tortoise. The stork thought of a plan. He stood by the tank with
And so, the poor tortoise came crashing to the ground, a sad look on his face. He did not attempt to catch any
only to be saved from death by her thick shell. “If only I fish. The fish, frogs and crabs in the tank noticed it, and
would’ve kept my mouth shut, I would be in a new lake asked him what the matter was.
with my friends,” thought the tortoise, as she slowly “I heard that some humans will soon fill this tank and
began her journey to find her friends. grow crops over it. There will not be any fish left alive.
This makes me feel sad”, replied the stork. The fish
The Fox and the Crow were worried and asked the stork to help them.
Once upon a time, there was a very clever fox that lived The stork offered to take all of them to a bigger tank
in the forest. One day, the fox was hungry. He really some distance away. But since he was old, he would
wanted to eat something sweet, like a cookie. Just then, need to rest between trips and would be able to carry
he saw a crow sitting on a branch. The crow had a only a few fish at a time. Saying this he set out on his
cream biscuit in his beak which he had snatched away first trip taking a few fish in his beak. However, he did
from a little boy. The fox’s mouth started watering on not go to another tank. Instead he took them to a bog
seeing the biscuit. He started thinking of a way of rock and ate them there. Each time he was hungry he
getting the biscuit for himself. would take a trip with a few more fishes.
The fox said to the crow, “Dear crow, the lion king told A crab was left in the tank. He also wanted to save
me that you sing beautifully. But I have never heard your himself and requested the stork to take him also. The
voice. Will you sing a song for me?” The crow was so stork felt he could try a different meal for a change. He
pleased on hearing the flattering words of the fox, he agreed to take the crab. The stork flew up with him.
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After a while, the crab looked down to see the tank the market," thought the hunter. He put down the turtle
where he was going to, but all he could see was dry on to the ground and ran to pick up the deer.
land. In the meantime, as planned, the mouse gnawed
“Uncle, where is the big tank you are taking me to?” he through the net and freed the turtle. The turtle hurriedly
asked. The stork laughed and pointed to a rock below. crawled away into the river water.
There were heaps of fish-bones on the rock. The crab Unaware of the plot of these friends, the hunter went to
realized that he was going to be the stork’s next meal. fetch the deer for its tasty flesh and beautiful skin. But,
He thought quickly of a way to save himself. The crab what he saw with his mouth wide open was that, when
dug his sharp claws into the stork’s neck and did not let he reached near, the deer suddenly sprang up to its feet
go till the stork fell down dead. He then cut off the and darted away into the jungle. Before he could
stork’s head and dragged it to the tank he lived in. There understand anything, the deer disappeared.
he told everyone how the stork had been cheating Dejected, the hunter turned back to collect the turtle he
everyone and how he had killed him. had left behind on the ground in the snare. But he was
shocked to see the snare lying nibbled at and the turtle
The Four Friends missing. For a moment, the hunter thought that he was
Long, long ago, there lived three friends in a jungle. dreaming. But the damaged snare lying on the ground
They were a deer, a crow and a mouse. They used to was proof enough to confirm that he was very much
share their meals together. awake and he was compelled to believe that some
One day, a turtle came to them and said, "I also want to miracle had taken place.
join your company and become your friend. I'm all alone. The hunter got frightened on account of these
" happenings and ran out of the jungle. The four friends
"You're most welcome," said the crow. "But, what about once again started living happily.
your personal safety, there are many hunters around.
They visit this jungle regularly. Suppose, a hunter The Mice that Ate Balance
comes, how will you save yourself?"
"That is the reason why I want to join your group," said
the turtle
No sooner had they talked about it, a hunter appeared
on the scene. Seeing the hunter, the deer darted away;
the crow flew in the sky and the mouse ran into a hole.
The turtle tried to crawl away fast, but he was caught by
the hunter. The hunter tied him up in the net. He was
sad to lose the deer. But he thought, it was better to Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy merchant, in a

feast on the turtle rather than to go hungry. village. He ran a big business. His village was situated

The turtle's three friends became much worried to see near a river. Once, due to heavy rain, the river was

his friend trapped by the hunter. They sat together to flooded. One night, the whole village was submerged in

think of some plan to free his friend from the hunter's neck deep water. The crops, houses and factories in the

snare. village were destroyed and hundreds of people and

The crow, then, flew high up in the sky and spotted the cattle perished in the flood.

hunter walking along the river bank. As per the plan, the The merchant had to suffer heavy losses in his

deer ran ahead of the hunter unnoticed and lay on the business. He decided to shift to some other town to try

hunter's path as if dead. his luck. His plan was to earn a lot of money and then

The hunter saw the deer from a distance, lying on the come back to his native village to start his business

ground. He was very happy to have found it again. "Now again.

I'll have a good feast on it and sell its beautiful skin in The merchant had a heavy iron balance lying with him.

