Children's Literature

  Once again, that dwarf appeared that night to help the girl spin gold out of straw. This time she promised him, “I will give you my ring instead.” Again, the King grew greedier and greedier. He decided to place the girl in another room. He told her to complete another round of spinning. The dwarf appeared once again. This time, he said, “This time you’ll have to give me your first child. You will become the Queen.” The innocent girl was certain that the King would never marry her. Hence, she promised the dwarf without any hesitation. With the passage of time, the King decided to marry her. Thus, the poor miller’s daughter became the Queen. Some months later, she gave birth to a baby boy. Then, one night, the dwarf appeared to her asking her first child. Anyway, the Queen begged him not to take her child away. The dwarf agreed on a condition, “If you can tell my name correctly, I will leave the child, for sure. But you are given three days only. You must tell me my name ...

After the King had gone away, the miller’s daughter felt so shocked and puzzled that she kept weeping in a corner of the room. Four hours passed. Then, all of a sudden, the door miraculously got opened. Right then, a dwarf stepped in. The dwarf asked her, “What’s wrong? Why do you weep, buddy?” Then the miller’s daughter answered with sobs, “My father has promised the King that I would spin all the straw into gold. Therefore, the King has given me all these to spin into gold.” The dwarf replied, “Well, I can do this task for you. But what will you give me instead?” The girl could hardly believe her ears. Then the dwarf said once again, “Yes, you heard me right. But what will you give me for my work?” “I will give you my necklace instead,” she answered. Thus, the dwarf sat down to spin gold out of the straw. After his work had been over, he sneaked away. The next morning, the King opened the door with a bit of anxiety. Immediately, he found the straw turned into gold. ...

  Long ago, there resided a miller in a village. He had a lovely daughter. However, the miller was poor. Hence, he dreamed of becoming rich day after day. Fortunately, the King was walking through the village one lucky day. The miller chanced to meet the King. He could not hold his tongue. Hence, out of extreme ambition to become rich, his tongue slipped out saying, “Your Highness, my daughter can spin gold out of straw.” The King became utterly surprised. He wondered how it could be possible. Then he asked the miller, “Are you sure of what you’re talking about? I wonder whether you are actually right.” The miller replied, “I can assure you that whatever you have heard from me is true.” Yes, the miller was really confident. Upon hearing all this, the King asked the miller, “As you say, I trust you. Anyway, can she be taken to the palace?” The miller gave his prompt consent. Thereafter, the miller’s daughter was taken to the palace. In the palace, the King showed her...

  “Always speak the truth. The truth has great power. If we speak the truth, we will become powerful from within.” Read the following story to learn how to be truthful. The Showpiece Susan and Meghan were two sisters. Susan was elder than Meghan by three years. The two sisters were true friends, for sure. They used to play, eat, sleep and do everything together. One day, they were playing together as usual. They were prancing, hiding, hopping, dancing, singing and running together. Suddenly, while playing, Meghan broke a showpiece. It was very dear to their mother. Their mother came running to the room. Right then, she discovered the mess. She found that it was her favourite showpiece. She asked, “What happened?” Susan replied in a trembling voice, “It fell down.” Their mother asked, “How?” The sisters answered, “We don’t know, Mom.” The mother, then, told them in a soft and endearing voice, “I know that you two were playing. I know that it was an accident. ...

“One should love one’s own country. We should fight for our country. We should love her always. However, we should keep in mind our country is our motherland. We should be ready to serve her, work for her and dedicate ourselves to her.”   Read the following story to learn how to be patriotic. True Patriotism Once upon a time, there lived a teacher in a city. He was Mr Dey. Next to his house, there lived a little boy who was a student in the same school. On the Independence Day in that year, the little boy went to school much early. All the teachers and the students were going to observe the Independence Day together. The Principal hoisted the flag with great honour. Mr Dey was a celebrated teacher in that school. He was requested by the Principal to deliver a short speech on the significance of the day. Mr Dey delivered a moving and praiseworthy speech indeed. Everybody clapped loudly after his speech. The little boy, too, was there while the day was being observe...

“We all must be responsible citizens. Such responsibility gives inner peace. We should learn the various aspects of such responsibility. We should try to keep our city clean and tidy as much as possible.”   Read the following story to learn how to be a responsible citizen. James’ Sense of Responsibility From his early childhood, James has been taught to keep his city and country clean and tidy. He is an obedient boy indeed. One day, he was walking with his mother to school. Yes, his school was not far from his house. Therefore, he used to go to school on foot every day. On that day, suddenly, a young man threw a banana skin onto the road. James noticed it. After seeking permission from his mother, he went to the young man. The young man said, “What’s the matter up, boy?” Then James replied, “Please throw the banana skin into the dustbin.” The young man, at first, tried to deny that it was he who threw the banana skin onto the road. James told him, “I have been t...