JAMIE’S EXAM

Eleven-year-old Jamie loved playing football on his games console. In fact, he loved it so much he would spend hours and hours without stopping. When the teachers set homework at school, he would lock himself away in his room to do it, or so his parents thought…

But one day, the school called Jamie’s mother to go and speak to his teacher, as Jamie hadn’t handed in any homework for a month – ever since his birthday when his parents had given him the games console.

“What’s Jamie done this time?” asked Jamie’s mother.

Short stories - Stories for little girls and boys

“Well, it’s been a month since Jamie has done any homework and lately I’ve noticed that he’s very distracted in class. Do you know what could be wrong?”

Then Jamie’s mother realised that he had been telling lies all this time, for instead of going to his room to do homework, he was playing football on his games console.

“Yes, I know what the problem is. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Jamie,” she told the teacher. Continue reading…

THE GARDEN SCARECROW

My name is Laura, I’m 9 years old and I live in the city. In summer, when it’s school holidays, I go to my grandparents’ house in a little village.

One day, I walked through the orchard to visit Mr. Anselmo, one of my grandparents’ neighbours, so he could teach me how to grow tomatoes and carrots. I wanted to plant my own little vegetable garden at home. There were all sorts of vegetables and fruit in Mr. Anselmo’s garden, because he was the best gardener I had ever met.

“Hello Mr. Anselmo!! How are you?” I asked.

“Well good day to you, miss, ready to learn where most of my food comes from?” he replied.

“Yes! I’m impatient because I want to be a gardener,” I said. Continue reading…

THE HONEST PRINCESS

Once upon a time there was a princess called Tanya, who lived in a very, very, very big castle. The princess’s parents, that is to say, the king and queen, wanted her to marry a handsome knight called Norman, who would often visit them to discuss the land they shared, so Tanya and Norman saw plenty of each other.

Unfortunately Tanya didn’t love him. Although they got on well enough, she didn’t much like him, for Norman was very boastful.

One day, Tanya the princess was talking to Norman about the new decorations the king and queen were going to make in the castle, when suddenly Norman changed the subject and said: “Tanya, I like you a lot. In fact, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

The princess was shocked but instead of firm “NO“, she said: “Norman, you’re a very handsome knight, but I like to be honest with people. So I’m going to tell you what I don’t like about you, which is this: firstly, you’re a show-off, because you like boasting about the clothes you wear when really a person’s clothes aren’t that important; secondly, you spit in the street which is disgusting, and lastly, I’m not going to marry you just because my parents tell me to: I’m going to marry a man I really love.”

Norman reflected long and hard on what the princess had said. To begin with, he felt bad about her opinion of him, but he soon cheered up when he realised that all the things she mentioned were things he could change. It wasn’t his personality that annoyed her, but his behaviour. Continue reading…

STORIES FOR LITTLE GIRLS AND BOYS

In a school many years ago there was a teacher called Maria, who was very strict but knew a lot about reading and language. The children in her class called her “Miss” and went around calling “Miss, Miss!!” any time they wanted something. In her class there were fourteen boys and fourteen girls, and although the boys usually made more noise, normally everyone behaved very well.

One day, “Miss” Maria asked one of the boys, Peter, to read a children’s story. Peter began reading the children’s tale, which went like this: “In a far-off land there was once a sweet young princess called Sophie…” The little boy stopped and exclaimed: “This is a girls’ story!!” and the whole class laughed. Maria the teacher interrupted to say: “Peter, it’s a children’s story and it’s for girls as well as boys. Think about this, do princes like princesses? They do, don’t they? So this is also a story for boys, because princesses are in it and when you are older you will probably like them.”

Peter was speechless at “Miss’s” explanation, but he realised that she was right and you should keep reading a story just the same, however girly it might seem.

Short stories - Stories for little girls and boys

Then it was a little girl’s turn to read a story, and her name was Christina. Continue reading…

THE LITTLE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP

Short Story written by: Mila

There was once a little shepherd boy called Nino, who lived in a little village at the foot of a mountain, with green meadows and a plentiful river. But it wasn’t just the beautiful nature that made the village a charming place, it was also the kindness of its one hundred inhabitants.

The little shepherd boy was always with his flock of sheep, his dog and his little donkey. Every day before the sun came up, Nino the little shepherd boy was already ready to milk the sheep and goats in his flock and then go out onto the meadows with them.

Although he was a little older now, Nino the little shepherd boy still spent all day outside, returning just before it grew dark as tired as his flock. Being a shepherd was indeed a very selfless job, for you needed to be strong and fit to spend all day every day walking through the fields. And there was the milking to be done too, so that people could have milk and cheese.

Short stories - the little shepherd and his sheep

Whenever there was too much milk from milking the sheep and goats, the little shepherd boy would usually share it out among the villagers. Continue reading…

THE PIRATES AND THE LOST TREASURE

There was once an invisible ship aboard which some wicked pirates lived. These pirates spent their days sailing the seas and oceans hunting for very valuable treasure – some hidden treasure that no one had ever been able to find.