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It belonged to his ancestors. It was not possible for him outside the temple, a big vulture swooped down upon
to carry such a heavy thing along with him. So, before him and carried him away."
starting on his journey, he decided to keep this ancestral "What nonsense!" shouted Ravi. "How can a vulture
item with his friend Ravi. He met Ravi and requested carry off a young boy?" But the merchant repeatedly
him, "My friend, as you know, I'm leaving for some claimed that a vulture carried away Ravi's son. The
distant place to earn money, so that I could start my argument reached such a point that they began
business once again when I come back. I have an old quarrelling with each other, using dirty words.
iron balance with me. Will you please keep it safe with Ultimately the matter had to be taken to the court. The
you till I return?" Judge listened to both the parties and ordered the
Ravi readily agreed to his friend's request and said, merchant to bring Ravi's son to the court, otherwise, he
"Don't worry, I'll keep it safe for you. You can take it back would be sent to jail.
after you return home." The merchant thanked Ravi for "My Lord", said the merchant, "How can I, when a
his helping attitude. He kept the iron balance with Ravi vulture has already carried away the boy."
and left for some other distant town. "Shut up!" the judge reprimanded the merchant. "How
A few years passed by. By this time, the merchant had can a bird carry away a young boy?"
done good business and had earned a lot of money. He "It can, my lord," said the merchant. "If mice can eat my
returned to his native village, and went to his friend iron balance, why can't a bird carry away a grown up
Ravi's house to meet him. Ravi showed his happiness in boy." Then he narrated the whole story to the judge.
meeting the merchant. Both the friends talked together The judge then asked Ravi to tell the truth. He warned
for hours. When it was time to leave, the merchant him that if he didn't tell the truth he would be sent to
asked his friend to return his iron balance. At this, Ravi prison. At last, Ravi admitted his guilt. The judge
looked sad and said, "Friend, I am sorry to say that I ordered him to return the iron balance to the merchant.
don't have your balance with me anymore. There are a He asked the merchant to return the boy to Ravi.
lot of mice in my house. They ate up your balance."
The merchant was surprised to hear Ravi's explanation. The Bad Elephant
'How can mice eat iron,' he thought to himself, but
apparently he said something different, "Don't feel sorry,
Ravi. The mice have always proved a menace to
everyone. Let us forget about it."
"Yes," Ravi said. "This is the only way out." He was
happy that the merchant believed his words. In fact he
had expected a lot of heated arguments in this respect.
While taking leave from his friend, the merchant said to
Ravi, "I'm going to temple to make an offering of
laddoos. Could you please send your son with me. I
There lived a huge elephant in a dense jungle. He was
would like to send some laddoos for you also. He would
cruel and arrogant by nature. He roamed freely in the
also look after my shoes outside the temple while I offer
jungle, pulling down small trees and branches. Those
prayers inside.
animals who lived in the trees were very much afraid of
Ravi asked his son to go along with the merchant.
this elephant. When he pulled down the trees and tore
Then, the merchant, instead of taking Ravi's son to
off the branches, many-a-nest with eggs and nestlings
temple, took him to a nearby hill and tied him with a big
came down crashing on the ground and got destroyed.
rock and came back home.
His movement in the jungle created an all round havoc.
When Ravi didn't see his son return, he asked the
Even the tigers and lions kept themselves at a safe
merchant where his son was. "I'm sorry," said the
distance from this rogue. In his ruthless march in the
merchant. "While your son was looking after my shoes
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jungle, many holes of the foxes were trampled. This led this treatment. You know, how cruel you have been to
to dissatisfaction among the foxes and among the other other animals all along. You pulled down branches of
animals alike. Many of them wanted to kill the elephant. trees mercilessly, without caring for the eggs and for the
But this task was very difficult, because of his huge lives of the nestlings. You knew everything, but
size. remained indifferent. You trampled upon the burrows of
"He is so huge", said the foxes amongst themselves. the foxes. You saw our siblings being crushed under
"It's nearly impossible to kill him." your heavy feet. You saw us crying, begging for mercy;
Then a meeting of all the foxes was called. In the but nothing bothered you. And now you are begging for
meeting, the impossible task was assigned to a very your life? I am sorry to tell you that though, your
cunning fox. The fox, before executing his plan studied coronation couldn't take place, but your cremation will
the elephant's behaviour for many days. definitely take place." And the fox left.
One day, the fox went to meet the elephant and said to The elephant couldn't come out of the swamp and died
him, "Your Highness. It's urgent to talk to you. It's a there.
matter of life and death for us."
The elephant trumpeted at his highest pitch and asked,
"Who're you and why do you want to see me?" The Well Dispute
"Your Highness", said the fox. "I'm the representative of
the whole of the animal community. We want to make
you our supreme head - the king. Kindly accept our
offer."

The elephant lifted his trunk with great pride and asked
for details.
The fox further explained, "I’ve come to take you with
me. The coronation ceremony will take place in the
middle of the jungle, where thousands of animals have
already gathered and are chanting holy mantras." Once there was a complaint at King Akbar's court.
The elephant was very glad to hear this. He had always There were two neighbours who shared their garden. In
cherished a dream to become a king. He thought that that garden, there was a well that was possessed by
the coronation ceremony will be a matter of pride to Iqbal Khan. His neighbour, who was a farmer wanted to
him. He readied himself hurriedly to accompany the fox buy the well for irrigation purpose. Therefore, they
to the deep jungle. signed an agreement between them, after which the
"Come, Your Highness," said the fox. "Follow me." farmer owned the well.
The fox led the elephant to some imaginary spot of Even after selling the well to the farmer, Iqbal
ceremony. On their way, they had to walk through a continued to fetch water from the well. Angered by this,
swampy area by the side of a pond. The fox being light the farmer had come to get justice from King Akbar.
bodied, crossed the small swampy patch without any King Akbar asked Iqbal the reason for fetching water
difficulty. The elephant too walked on it, but being from the well even after selling it to the farmer. Iqbal
heavily built, he got stuck in the swamp. The more he replied that he had sold only the well to the farmer but
tried to come out of the swamp, the more he went deep not the water inside it.
into it. He became scared and called out the fox, "Dear King Akbar wanted Birbal who was present in the court
friend. Please help me. I'm sinking in the mud. What'll listening to the problem to solve the dispute. Birbal
happen to my coronation now? Call your other friends came forward and gave a solution. He said,
also to help me." "Iqbal, You say that you have sold only the well to the
"I'm not going to save you", said the fox. "You deserve farmer. And you claim that the water is yours. Then how

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come you can keep your water inside another person's

well without paying rent?"
Iqbal's trickery was countered thus in a tricky way. The
farmer got justice and Birbal was fairly rewarded.

Stone Soup
Some travellers came to a village, carrying nothing
more than an empty cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the
villagers were not willing to share any of their food with
the hungry travellers. Then, the travellers went to a
stream and filled the pot with water, dropped a large
stone in it, and placed it over a fire.
One of the villagers became curious and asked what One day, a man climbed up a tree. While climbing up,
they were doing. The travellers answered that they were he did not realise how tall the tree actually was and kept
making "stone soup", which tasted wonderful and which climbing up. On reaching the top, when the man looked
they would be delighted to share with the villager, down, he realised that climbing down from the tree
although it still needed a little bit of garnish, which they would not be as easy as climbing up. He could not think
were missing, to improve the flavour. of any way of getting down without injuring himself
The villager, who wanted to get a share of the soup, did seriously.
not mind parting with a few carrots. So they were added He asked the people who were passing by to help him.
to the soup. Another villager walked by, inquiring about But nobody could think of a way of bringing him down
the pot, and the travellers again mentioned their stone safely. Soon, quite a few people gathered around the
soup which had not yet reached its full potential. tree and tried to help the man, but no one knew what to
The villager handed them a little bit of seasoning. More do. The man remained stuck on top of the tree.
and more villagers walked by, each adding another Just then, Mulla, who was walking by, saw this scene
ingredient. Finally, the stone (being inedible) was and wondered what was going on. The people standing
removed from the pot, and a delicious and nourishing around the tree told Mulla about the situation. “Oh!”
pot of soup was enjoyed by the travellers and villagers Mulla said, “I’ll get him down in no time.” He took a long
alike. rope and threw one end of it up to the man telling him to
Though the travellers tricked the villagers into sharing tie the rope around his waist.
their food with them, they have successfully Everyone wondered what Mulla’s plan was. When one
transformed it into a tasty and nutritious meal which of them asked him, Mulla replied, “Just leave it to me.
they shared with the donors. It’s a great plan.”
When the man on the tree had tied the rope tightly
The Man and the Tree around his waist, Mulla pulled the rope with all his force.
As soon as Mulla did this, the man fell down from the
tree and hurt himself badly. The bystanders were
shocked at this. They turned to Mulla and asked, “What
did you do? What a silly plan you had?”
Mulla replied, “Well, once I did exactly the same thing
and saved someone’s life.” One man asked him, “Is that
true?” “Absolutely!” replied Mulla, “The only difference
was I saved him from a well and not a tree.”

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Reading Lessons Polar Bears

Polar bears live in very cold areas, covered in snow.
Dogs They look the same as normal bears, only they are white
and bigger. They have a thick layer of fat on their body. It
protects them from the cold. Polar bears can weigh
equal to 10 humans. They’re very strong and powerful.
An amazing thing about polar bears is that they look
white. But in reality, their skin is black. It is covered with
a lot of white fur.

Horses

Do you know that dogs are known as man’s best

friends? This is because a dog is fun and friendly. Dogs
are domestic animals. They have pointed teeth and live
for 10-13 years. Dogs love eating bones and they love to
play. We can always play ‘fetch’ games with dogs. They
move their tails rapidly whenever they want to play. The
baby dogs are called puppies. Horses can almost see in all directions without turning
their necks. They run very fast. Horse racing is a very
Cats popular sport. Horseshoes are attached under their feet.
It helps them run faster. Horses eat grass, hay, grains,
and solid food. They're also domesticated on farms.
They are useful for different farming activities.

Tigers

Cats are lazy. They also have whiskers around their

nose. They spend 70% of their lives sleeping. But they
also spend a lot of time cleaning themselves and Tigers are the largest animals in the cat family. They
remaining tidy. Cats love eating fish and milk. So if cats have vertical strips over their body. They’re usually
sneak into your house often, keep your milk and fish orange, black and white. But some tigers are just white
safe. Do you know that cats belong to the same family and black. Tiger babies are called cubs. Tigers’
as tigers? eyesights are 6 times better than humans. Do you know
that tigers is that they can survive without food for 2
weeks? They are predators, which means that they hunt

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their prey. They only eat flesh, which means they're Monkeys
carnivores.

Rabbits

Monkey babies are called 'infants'. Monkeys can be

easily seen in India. We usually find them on top of
Rabbits love eating carrots and hay. They chew 120 buildings and trees. Their favorite food is bananas. They
times in a minute. It helps them to digest food easily. eat it just like humans, by removing the peels in the
Do you know how many times humans should chew same manner. Do you know that monkeys’ families are
their food? our ancestors? Their hands and legs are very similar to
Rabbits have a few things in common with other humans. A few years ago, there used to be street plays,
animals. Just like horses, they can see in almost all in which monkeys danced and did tricks.
directions without turning their heads. Just like cats,
they like to keep themselves tidy. Bees
Rabbits live in burrows. They're also called bunnies. Do Bees live in beehives where they produce honey. Baby
you know that sometimes rabbits eat their own poop? bees are called broods. The beehive consists of a queen
bee and worker bees. They feed on flower nectar. The
Dolphins lifespan of worker bees is usually around one year. But
the lifespan of an adult queen bee is around 2 to 5
years. Only the worker bees can sting. It is usually
advised not to tease the bees. This is because the
worker bees can sting us. Stings cause a lot of pain.

Pigs

Dolphins are very playful and intelligent. Just like

whales, they breathe air from a blowhole on their back.
They swim very fast. They jump out of the water to
breathe and it looks like they’re hopping on the water.
Dolphin baabies are called calves. Dolphins are very
attentive even while they’re asleep. Some dolphins have
two stomachs. This helps them to store food.

Pigs have small eyes, large ears, and a flat snout.

Snouts give them an excellent sense of smell. They
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make an ‘oink’ sound and usually like to stay in mud and

dirt. They’re one of the most populous mammals. Do
you know that the stiff hair on pigs’ bodies is called
bristles? Those bristles were very commonly used to
make paintbrushes and shoe brushes.

Lions
A fascinating fact about snakes is that they don’t have
legs. They move by creeping. They are reptiles. Snake
babies are called snakelets. People are generally scared
of snakes. This is because they’re poisonous. But, not
all snakes are poisonous. Their food is usually frogs and
small animals. Snakes can swallow their food without
chewing. They shed their skin 3 to 6 times per year. Do
you know that some snakes can fly?

Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs lived on earth millions of years ago. No one
Lions are very powerful and strong. They look like a
knows what they looked like. But based on bones and
very big cat with hair all around their face. Lions live
skeletons from the past, scientists assumed their body
together in caves or dens. Baby lions are called cubs.
structure. They were of different sizes. Some were very
They usually roar at night. The sound of their roar can
small while some were very huge. Some of them even
be heard 8kms away. They eat by hunting their prey,
had wings to fly. Some also lived in the sea.
which means they're predators. Do you know that lions
We still have no idea what sounds dinosaurs used to
can eat up to 30kgs in one meal?
make. Based on their body sizes, scientists have also
assumed their voices. We can hear their voices in a lot
Sharks
of movies made about dinosaurs. For example, the
Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World, Godzilla, etc.
Apart from being diverse in their body structures, the
species were also different in their eating habits. Some
were herbivores, some were carnivores and some were
omnivores. It has been found that dinosaurs became
Sharks are predators. It means that they hunt other extinct about 65 million years ago. A meteor from space
fishes as their food. A baby shark is called a pup. hit the earth. It led to the death of the species.
Sharks have an overall 30,000 pointed teeth in their life
span. Their skin is the thickest of all the animals. Sharks
Kids Favourite Cartoons
show their presence by swimming on the upper layer of
water. The horn-like fin on their upper body is visible Shin Chan

outside the water.