The pirates and their ship were invisible, and you could only see it if you were a pirate too. It also meant that the pirates could get to all the hidden treasure before anyone else, for they wouldn’t leave a trace.

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As usual, the pirates set sail for some hidden treasure that no one had ever heard of, but even so this treasure was very special for it guarded a big secret…

Following the course of the treasure map, the pirates were impatient to get there as soon as possible, for they believed it would be the best treasure they had ever seen. In no time at all, the pirates’ invisible ship had reached the treasure island and as they were the first to get there they were very happy.

Short stories - the pirates and the lost treasure

Just as the treasure map indicated, they had to head inland from the beach by taking one hundred paces in a straight line, turning right and taking eight more paces – and there, buried in the sand, was the hidden treasure.

The pirates grabbed their picks and spades and starting digging as fast as they could, taking it in turns when one got tired. But after they had been digging for quite a while, they hit something metal… Continue reading…

THE SCATTER-BRAINED FAIRY

Once upon a time there was a fairy called Rita, who lived on the edge of a big city in a house with horses, sheep, a pig and several sheepdogs.  Rita the fairy enjoyed living in the countryside, but she had one problem: she was so scatter-brained that she forgot she had animals that depended on her, and sometimes she forgot to feed them.  Other times she forgot to stroke them, or to correct them when they did something wrong, but she thought: “… Well, they’re only animals so they won’t mind…”

One day, however, she remembered what she was and thought: “Wait, I’m a fairy!! I must learn not to forget these things… I know, I’ll do one of my spells to cure myself.”

So she cast a spell for a better memory. She said the magic words “Memoria memorieta memorium memoriae,” but then she forgot to throw her magic dust and the spell went wrong. And she turned into a little pig like the one on her farm.

Short stories - the scatterbrained fairy

That meant that Rita the fairy had to find an antidote spell to go back to her normal human state. But in the meantime the animals played with her as if she were one of them, they sniffed at her and crowded around her because she was a new pig they had never seen before. Continue reading…

THE MAGICIAN AND THE MAGIC UMBRELLA

Legend has it that many, many years ago there was a wizard who had always wanted to fly like a bird to see what it felt like to soar through the air. Arion, for that was the wizard’s name, hoped that one day he would finally manage to fly, so every day as soon as he got up he would set to work in his laboratory searching for the magic formula.

One day, as the wizard was doing his experiments and inventing new potions, his cat Dabra arrived in the laboratory. He was so happy to see the wizard that in his haste he broke into a run and knocked over some of the potions Arion had made.

The wizard got very annoyed with Dabra and said: “Naughty cat!! I don’t want to see you ever again, get out of this house!!” And so Dabra went sadly out onto the street.

Short stories -the magician and the magic umbrella

Arion the wizard went round cleaning up all the liquid that had fallen on the floor and on top of an old umbrella that the wizard had had since he was a boy, for it had been a gift from his grandfather. Arion couldn’t believe it – the umbrella had been stained multicoloured by the potions! “Oh no!” he cried, “That cat has destroyed my grandfather’s umbrella, it’s ruined!”

But just as Arion the wizard was about to throw the umbrella in the bin, he accidentally opened it up and saw a blaze of colourful lights surrounding him. And then he noticed that his feet weren’t touching the floor – they were in the air!

In a flash, Arion realised that the umbrella was magic, and that by holding it he could fly. Excited, he shouted: “I’m flying like a bird at last!!” Continue reading…

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

A long, long time ago there was a legend about a monster that lived in a lake called Ness, by the side of a little village in Scotland. No one had ever seen the Loch Ness Monster, but the whole world talked about her. People said that the monster in the lake was as big as a football pitch, that she had four eyes and ate all the little children who went near the lake.

Jake, for that was the name of an adventurous little boy from the area, decided to investigate and set off to explore the area around Loch Ness. Jake knew that if the rumours of the monster were true, he wouldn’t come out of his adventure alive. But there was something inside him that made him think that what people said was false.

Jake believed that if there really was a monster in Loch Ness, she couldn’t be as bad as the villagers said, for he believed that all living beings had their good and bad points, and that we should try to get the best out of each other.

Short stories - the loch ness monster

So Jake went off with his backpack full of food. When he reached the banks of the lake, he began throwing the food to attract the Loch Ness Monster. Continue reading…

THE SEASONS OF THE YEAR

There were once four seasons in the year called Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Each season was very different, but two of them didn’t get on very well at all. Which two were they? I hear you asking. Well, Winter and Summer, that’s who.

From the moment they met, Winter and Summer had clashed, for Winter liked the cold, rain and snow, but Summer preferred sunshine, dryness and heat. In fact, they were polar opposites.

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So one day the four seasons got together to resolve the problem. Spring comes after Winter, and with her the trees and fields begin to flower and it stops being so cold. And Autumn, who follows Summer, brings with him the falling leaves, the start of the cold weather and a few rain showers.

Short stories - the seasons of the year

At their meeting, Spring and Autumn tried to explain to Winter and Summer that they should get along, for all four of them are needed to complete the circle of life on Earth. Continue reading…