Snakes

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1. Shin Chan has a pet _______.

a. parrot
b. dog
c. cat
d. rabbit

2. Shin Chan's mother is a _________.

a. teacher
b. housewife
c. doctor
d. principal

My favorite cartoon is Shin-chan. It is a story about a 3. Shin Chan's mother hits him on his _______.
five-year-old boy who is very mischievous. He is always a. nose
looking for adventure. He is very optimistic about life. b. cheek
He is very fond of Action Kamen, which is his favorite c. hand
toon. He doesn't like to eat capsicum but his mother d. head
forces him to eat it.
Shin chan's mother, Mitsi, is a perfect housewife. She 4. Shin Chan does not like ________.
takes care of all the family members. However, she is a a. capsicum
little short-tempered. She hits Shin Chan on his head b. beetroot
which forms a bulging on his head. She hides some c. carrot
money which she calls her 'secret savings'. She spends d. brinjal
them on buying expensive clothes or cosmetics. Shin-
chan, by some means, always, finds out where she has 5. Shin Chan lives in ___________.
hidden her secret savings and then blackmails her that a. China
he would tell his dad. She, having no choice, buys him b. Japan
either Action Kamen set or Choco chips. c. India
Shin-chan lives in Japan. He goes to a kindergarten d. America
school. He has many friends. His main friends are
Kazama and Masao. Shin-chan calls his principal 'Gang Dora
Leader' who has a very rough face, like a real gang
leader. But he is a good-natured and kind-hearted
person.
Shin-chan has a pet dog, Shiro. Shin-chan does not
take good care of his dog. He never gives him his
morning food. Though he is a naughty boy, everyone
likes him very much.

Multiple Choice Question

Dora is my favorite cartoon character. She is a very

determined girl and always keeps moving forward to
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reach her goal. Dora's adventures are usually about 5. Who is a bull?
helping others who are in trouble. She has all the tools a. Benny
for her journey in her backpack. She knows how to read b. Isa
the map to reach her destination. 'Boots' is a monkey c. Swiper
and it joins Dora in all her journeys. He usually wears d. Boots
nothing but his beloved red boots, hence his name.
'Swiper' is a fox. It wears a blue mask and gloves. It Chhota Bheem
always tries to steal from Dora and others. But Dora
doesn't punish the fox and simply shouts 'NO'. The fox
respects her and runs away. Benny is another friend of
Dora's. He is a big, strong bull with a huge appetite and
an even bigger heart. He often tries to help Dora on her
adventures, but Benny is so accident-prone that it is
usually him in need of Dora's help.

Multiple Choice Question

1. Who has a bad character?
a. Boots
b. Isa
c. Benny Once upon a time, there was a town named Dholakpur,
d. Swiper ruled by a king, Indravarma. There lived a boy named
Bheem. He was an intelligent, strong, and witty boy.
2. Dora always carries a _____ Bheem always fought for justice and destroyed evil.
a. backpack Bheem was very popular in his town because he helped
b. suitcase whoever was in need. Sometimes he even helped the
c. plastic bag king and received a lot of appreciation from the king and
d. carry bag the people. Bheem’s best friends were Raju, Jaggu, and
Chutki. Jaggu was a monkey and he was very active.
3. Dora uses ________ to reach her destination. Raju was a very naughty and cute boy. Chutki was a very
a. Backpack cute and beautiful girl. Kalia was always jealous of
b. Mobile Bheem, but Bheem liked him too. Bheem was so good
c. Boots that he always helped Kalia whenever he fell in trouble,
d. Map and even Kalia didn’t forget to help Bheem in return
when needed. Dholu and Bholu were identical twins and
4. Dora's journey usually has ______ steps. they were often seen with Kalia. Bheem and his friends
a. five always worked as a team to succeed.
b. two
c. three Multiple Choice Question
d. four 1. Who is jealous of Bheem?
a. Dholu
b. Kalia
c. Bholu
d. Chutki

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2. Identical twins means, they _________ Planning for a Picnic

a. have same face and appearance Ria was planning to go on a picnic with her friends.
b. have same weight and height Naman asked her, "What all will you pack?" "I think I will
c. are always helpful pack a blanket made of good fabric, some snacks,
d. are always naughty some cold drinks, some games and napkins for
everyone," she said. She said she will also pack a jacket
3. The king praises Bheem because Bheem ___________. because in the evening it gets cold there. Ria and her
friends will enjoy it a lot.

a. eats laddoos nicely Jungle

b. is a good boy I was on a trek in the jungle with my family. There were
c. is smart many animals. Suddenly, it got cloudy and windy. The
d. helps the king often guide had a whistle around his neck to get people's
attention. He asked us all to cross the jungle quickly.
4. Bheem's favourite sweet is _______ This caused a bit of a hustle. We ran and ran, and were
a. Halwa very quick to get out of the jungle.
b. Barfi
c. Jalebi Chapati Machine
d. Laddo Neeta was saving some money to buy things for her
kitchen. She made a list on paper and went shopping.
5. Dholu and Bholu are very close to _________. She saw a beautiful machine there. This machine would
a. King cook chapatis on its own. Then, she looked at the label
b. Bheem of 500 rupees on it. It was the best thing she had ever
c. Kalia seen. She did not wait and bought the machine. Now
d. Chutki she can make a lot of chapatis each time there's an
ocassion.

Small Passages
Spider
Picnic Once we were at a hotel. I saw a spider crawling on the
Ravi and Rohit were good friends. They went on a broken window. It was very tiny and shiny. Soon, it was
picnic. They took the public bus. In the park, they saw a near my favorite dress. I saw the spider crawling over it.
rabbit. It had a cute pink nose. They saw a squirrel. It I tried to stop it but it started crawling faster. I went to
was sitting next to a cactus plant. Then, they ate cutlets protect my dress and just then the spider ran away.
and wiped their mouths with a napkin.

Cat Meeting Tiger

Math Problem We went to a forest to see wild animals. We were
It was a humid day. Sagar was practicing some basic sitting in the car and Judy, our cat was also with us. We
Math problems. He could add numbers well up to the were in the middle of the jungle. Suddenly, we saw a
last unit. But this time he had to do twelve minus five. giant tiger coming near us. We all were about to shout,
His father saw his paper and told him to relax. He but papa told us to be quiet. But Judy was scared so
helped him understand the meaning of minus. Then, he she could not remain quiet. She started shouting
played some music and gave Sagar more problems to "meow, meow!" Hearing this, the giant tiger ran towards
practice. Sagar could now do both plus and minus. us. My father drove the car as fast as he could and got
us out of that forest.

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Walter and Wallet One, two, three

I called all my friends and we played basketball. Then, I Little Vino liked to walk up and down on the steps in
recalled that Walter has not come at all. We halted and her school. When she walked, she always counted one,
called Walter. He said he couldn't come as he lost his two, three, till she reached the floor. It made her happy.
wallet and started crying. Hop, hop, and hop. With a smile, she will hop down the
steps. Luckily, no one noticed her.
Maya went to Gym
Maya eats bread and drinks milk in the morning. She Curve of a moon
wears her gym cap. She goes to the gym. The trainer A thin curve of the moon looked bright on the night sky.
makes her sweat. While in the gym, her sweatshirt tears. I love watching it from our terrace. My parents are
She fixes it with thread. Overall, Maya have fun at the sitting there on the steps and discussing something. I
gym. can feel the cool, night breeze. Though it is dark, I am
not afraid. The blinking stars in the night sky watch me
Farm on Table safely.
"This is marvelous", says Mrs. Rita. All students looked
up, curious to see the marvelous object. And what did Dressing the doll
they see? On the table was a glorious model of a farm. It I always like to dress my doll. When I am alone at
had numerous taps to shower water. It had various home, I have my doll to play with. My doll has so many
crops flourishing. "Who made this?" asked Mrs. Rita. "I tiny dresses. Will you believe it if I tell you I made them?
did," said Sona. Mrs. Rita encouraged her to come in I used my toy scissors to cut the cloth. Then, I used bell
front. Everyone clapped for Sona. pins to join them together. I don’t know how to use a
needle. Every day, I make her wear a new dress. Do you

Small Passages 2 have a doll?

Dolly, my golden fish Drops of water

Today we will meet Dolly, my golden fish. You will feel Each time you feel thirsty, grab your water bottle and
happy to see her swim swiftly in her pet jar. My mom take a sip. This will make you feel better. Look at the
presented it for my birthday. I feel so happy to take care birds in the sky. Where will they go when they feel
of her. I feed her every day in the morning. When I go thirsty? They search for a place with water.
near the tank, she will swim fast here and there. I know Unfortunately, they usually find unhealthy water. Who
she is happy to see me. My pet knows me. It may be a polluted it? Think! Every living thing in this world has the
surprise to you. But, it is true. Come home to see my right to live. Leave a bowl of water on your terrace. Let
pet. birds quench their thirst. You will be blessed!

Ski, a sapling Dews on leaves

So soft to touch! Have you touched the tender leaves Look at the pot of plant near the kitchen window. The
of a baby plant? I have touched it. Last week, in the leaves are broad and dark green. Little, little drops of
science exhibition, I saw a baby plant. Two little leaves water! The water drops reflect prism colours. It is so
in light green color. The stem looked white and tender. I chilly in the morning! There are dew-drops on the leaves.
can see the seed with its seed coat under the leaves. Can you tell me what colors are there? I can see shades
The baby plant swayed in the soft breeze. Hello, baby of red and green. What colors do you see?
plant!

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Sundays are holidays Pigeons

Every week we have Sunday as our holiday. Why Pigeons are wonderful birds. They fly fast from one
Sunday is so special for me? My father takes me along place to another. Today, if you want to send a message,
for his morning walk. We walk briskly to the seashore. It you do it from your mobile. When kings ruled our
is just ten minutes from my home. I can hear the rolling country, pigeons were used to send messages from one
waves of the sea. It is so good to watch the waves in place to another. Kings used pigeons to send important
the morning sun rays. messages. Pigeons are clever birds. They remember
their path of flight. After delivering the message, they
A Crab tale used to return to their place.
It is raining heavily today. I love looking at the rain.
Suddenly, I see something crawling in the water on the Stars
street. It is a Crab. Crabs are wonderful creatures to Look at the night sky. You can see little spots of light.
watch. I wish I could catch it. But, I am afraid of its What are they? They are Stars. Can you count the stars
pincers. They may hurt me. in the sky? No. This is because there are millions of
stars are there in the sky. Stars are scattered in the sky.
Cycle my way But, do you know, stars also appear in a group? Every
Arun likes to go for a ride in his cycle to the park near group of stars has a name. For centuries, stars guided
his home. Every day, after he comes back from school, sailors. In a rough sea, stars are better guides to reach
he rides with his friends to the park. The park has a the shore safely.
separate track for bicycle rides. It is safe to ride in the
park. Cycling is a very good exercise. Not only little Moon
boys, but even little girls also come there for cycling. There is a full moon in the sky. Milky, white light is cool.
It is not hot like sunlight. Some dark spots are there on

Small Passages 3 the moon. What are they? They are known as craters. On
a full moon day, you can see the bright moon in the sky.
Sparrows On a new moon day, there is no moon in the sky. The
Hop, hop, hop! Look at the little sparrows! Sparrows are moon grows and wanes. Moon has many tales to tell.
little angels who bring happiness to our homes. Do you
like Sparrows? Every day, a pair of sparrows visit our Clouds
home and chirp around happily. Chatter, chatter, chatter! Morning sky looks bright in the sunlight. It looks blue
Sparrows keep on talking continuously. What do they and clear. A small fluffy cloud sails across the sky. What
talk about? Can you guess? Sparrows are not only cute are clouds? Clouds are formed from water. Sometimes,
but are also smart, little birds. the bright sun hides behind those clouds. It will be
wonderful if I can sail on the clouds in the sky. Just like
How birds fly? we sail on the water, sailing on the clouds will also be
Look at the flock of birds in the sky. What do you see? thrilling. So, high up in the sky on the cloud. Yes, it is
Some birds fly from one place to another every year. You really thrilling...
can see these birds fly in V-shape. Why? It is to save
energy. Birds like Canada Geese and Pelicans fly a long Little Saran
distance. The birds in the front flap their wings more One day, little Saran crawled fast to the bucket of water
times. So that other birds need not flap their wings near the door. His little hands grabbed the rim of the
more. They just glide through the air. Is it not amazing? bucket. After a few slips, he could get up and stand.
Saran peeped into the bucket of water. With a giggle, he
started playing in the water. Flap, flap, flap, flap, he went
on striking the water. Playing in the water is his favorite
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pastime. His little hands splashed the water everywhere have a closer look at them. Now, we can watch
around the bucket. So cool! How I love to do this! Little sparrows at our homes also. Every day, a pair of
Saran giggled and played till his mother gave him a nice sparrows come to our kitchen window to eat the rice
slap. grains my mother leaves for them. They are now so
familiar with us that they hop and sit on the iron bar of
Ant in my hair the window and look inside the kitchen.
Sara always sat near the window in her class. It was a
hot afternoon. Everyone was feeling sleepy. The Money plant
teacher was busy reading from the book. It was like a Money plant is a common indoor plant grown in our
lullaby to Sara. Oh! What a day to spend like this. A little homes. A money plant is a climber. It can be grown by
ant from the desk climbed on her and reached her neck. planting a twig plucked from the mother plant. Money
The little ant didn’t want to disturb Sara. But wanted to plant brings wealth and prosperity to our home. Money
explore what is around her. In her drowsiness, Sara plant brings in positive energy. It helps to build a healthy
frowned. She felt something crawling down her nape. relationship at home.
Her fingers caught it and it got crushed.
Mint plant
Run fast After using the mint leaves for cooking, my mother
The narrow street looked so busy with so many planted the empty twigs of mint in a pot. Fresh leaves
vehicles down the road. Suddenly, a white dog came started growing from the twigs after some days. Fresh
running fast toward something on the roadside. The mint leaves will give flavor to the soups or curries. We
moving vehicles stopped for a while. One, two, three, can pluck fresh leaves whenever we need them. New
four... Within seconds, dogs were chasing each other. leaves grow within a few days.
The black dog that followed the white dog did not know
what happened. But, he kept on running. Soon, there Basketball
were so many dogs on the street barking at each other. Basketball is a popular sport. People started playing
Until Tara came to chase them away they kept on this game hundred years ago. In the year 1891, Dr.
barking for more than twenty minutes. James Naismith who was a teacher wanted a new
game for his students to play during cold winter. The
Feelers in Insects new game allowed his students to play inside. Players in
The most interesting part in an insect is its feelers. the game threw a soccer ball into two peach baskets.
Most of the insects have feelers. The feelers are a pair This made the game be known as basketball.
of sense organs found at the front side of the head of
an insect. The feelers have receivers to detect the smell Cats
in the air. Insects use their feelers to find the level of Cats have been common pets in the world. Cats are
moisture in the air. Some flies use their feelers to very friendly. Cats are independent and they don’t want
measure the speed of the air when they are flying. to stay at home. Cats are human companions for
Butterflies use their feelers to find out the direction to centuries. Cats are attached to their owners just like
fly. dogs are. Having a cat at home can be good for your
health. Your cat is indeed more like a family than a pet.

Small Passages 4
Reading Passages
Sparrows
After a very long time, I can now hear the happy Pure thoughts
chirping of little sparrows. We look at those little Just as a dash of pure light that strikes through the sky,
sparrows with wonder. In the school, we are lucky to thoughts on purity occupied my mind. The white color

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on our flag reminds me once again about the purity that Spinner dolphins
must rule our thoughts, our land, the world and the This week, when we went for our usual morning walk at
entire universe. To recollect – Do we breathe in pure air the nearby beach, we were surprised to spot some
every day? - Do we drink pure water every day? - Do we dolphins. We felt happy to watch the friendly dolphins,
leave our dear ones pure space to live? The word 'pure' which leaped four feet and turned around three times in
now has a meaning that has grown enormous and it the air. One of my friends, a marine biologist, told me
leaves every nook and corner of a human mind with too that they are spinner dolphins. The mammals looked
many questions. slender with long thin-beak and a distinct stripe
Purity in thoughts, deeds, words, dialogues, workplace, connected the long and pointed flippers to the eyes.
living space, footsteps, and pathways. Purity has Spinner dolphins are commonly found in the tropical
become a demanding need of the hour. Everywhere we and sub-tropical oceans. He also told me that only
go we are encountered with something impure. Love for spinner dolphins can spin several times in the air. They
a sophisticated and materialistic life has left us impure. frequently jump high out of the water and spin around
Though we don't do things wantedly, the result glares at like a spinning top. Some scientists believe that the
us – with our own deeds we have triggered nature's spinning behavior is a way of communicating with the
alarm bell. It is time to wake up with broadened other spinners. It may also show alertness and
shoulders and thoughts to embrace and welcome purity communicate with the school where they are. This
everywhere. Let us not leave behind something impure acrobatic jump may also help the spinner dolphins to
to make us live pure. free their food that can be attached to other large fish.
According to resources, the morning time is the
An interpretation celebration time for the spinner dolphins as they play
Look at the familiar doll of three wise monkeys. What together. The spinners touch and rub each other and
do they tell us? Don't speak unclean words, don't see engage in playful games. They swim underneath one
unclean situations, don't hear unclean dialogues. another and move their pectoral fins back and forth.
Cleanliness is the need of the hour. Every one of us Some spinners hold hands with their flippers and caress
strives our level best to keep ourselves clean, to wear each other with their tail flukes.
clean clothes, and to live in a clean space. Yet, Spinner dolphins may differ in body size, shape, and
knowingly or unknowingly we leave the space around us color patterns. But, in general, they have common
unclean. That is something 100% true. characters, namely, slender bodies, long and thin beaks,
In today's context, the doll of three wise monkeys small flippers pointed at the tips, and appeared in dark
impart more significance. The sophisticated lifestyle gray, light gray, and white colors. Most of these spinner
that we all enjoy prevents us to spare some seconds dolphins have white bellies. Spinner dolphins have 45 to
thinking about the future. For a secure future, we insure 65 pointed teeth. The spinner dolphin feed on small
our lives. Do we tend to insure and ensure a clean fishes and squids. The female spinners reach sexual
space for our future generation to live a healthy life? maturity at 4 to 7 years and the male spinners reach
Sophisticated machines and technology may make our maturity at 7 to 10 years. The newborn calves measure
life comfortable and happy. Yet, think about this – will 80cm in length. The female spinner dolphins nurse their
they assure us and our children a healthy space with calves from one to two years.
pure air to breathe, pure water to drink, and pure food to
eat? Unlike loads of money to spend, let us take an oath Flowers
to give our children a cleaner world to play, live and be The world will not be a beautiful place if it is without
happy. flowers. Flowers with their varied colors and perfume
convey that life is beautiful. Flowers have the power to
make a shabby place look like a place worth living in. A
flower can bring cleanliness, beauty, and peace of mind
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to the place. Pranny and the wild horse

According to Wikipedia, a flower is a reproductive Pranny ran to the school bus with a hop. Her friends
structure, found in plants. The four main parts of a greeted her with a loud cheer. One by one, they got into
flower are the calyx, corolla, stamen, and pistil. The the bus. Luckily, Pranny got the window seat. Pranny
parts of a flower are arranged in a circular pattern called always liked to sit by the window. She loved to count the
a whorl. The calyx is the outer whorl of sepals. The number of trees that the bus cross. Pranny started to
calyx is green in color, and in some plants, it looks like a count the number of trees when their bus entered the
petal. As a collective unit, the sepals form a calyx, and main road. Pranny had finished counting one hundred
the petals form the Corolla. when they reached their picnic spot. Pranny and her
The Corolla is the inner whorl of petals. The petals are friends jumped down from the bus and entered the park
thin, soft, and colorful to attract insects for pollination. with a scream that can bring down the buildings.
A whorl of stamens consists of a bunch of filaments. Luckily, there were no buildings and the wide sky echoed
Each filament is topped by an anther, in which pollen back. Pranny's teacher asked them to form a line and
grains are produced. The pollen contains the male walk in pairs. Holding the hand of the partner, everyone
gametes. The pistil is the female part of the flower. The started to climb up the path on the hill.
pistil has the carpel, which is the female reproductive Once they reached at the top of the hill, everyone
organ. The sticky tip of the pistil is called stigma and it started collecting different types of flowers and leaves
receives the pollen grains. as their specimens. After some time, Pranny found out
The floral structure of every plant is different from the that she had walked away from her friends. Not a bit
other. The main parts of a flower are described by its worried, she started to collect her flowers. Suddenly, she
position and not by its function. Surprisingly, all the heard the galloping sound of a horse. A wild pony came
flowers do not have all the four main parts of a flower. galloping towards her. Pranny wanted to move away
Sometimes, some parts are modified for some specific from the horse. So, she started to run. But, instead of
function. The floral formula is used by botanists to running away from the horse, Pranny started to run
represent the structure of a flower. Specific letters, toward the horse. The shocked pony stopped and
symbols, and numerals are used to describe the looked at her. Then, with a wild cry, the pony turned
structure of a flower. away from Pranny and climbed down the hill, galloping
Ca – calyx in speed. It took a while for Pranny to come to her
Co – corolla senses. Then, with a cool shake of her shoulders, she
A – androecium started to collect her flowers once again.
G – gynoecium
Many flowers are used as symbols with specific Tiny, the cute lizard
meanings. Red roses are considered symbols of love, The mother lizard slowly climbed the open shelf at the
beauty, and passion. Daisies are considered symbols of corner of the kitchen, searching for a place to lay her
innocence. Lilies are considered symbols for eggs. For the past two days, it hunted for a place where
resurrection and life. she could keep her eggs. The top corner of the shelf
Jasmine is also considered a symbol of love. Orchids proved to be a safe place. Some bottles filled in the
are symbols of perfection, and sunflowers are space and hid the corner of the shelf from the view. It
considered as a symbol of infatuation. In Hinduism, would take at least six weeks for the eggs to hatch.
Lotus is considered a symbol of fertility, purity, and Once baby lizards come out of the eggs, they can move
creation. freely in no time.
Six weeks later, more than six baby lizards hatched out
of the eggs. All the baby lizards followed their mother
outside. The mother lizard led them to the nearby tree
and started to teach them how to hunt small insects.

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The last one hatched, Tiny, did not want to move away The dazzling brightness of the light made her eyes
from the hiding place in the shelf. The mother went blink for a while. The bright light touched her feet.
looking for Tiny. The little lizard curled up at the corner Something moved in the green light and reached her. As
of the shelf refused to follow her. if walking through a long corridor, a small doll-like figure
‘I am not coming.’ Tiny replied to her mother. walked out of the green light. In the darkness, she could
‘What are you going to do here? You will not get not figure how it looked like.
enough food here.’ Mini stooped down to see clearly how the little figure
‘It is so warm and cozy here. I don’t want to come out looked like. The first thing that Mini noticed was the
and freeze in the cold.’ Tiny replied sharply. strong smell that came from it. The aroma roused and
‘Freezing cold? Who told you so? Come out and see spread all around her. Mini felt to be standing inside a
yourself.’ The mother lizard called Tiny once again. circle of hypnotic power. Her skin started to breathe out
‘Is it not winter now?’ tiny drops of sweat and her palms became wet with
‘Yes, but it is not so cold. If it is cold, we can stay inside sweat. She wanted to open her mouth and speak to the
the garage. People will chase you away if they find you.’ little alien-like creature. Her tongue struggled hard to
But, Tiny was not in a position to listen to her mother. move.
At that moment, Bob, the cat entered the kitchen. His Millie, the alien, looked at Mini. The eyes without any
sharp nostrils told the presence of the lizard. Without eyebrows looked at her. It sent a vibration throughout
making a noise, he jumped onto the flat slab near the her body. A strange feeling went down Mini's spine.
sink. Standing near the sink, he looked around searching While Mini struggled with such a sensation, a chilled
for a way to reach the top of the shelf. Meanwhile, the spray of water splashed at her face and dribbled down
mother lizard has moved halfway on the wall. Sensing her chin. Mini suddenly came to her senses. The
danger, she wanted to move fast and escape out of the overflowing water from the water tank has helped her to
window. Looking at the cat, she moved her tail fast and come out of the trance and break the magic spell from
let a part of the tail break away. The tiny piece of tail fell the alien. Within seconds the green light started to
on the floor of the kitchen and it started to wriggle as if ascend toward the sky and disappeared from her sight.
struggling for life. Bob jumped down and sat down Mini slowly tried to recollect what happened to her. But,
looking at the wriggling tail. Tiny was silently watching she could not do so. Her memory cells were wiped
all these things. Without making any more comments, clean and she kept staring at the wide blue sky.
she silently followed her mother and went out through
the kitchen window. Neemoo, the little ant
‘Joe, come and have your breakfast.’ Mary called her
Millie, an alien nine year old son.
The cool rays of moon peeped in through the gap As usual, he is late for school. Running down the stairs,
between the thin strips of coconut leaves. Standing on he reached the table. Throwing bread crumbs all around,
the terrace, Mini stood staring at the moving clouds in he finished his morning breakfast.
the sky. The clouds were sailing through the sky ‘Sit down and drink your juice’, his mother scolded.
gracefully. Gazing continuously at the full moon made Every morning is a struggle with him. Untill he gets into
her feel calm at heart and it also helped her nerves to the school bus, the whole place looks like a fighting pit.
settle down with a rhythm. Suddenly a ray of light Sitting on the chair, Joe started sipping the fresh juice.
started to descend from the sky. It slowly got dispersed Near the left corner of the table, a little ant,Neemoo, was
and touched the top of a coconut tree. The coconut passing. Attracted by the bread crumbs that Joe spilled,
leaves slowly moved in the evening breeze and sent the it moved near to pick up a large piece. Some bits of
light in every direction. The pale-colored light rays crumbs stood on the polished shoes of Joe. Neemoo
slowly deepened to illuminating green light. It started to wanted to carry that crumb home. It slowly climbed on
come towards Mini. his left shoe. When it reached the top of the left shoe,
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Joe finished drinking the juice. laboratory. Aruna likes having a job that is fun and
‘Ma, bye-bye!’ Joe started to walk toward the door. makes children happy.
Neemoo was shocked by the sudden jerk, and held We should also learn from Aruna's curiosity.
tightly to the threads of the socks. The bread crumbs
fell on the floor, but Neemoo could not climb down the The Liberator
shoe. Breathless, it stayed at the top of the shoe. Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest Presidents of
When Joe climbed into the bus, Neemoo lost the grip the United States of America (USA). He removed slavery
and fell on the last step of the bus. The door of the bus from his country forever and kept it united.
closed and started moving toward the school. Neemoo In those days, the blacks (dark-skinned people from
stretched his feelers to know where he is. Neemoo Africa) were treated as slaves by the whites. The people
heard the shrilling scream of little boys and girls. in the North wanted to remove slavery. People in the
Neemoo moved here and there on the last step of the South wanted to continue owning slaves.
bus. After walking around a few circles, Neemoo Slaves were bought and sold as property. They lived in
decided to rest at the corner of the step. Neemoo lived very poor conditions. They had no personal or civil
in the corner of the dining room at Joe’s house. He has rights. The people in the South wanted to have their own
never gone out of the dining room. Even if he went out country where they could still keep slaves.
to the window sill, some ants always came along. This Lincoln argued that blacks had the right to life,
is the first time Neemoo is away from home and freedom, and happiness. He did not allow the Southern
traveling on the bus. states to form their own country. As a result, a war was
After the children went to school, someone started to declared between the northern and southern states.
clean the bus. Neemoo did not know what to do. He The war lasted for 4 years, and finally, the Northern
moved into the corner of the step and stayed there states won. The country remained united. Slavery was
without moving a leg. made illegal in the USA. Lincoln issued a proclamation
that freed all the slaves in the South.

Reading Lessons Lincoln was re-elected as the President. But only six
days after the end of the war, Abraham Lincoln was shot
Miss Fix-it dead.
Ever since she was little, Aruna was curious about how Abraham Lincoln was a great leader. He was honest,
things work. She loved breaking and fixing things to hard-working, and a great visionary. He kept the country
learn more about them. Radios, bicycles, clocks - united. People still remember him and celebrate his life.
whatever she could see, Aruna had to open it.
Sometimes, she was able to put the things back Founder of Singapore
together properly. Other times, they did not work when Singapore, a small island nation, was ruled by other
she was finished with them. Aruna's parents would be countries. It got separated from Malaysia and became
amused when they found her busy looking at gears, independent in 1965. Singapore did not have many
springs, and wires. natural resources. So how did it become one of the
They would bring her broken things from they find the world's most powerful countries?
neighborhood. She would work on them and fix them. The success of Singapore is due to the efforts of Lee
The neighbours began to call her 'Miss Fix-it'. When Kuan Yew. He is often called the founding father of
Aruna got older, she went to an engineering college. Her Singapore. He became the country's first Prime
lifelong love of exploring things helped in her studies. Minister.
She graduated with excellent grades. He was in office from 1965 to 1990 i.e. for 25 years.
Now, Aruna works as a toy designer. That makes her So what did he do that transformed Singapore into an
quite happy. Whenever she has an idea for a new toy, advanced nation?
she creates a design and builds a model in her Singapore is a port, a place where shipping activities

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take place. Lee used this as an advantage. The port was

used for many trading activities. He made good policies
which attracted foreign countries. He provided housing
and employment to his people.
Many people think that Lee's style of working was too
controlling. He had strict control over the press. He did
not allow much freedom of speech. He took all the
decisions and did not allow any corrupt practices.
In an interview, Lee Kuan Yew said, "You are entitled to
call me whatever you like, but that doesn't make me one.
Do I need to be a dictator when I can win? Hands
down!"
He made Singapore a country where there is a system
and order. Lee Kuan Yew is rightly called the man who
created Singapore. He is considered the architect of
modern Singapore. He was a great world leader. He died
at the age of 91 in 2015.

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